‘Thiefing’ has become endemic in our society

Dear Editor,
Even grudgingly, your detractors must give your paper credit for your exposes on shoddy work done throughout Guyana with taxpayers’ money.

If the Treasury has enough money to run the country and pay additional money to correct so many sub-standard jobs, then it is logical to conclude that if these jobs are done properly in the first instance, there will be massive savings to undertaking other projects and/or offer some relief to the citizenry which is overburdened by existing taxation.

The recent incident of the Garden of Eden koker and the comments of officials of that NDC echo the cries of other NDCs to be included in the oversight arrangement on projects undertaken by central or regional bodies within NDCs. As it turned out, more money had to be poured into that project to complete it.

Too often have we seen contracts being issued to persons whose primary expertise resides in liaisons with corrupt public officials. I make bold to say that most contracts issued by the public sector cannot withstand scrutiny. ‘Thiefing’ has become endemic in our society. As if to underscore this, reports are surfacing that items were being looted while a hospital was on fire a few days ago.

But I suppose we have reached that juncture in our national existence where those who entertain only a passing inclination to steal are now being signalled that it is okay to actually steal because that seems to be the order of the day. We cannot help noticing that the more millions one misappropriates, the more probable one is to get off and re-enter the scene to steal even more.

I am still to see guilty contractors and public officials being jailed for stealing public money, in whatever form. But I suppose Guyana has its own uniqueness.

Yours faithfully,
T Jadunauth