Berbice. New Amsterdam Mayor Claude Henry has refuted claims that the town council is being mismanaged. In a press release which responded to statements recently made by Member of Parliament Fizal Jafferally,the Mayor said the municipality does not garner much money in terms of rates and taxes. “We have a very small budget,” he said.
According to the chief citizen, the council has been trying to get government to increase property taxes in the town. He said this is something that should be given priority.
The mayor calls on the government to assist the people of New Amsterdam. “We don’t have to beg the government to help, the government ought to help willingly, because New Amsterdam is paying taxes to the government; they are contributing to the revenue of this country… People have been contributing by way of income tax, by way of 16 per cent VAT. It is my view that the relevant authorities must help this council,” the mayor said.
Mayor Henry acknowledged that through the Local Government Ministry some work has been done in the town. However, he is of the opinion that it is not much in comparison to the contribution New Amsterdamers make to the national economy.
Fizal Jafferally recently criticised the council’s ability and called for the mayor to step down, while hinting at the disbanding of the council and the installation of an Interim Management Committee (IMC).
Making mention of the town of Rose Hall, Henry said similar issues plagued that town a decade ago, resulting in an IMC being installed. “That IMC has changed three chair persons since the last mayor left there, and it is not better off,” the mayor emphasised, as he defended the council against statements made by the Berbice parliamentarian.
“We have an administrative body that takes care of the affairs of the town council. We do not have an axe to grind with Mr Jafferally, if I had one to grind with him, it would have been done years ago,” he said.
In recent times, Jafferally has been very critical of the New Amsterdam Mayor and Town Council, citing them for not being able to properly manage the town’s solid waste. Jafferally, on a recent local TV programme, lashed at residents of the town for the manner in which they dispose of their garbage. Especially the business community,many of whom prefer to use the area along the Republic Road to dispose of their waste,instead of the town's designated dump site.
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