Dear Editor,
In the age of technology I believe Guyana is lagging behind. Go to any one of the public offices and you will find that their processes involve pens and large record books.
It must be acknowledged that while there is practicality behind the current systems because of frequent black-outs and the lack of computer-proficient personnel, careful analysis should be done where the most value could be gotten from computer driven systems as well as the hybrid approaches taken to soften the transitions to these systems (hybrid approaches involve keeping the old paper system while deploying and learning the new computer system).
There is a tendency for some institutions to employ technology without getting any real value from its usage; it is used only as a façade of progress and competency. This is just a waste of time and money.
That kind of surface level implementation must be avoided and the cost-benefits must be understood before undertaking any technological upgrading of work processes.
I believe the use of technology will be very valuable in the administration of several sectors that are rife with corruption. There are many cases where one hears of a court “jacket” being lost and someone buying himself out of the arms of justice. There are numerous cases when only the connected are awarded house lots. The truth is, these papers are easily torn up, or manipulated by corrupt officials to the benefit of those with ties, and a grave injustice is being perpetrated on the ordinary Guyanese. Besides streamlining and speeding up processes, one of the major benefits of any modern computer system is the existence of an ‘audit-trail’ which means that at all times operations performed by staff are tracked to provide an answer to ‘who-did-what-at-what-time’ questions.
In a properly designed computer system, records cannot be destroyed without a trace, neither can an appointment be arranged out of turn; everything is accountable. I believe properly implemented computer systems will go a long way towards culling corruption in Guyana while delivering better, quicker public services.
Also the know-how to develop these kinds of systems are available in Guyana; just ask companies like Nand Persaud, producers of Karibee rice who were able to modernize their intake, accounting and exporting operations to state-of-the-art levels by the use of talent available right in Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Yogistra Anderson
