Dear Editor,
Many times I have paused and considered why we as a people seem to be stuck in one gear or frequently drive in reverse with regard to our development.
On Saturday July 13, 2013, I went to the Guyana Power and Light office on Main Street to pay my electricity bill only to be greeted with a blackout. This is the same entity that provides the citizens with power to make their lives pleasant. Persons had to wait a long period as bills had to be written while they also had to stand in conditions where there was no fan and no proper ventilation. To add to this, senior citizens were told that the line to accommodate them was only available from Monday to Friday. This is pure absurdity and is sickening. It tells me when I get old it’s either I send someone to pay my bill because I am not catered for on Saturdays, or else I should ensure Monday to Friday is convenient to me.
Secondly, as I proceeded to the Guyana Cricket Board office on Regent Street to buy tickets for the cricket, I was greeted with another blackout scenario. Persons there continuously vented their feelings of disgust at the manner in which the GCB operated. They would have experienced blackouts from the inception of the sale of tickets up to that time but failed to put any mechanism in place to deal with the situation. It was some time after 1pm that they started selling tickets, when they should have started at 8am. One gentleman who works at the office had the audacity to ask a guy if he had a generator to lend the Board after the poor guy asked him why the Board could not have borrowed a generator knowing that they were experiencing frequent blackouts during the week. One would have thought that after international cricket had been absent from Guyana for such a long time the relevant authorities would have ensured a proper mechanism in place to ensure a smooth process in acquiring tickets.
Thirdly, I asked myself the question, “Why should I pay a cent to the Guyana Water Authority when I can’t wash my white clothes and drink the water they provide me with?” It is disgusting to know I receive a bill so often for a priceless product when I can’t maximize the benefits thereof. With all the billions spent in upgrading the water industry we are still faced with discoloured and smelly water.
I will pause no more for this is Oh Beautiful Guyana, the Land of Many Waters and the Land of the Free where you can do as you like and no one seems to care.
Yours faithfully,
Kirtley A Williams
