Dear Editor,
Today, December 31, 2013, I had a visit from the postman. This is a rare occurrence in Barbados, since he usually just drops my mail in my mailbox and continues along. Today he ensured that he saw me.
He gave me my mail, two pieces of which were Christmas cards from Guyana. He then told me that instead of putting them in the mailbox as usual, he wanted me to receive them in person so that he could let me know that the mail was cut open and re-taped in Guyana. The mailman said he did not know why, but all of the mail that came from Guyana had been cut open and then taped up again.
When I examined my mail carefully, both envelopes from Guyana, which had nothing but Christmas cards in them, had been cut open and then taped up.
There was a Guyana Post Office stamp on the cut and taped part of the envelopes. Apart from the ends that were cut open, the envelopes looked scruffy, like they had seen better days. They were torn in other places and worn.
In addition, there was a stamp by the Barbados Post Office which stated that the envelopes were taped when they were received in Barbados.
What on earth is going on?! Who is opening people’s personal mail in Guyana? What are they looking for? This is a violation of privacy!
If it is indeed the fact that all of the mail which came from Guyana had been cut open and then taped, then this points to either official snooping or large scale mail fraud. This is upsetting. Those who are thieving and smuggling and corrupt are not being targeted, but they are violating the mail of ordinary people.
If it is the latter then GPO has a serious problem.
Yours faithfully,
Cynthia Nelson
Editor’s note
We are sending a copy of this letter to Ms Telesha Whyte, the Public Relations Officer of the Guyana Post Office.
