By Mark DaCosta- Veteran trade unionist and General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Lincoln Lewis, has voiced his concerns regarding the housing challenges plaguing the nation. While his remarks on housing are part of a broader critique of the government’s handling of national issues, it is clear that housing is deeply intertwined with poverty — an issue that Lewis believes has been exacerbated by government mismanagement.
According to Lewis, despite the vast oil wealth now at Guyana’s disposal, poverty remains widespread. “Nearly 40 percent of our people are still living in poverty,” Lewis stated, referencing a World Bank report that corroborates this grim statistic.
For Lewis, the persistence of such high poverty levels, especially in light of the country’s oil exports, highlights significant shortcomings in governance. “This shouldn’t be the case after nearly a decade of oil production,” he added, attributing the crisis to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) government’s failure to use the nation’s resources effectively to alleviate poverty.
One of Lewis’ primary concerns is the government’s approach to housing. He emphasised that the distribution of houselots alone does not address the core problem. While the PPP government has boasted about the number of houselots it has allocated, Lewis pointed out that the majority of people who receive these plots cannot afford to build homes.
“The PPP government talks about how many houselots have been distributed, but how many people can afford to build homes, even if they manage to get a house lot?” Lewis questioned. His point underscores the fact that housing, like many other challenges in the country, is directly tied to the pervasive poverty gripping the population.
An expert in the field of housing policy, Professor David Madden from Columbia University, supports this view. He highlights that “simply distributing land is not enough to solve housing shortages if the majority of citizens lack the financial means to develop the property into functional homes.” Madden’s insight aligns with Lewis’s stance that the PPP’s current housing strategy is insufficient.
Lewis has also criticised the government’s handling of sanitation infrastructure, particularly its reliance on septic tanks. According to him, requiring citizens to build their own septic tanks in areas where there is no sewage system is outdated and inefficient. “Septic tank use should be brought to an end,” Lewis argued. “Each community should have an efficient sewage system with proper treatment plants.”
An expert from the World Health Organisation (WHO) has echoed Lewis’s concerns, stating that “proper sewage systems significantly reduce the spread of waterborne diseases and improve overall public health.” This highlights the necessity for improved sanitation infrastructure, especially as Guyana continues to develop.
Lewis also pointed out that Guyana, as a signatory to the Cartagena Convention — a regional agreement aimed at protecting the Caribbean Sea environment — has an obligation to ensure proper sewage disposal and other environmental protections. By failing to invest in sewage systems, the government is not only neglecting its people but also its international commitments.
Lewis is also concerned about the quality of the house lots being sold to Guyanese. He claims that the government is selling plots in undeveloped areas — “swamps,” as he called them — where there is no infrastructure such as potable water, electricity, or roads.
“PPP government is selling — not giving — people house lots in swamps. Areas with no infrastructure: no sewage disposal, potable water, electricity, roads, bridges, etc. And government is telling people to build homes there? That is totally wrong,” Lewis said. His critique raises serious questions about the government’s long-term housing strategy, especially given that oil revenues provide the opportunity to invest in proper infrastructure.
Supporting this stance, civil engineer Dr. Jason Burke notes, “Housing projects should always consider the necessary infrastructure before selling or distributing land. Failure to do so places the burden of development on citizens, which many cannot afford.”
In Lewis’ view, the solution to the housing crisis goes beyond mere land distribution. He argues that the government should focus on building entire communities, complete with the necessary infrastructure for sustainable living.
“The PPP government should not be just selling house lots; the government should be building communities with proper infrastructure: drainage, electricity, roads, bridges, water supply, sewage disposal, accommodations for business centres, health centres, and so on,” he explained. For Lewis, this is not just a matter of convenience, but a fundamental part of improving the quality of life for all Guyanese.
With the significant financial resources now available from oil revenues, Lewis believes there is no excuse for the government’s failure to develop proper housing solutions. “We have sufficient money to develop proper communities, considering our oil revenue,” he stated.
Lewis’ critique of the PPP government’s handling of housing highlights broader issues of poverty, mismanagement, and the failure to use oil revenues for the benefit of the people. His call for comprehensive community development, complete with essential infrastructure, speaks to the deeper need for a more thoughtful and people-centred approach to national development.
