Dear Editor,
I noted the announcement in the newspapers about the launch of a website for a popular funeral home. Many websites are launched with much fanfare and become virtual ‘white elephants’ shortly thereafter. Guyana has a host of websites that have not been updated for quite some time, sometimes as much as five years. How can we treat the information superhighway like this? We know that millions of persons around the world have connectivity to the internet and may stumble on these websites hungry for information — updated information — yet it is a sad story that says the sites have not been touched in years.
Some of the websites are (and I am including the last year they were updated): Ministry of Education (2003); Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce – with a beautifully laid out website – (early 2007); Ministry of Finance (2004); Roman Catholic Diocese of Georgetown (April 2007); Anglican Diocese of Georgetown (2005); Lutheran Church in Guyana (2006); Guyana Water Incorporated (early 2007); Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) (2004); Roman Catholic Youth website (November 2007). I tried getting on to the Office of the Prime Minister website but arrived at a dead end (http://www.pm.gov.org.y/); I tried http://www.electricity.gov.gy/ which appears to be his website and got through.
Some websites that offer impressive appearances and content to browsers include the Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Health; Office of the President; National Communications Network; the four daily newspapers in Guyana, of course, which are always updated daily; Guyana Palace.com; The National Assembly. I did not even know our local zoo had a website – an impressive one at http://www.guyanazooorg.gy/
There are dozens of other websites that have not been updated for quite some time now. If money is going to be spent in putting out these sites on the internet in the first place then a little more effort should be put into updating these things often.
I hope these websites that seem to be in some form of technological coma can be rescued some time soon, be updated more often, and hence serve a real purpose for all.
Yours faithfully,
Leon Jameson Suseran
