Packages cannot be mailed from community post offices

Dear Editor,

I wish to take the opportunity to thank you for providing space  for Guyanese citizens to highlight issues of concerns, which are at times utilized by the Government, the Private Sector, Authorities and various Commissions. Some use your media to quarrel about politics, for or against, the Government or the Opposition, etc.

I was quite surprised when I visited the Plaisance Post Office to mail a small package out of the country, comprising a shawl and prayer beads I was told that I have to go to Georgetown in order to mail any package with the exception of letters overseas.

This caused me to think very deeply of the inconvenience that citizens have to face with regards to public transportation and the waste of financial resource. Nevertheless, I went to the Georgetown Post Office, ensuring that I fulfilled the requirements; proof of address and ID card to mail the package.

At the GPO, I further enquired in the interest of ordinary citizens from the country area, whether or not they have to travel all the way to the city to mail a small package. I questioned if there is any other place one can visit besides GPO to mail packages out of Region Four. I was told that there is another location in Linden and there is ‘probably’ another in Region Six.

I’m quite sure there is at least one such postal office, equipped with Customs Officers and Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) officers. However, I do not think that one such postal service to cater for an entire region is sufficient. This will definitely create hardships on people. Depending on the size of the region, there should be at least two to three such post offices equipped with CANU and Customs ranks.

I know that there is a cost factor involved with the post office, CANU and Customs Officers. However, it must be noted that it is a service to citizens to make life easy and not a mere business. It is also costly for the poor people to have to travel all the way to a central post office in any region to get a package out of the country.

I hereby ask the Government of Guyana through its Minister responsible, the Honourable, Cathy Hughes, to consider the plight of citizens in merely mailing a package out of this country.

Yours faithfully,

Roshan Khan Snr

Chairman/Founder

RK’s Guyana Security Services