Dear Editor,
Congratulations to SN for another article on alcohol use in Guyana. It was good to see the Minister of Health and the Minister of Human Services speak out.
The Minister of Health, however, made some surprising comments about resources to battle alcohol. One wonders at the insincerity of government actions − $500 million to fund Carifesta which had the support of the alcohol industry, and yet no money for a campaign to ask the public to acknowledge the problems of alcohol use. Who is the Minister fooling?
The Minister of Health acknowledges that young people need to be educated, but young people do not stand hypocrisy, and those who will be educating them not to drink, will also have to stop drinking and not be seen as ambivalent.
The government has to be consistent in its approach to dealing with the concerns about alcohol use. The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport cannot be courting the alcohol industry to support cultural and sports events, while the Ministry of Health is trying to get people to stop drinking. The Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Finance cannot turn a blind eye to illegal rum shops, and licensing new ones, while the society is trying to come to grips with increasing levels in the intensity of alcohol-fuelled violence and related issues such as road accidents.
Guyana is not alone in dealing with alcohol use. Those of us who believe that we drink, and we are okay when we drink, should stop, if only to show those who are not okay when they drink with us, that life could be better without alcohol.
Yours faithfully,
Vidyaratha Kissoon
