Dear Editor,
After many glitches, Guyana has a new National Archives after years of our national treasures languishing in Main Street. It is a commendable development and I only hope that records will be better stored, preserved, saved for posterity, and easily shared with the public. Guyana can tap overseas help in preserving and safeguarding our national heritage. It is also necessary to abide with international standardization. There must be fire protection of the stored materials and temperature and humidity requirements for the different types of materials stored in archival areas and in the archival/preservation office areas. Archival specification should not be ignored. Guyanese historian, Sr. Noel Menezes, a member of the National Trust of Guyana, addressed this issue. Failure to heed professional advice has led to many delays, for example incorrect shelving was built and fire proof doors not installed.
With help being offered from Cuba, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and India, the National Archives can modernize. While Guyana is pursuing help from Cuba to upgrade the Archives, nothing substantial has been achieved. The Cuban archivist returned to Cuba after making an assessment of what has to be done. She delivered her report to Dr. Frank Anthony. I do hope that Ms. Gisela Felipe, Director of Archive Historico Provincial Las Tunas, will return to Guyana for a few years to help upgrade the archive to international standards. If Guyana can assemble the human resources at its disposal a brilliant project proposal to modernize the archive can be put together and Guyana’s archives can benefit from the many funds available. More recently, in Suriname, after Mr. Hassan Khan, Minister of Interior, put together a proposal for a new state of the art archives, Holland rose to the occasion and is currently building for Suriname an archives to the tune of 4 million euros. It will be the most modern archives in the Caribbean with all international specifications met. The Surinamese are ready to help Guyana. Guyana can get help from its Caricom neighbours.
There are many records currently at the Guyana Post Office (GPO) that must be archived. They are old, fragile and falling apart and must be moved immediately. Some were moved to the Archives but most remained at GPO and this led to major confusion. It is cumbersome for people to go from one place to another to make enquiries. Former Home Affairs Minister Gail Teixeira commenced this effort but it has not been completed. There is resistance from GPO to move these fragile records. I urge Dr. Frank Anthony to get these records from GPO transferred immediately to the National Archives.
GPO is in a state of chaos due to technological constraints and lack of space. A better procedural system needs to be put in place. It’s a pity that people coming from far outlying areas such as Berbice and Essequibo can’t uplift documents such as Birth, Death, and Marriage Certificates or genealogical information when they come to Georgetown. Today in Guyana people wait days, weeks or months for such important documents. Guyana can do better to serve its people. Modern technology facilitates the speedy processing of such requests, but GPO is still in the Ice Age. Take, for example, that only one person is trained to use or can access the Microfiches and when she is on holiday the public suffers. GPO should not be run like a “cake shop.”
The waiting area at GPO is tiny and always crowded, and the hours of serving the public are too short. The office should not be closed for lunch. Lunch should be sorted by the administration on a rotation basis. The office should be always open because it is one of the busiest in the country. As well, why are different days and times allocated for different enquiries and needs of the public? And the dress code to visit this public office is also outdated. It goes back to the 1800s during the time of colonial laws. When I see my countrymen being told, “No, come back, I can’t help you, the record is lost, it’s lunchtime
