Steps in the Right Direction: St. John’s | Editorial

By Kieron Murdoch | Opinion Contributor

One of the more positive trends which we have noticed in recent weeks, and which we hope continues, is the apparent effort by the government and the St. John’s Development Corporation (SJDC) to bring a bit more order and cleanliness to some aspects of daily life in St. John’s. It is our sincere hope, and likely the earnest hope of many Antiguans and Barbudans, that this effort is sustained. To say that it is necessary is an understatement.

We all know the challenges the city faces and we have often spoken of them on this site – the disorganised and untidy vending, the vagrancy problem, the improper disposal of garbage, the traffic and parking congestion, the state of the roads, the abandoned and dilapidated buildings – but we too often behave as though the solutions are not with grasp.

Yes, some solutions require long-term planning, both public and private investment, and will not materialise overnight. That can be said in the case of abandoned and dilapidated structures, for example. A government or state agency might have to engage in a more complex and ongoing process of legislation, individual case-by-case negotiation and broad enforcement before seeing progress in this regard.

But in other cases, the solution merely requires the enforcement of existing laws or regulations, the political will to do, the will to hold those tasked with the duty to account, and the will to hold those who breach the law to account as well. Often, that is where we are lacking. Keeping a city clean, orderly, and aesthetically pleasing with healthy green spaces and public amenities is not a new area of human endeavour. We need only ask ourselves what others in comparable contexts are doing that we appear not to be doing.

That said, we commend the government and the SJDC for having the will to bring some order to the vending situation on market street. As we all know, this country appears to go through cycles of enforcement and laxness in this regard, and it is not the first time that such a thing has been done. But we hope that this time, the policy change will be lasting.

Further, as the government continues to seek ways of improving the livelihoods and economic opportunities for the residents of this country, it is imperative that we incorporate into our physical development plan more well throughout out market spaces for vendors and small traders who wish to operate from tents, stalls or simple structures.

These traders are part of the backbone of our daily economy, whether they are vending cooked food, fresh produce, clothing and wares, or accessories. So, while we frown upon such activity taking on a disorderly, unwieldy and unsanitary character, we must simultaneously aim to facilitate more well-thought-out opportunities for traders to operate.

We yearn for the day when we could see a well-maintained park in this country which has at its corners, designated spaces for vending, where plots are delineated in neat rows, built structures are erected and painted at the owner’s expense, but per an enforced basic design, provision for garbage disposal is adequate, and officers from the relevant authority make it their duty to walk up and down on scheduled inspections seeking to call out breaches. It is far from impossible.

Besides the issue of vending, we have seen an announcement that suggests that garbage disposal in the city is next to come under stricter management and control. This, too, is a necessity. It is simply not acceptable to have piles of garbage put out and displayed on the sidewalk at certain hours or on certain days, often left heaped beside overburdened receptacles.

In this regard, the government may wish to consider practical solutions that make avenues for disposal more readily accessible to occupants of the city as opposed to merely mandating that each business make their arrangements, as this approach does not appear to net the desired results. Solutions that make it easier to abide by the law are in everyone’s best interest and are most likely to achieve the desired outcome.

At some point, we have to come to terms with the fact that our issue isn’t the inability to plan or the absence of the capital – public or private – to invest in solutions. Our issue is the culture of non-accountability. As citizens, we do not wish to be accountable for our actions in how we ply our various trades, or in how clean and orderly we are, or in whether we abide by regulations or not. Similarly, leaders often do not wish to be accountable for enforcement, especially if it whips up a cross-section of public sentiment against them.

We note that the recently elected MP and Minister responsible for Urban Transformation, Rawdon Turner, has been closely associated with these recent clean-up and enforcement efforts in the city. We must say, it is refreshing to see such an approach taken to issues that had been bothersome for so long, and we hope the entire government fully supports this re-engagement of St. John’s.

Said Greene was named Director of City and Urban Renewal some time ago. What impact has the office been having? Ministers Maria Browne and Max Fernandex did walk-throughs in the city two years ago in March 2023 to examine things as they relate to public works and visitor friendliness. Did the city become less pothole-ridden and more visitor-friendly in the wake of that? This is a genuine question. Please leave comment below, as we are not sure what came of it.

It is refreshing to see new blood and energy having an impact in terms of how things are done. We will not hesitate to say that this nation has had enough of farts who have been in office too long, have gotten too comfortable, have totally lost the plot, merely effuse promises but do not deliver, and who frankly need to be swept away in the national interest.

About the writer:

Kieron Murdoch is an opinion contributor at antigua.news. He worked as a journalist and later as a radio presenter in Antigua and Barbuda for eight years, covering politics and governance especially. If you have an opinion on the issues raised in this editorial and you would like to submit a response by email to be considered for publication, please email [email protected].