Dear Editor,
Guyana is not a real place. This is a land of lawlessness. It is a nation where there is an overwhelming disregard for laws, rules, regulations and of the authorities. It is a place where the authorities are complicit in the enduring culture of lawlessness.
It is a land where alcohol is consumed for any spurious reason. Guyana holds the dubious claim of the suicide capital of the world and that is fuelled by a very pervasive rum culture. Heck, the hallowed chambers of the national house boasts of one of the best stocked bar with a butler on the public dole.
A great percentage of people of this current generation have surrendered whatever modicum of self esteem, discipline and respect their forebears once cherished and held dear. Today, the vulgarity that permeates the air does not only emanate from the loud speakers of cars and mini-buses. It is heard on the roadways, in school corridors, in public spaces, offices and on social media by just about any and all age groups, gender and ethnicity. No one is innocent.
Bacchanalia and lewdness has spread across the land. This is a place where foreign culture (the prevalence of Jamaican dance hall music is a stark example) is borrowed and aped.
Young girls are most vulnerable. On the whole women are sexualized on social media, TV, in public and private spaces . They continue to be exploited by those who ought to be watching over them.
Guyana is a nation of people that disrespects just about anything for no good reason. Recklessness abounds on the roadways. There are no rules that are not broken by most drivers. When caught, a Granger greases the palm and the driver continues on merrily, carelessly and oftentimes under the influence.
Common courtesy is foreign to drivers. Slow drivers occupy the fast lane. The many Speedy Gonzales undertake using the shoulders and parapet. There is no shortage of honking of the horn, cutting off of other vehicles, illegal lane changes etc. Rules of the road do not apply here.
There is absolutely no practice of a good road culture. Simple things such as parking are most discourteous actions. Often times, vehicles are blocked in by drivers who feel that it’s within their right to park as they please. Parking lots with visibly marked and designated parking spaces are ignored. Parking between two lines is an alien concept. The blatant disregard of the etiquette of proper parking has given rise to bollards, chains and other barriers across driveways.
Guyana is a place where positive and critical thinking is not allowed to flourish. It is a place where anything construed as criticism is attacked, struck down, ignored or denied the light of day. This is particularly true of public services. Oftentimes, whether raised in person, on air, via social media, text messages, in letters or other communication medium, those with legitimate and germane concerns and issues are put though the proverbial blender.
The system, the bureaucracy, the red tape is endless. It’s as if the system is set up to frustrate and stymie the ordinary man in an unending cycle of run around from one public servant to another, from one agency to another, from one ministry to another.
This is a land where professionalism in the public sphere is most wanting. Walk into any public office on any given day and those who are meant to serve can be seen on their electronic devices, chit chatting, texting, playing games. Sometimes, nails and hairs are given more attention than customer service. Public offices are home to the stew teeth and sour mouth attitude.
For all that Guyana is, there is still hope that things will change. The condition of a people will not change until they change that which is within them. There is a silent majority who needs to find their voice. They need to get out of their self-imposed realm of fear and start advocating for better. They must eventually speak truth to power.
For all that this nation is, there is also a growing percentage of Guyanese who continue to strive for social change and a cultured advancement of the country. It will take time. It will require a transformation of mind set, a discarding of old habits and an adoption of civility, a subscription to respect of law and authorities and an inculcation of common courtesy. It will be generational but change is inevitable.
Thank you,
Jay Mobeen
