Dear Editor,
Guyana’s drive for order and environmental improvement has taken a toll on the men and women who, every day, hustle by the roadside to put food on their families’ tables. For decades, informal vendors and mechanics have been the backbone of our “grab-and-go” economy: they feed the working class, solve our household needs, and lend a human face to bustling street corners. But today, many of these same people—once the loudest in support of the new government—find themselves swept aside, their livelihoods threatened under the banner of beautification.
The campaign to reclaim government reserves and create cleaner public markets could be a step forward for our nation. But progress is not progress if it comes at the risk of poverty, deeper inequality, and disillusionment among our most hard-working citizens. The removal of roadside stalls, with little or no notice, has trampled on their dignity and set the stage for deeper mistrust between people and government.
This is a call for action—and for policy, not just policing.
The Policy Demand
– Immediate Halt to Forced Removals: The government must pause all future removals until vendors and stallholders are engaged in meaningful dialogue and clear alternatives are presented. Respect and human dignity should be at the heart of every policy.
•. Create Official Vendor Zones: Establish new, sanitary, and easily accessible “designated vendor markets” in every major town and transport hub, where displaced vendors can operate legally, with proper facilities and security.
•. Relocation Assistance and Compensation: Offer relocation grants or transition stipends to all vendors forced from their traditional business spots. These funds can be vital bridges, keeping food on tables as families adjust to new realities.
•. Market Upgrading and Vendor Licensing: Launch a comprehensive upgrading of existing markets, including public toilets, garbage collection, and covered stalls. Offer amnesty and easy pathways for informal workers to become licensed, formal market vendors—cutting red tape, not livelihoods.
•. Vendor Inclusion in Urban Planning: Vendor and small operator voices must have a seat at the table—through formal representation in municipal councils and market committees—when policies are developed or changed.
This collective cleanup can still offer the promise of a livable, orderly Guyana for all. But real nation-building lifts up its most vulnerable citizens rather than brushes them aside. The government must act quickly to bring these changes, or risk making progress only for the privileged, while abandoning the working people who built the “One Guyana” dream in the first place.
Let us demand progress that polishes not just our pavements, but also our hearts and our laws.
Yours truly,
Hemdutt Kumar .
