Dear Editor,
Until I came to Guyana, I had never paid a bribe in my entire life. When I came, I wanted to do an experiment to see if I could live in Guyana for a year without paying a bribe. I was naive to think that it was possible.
As long as I didn’t have to purchase anything, I found out that I didn’t have to pay any bribe. The first time I had to pay a bribe wais when I purchased an ‘airplane’ (not really an airplane, I am using an airplane to protect my confidentiality). The original owner of the airplane had migrated shortly after I purchased it from him without signing important paperwork for the airplane to be transferred to my name.
Since I had no way of contacting him, I was then forced to pay the bribe to get the airplane in my name. I felt ashamed for what I did, but I didn’t know any other way to resolve the matter. I felt as though I had been backed into a wall, and I needed to pay the bribe to get out.
I paid my next bribe when I purchased a ‘boat’ (again, not really a boat). Even though it is normally a free service for the person to come out and identify my boat, I had to pay him to come out. When I refused to pay him, he made all kinds of excuses as to why he couldn’t come out. He made excuses such as he didn’t have a vehicle to come out or he was too busy. However, he came out immediately after paying a bribe.
I paid my last bribe when I had to sell the same airplane that I mentioned earlier. Since I was leaving the country the next day, and I had to give a friend power of attorney so that he could sell the airplane for me. It takes three days to get this done. I, however, did not have three days, so I paid the bribe and obtained it immediately.
From my experimenting and my experience, I’m convinced that anyone who lives in Guyana and purchases anything or does any business cannot do so without paying a bribe. The system is set up to force people to pay bribes. I have fought against paying bribes for many months until I made some purchases and my back was against a wall, and I was forced to do so.
Paying a bribe in Guyana is like breathing air. In order to breathe, human beings need oxygen. Likewise, in order to live and survive in Guyana, citizens have to pay bribes. My experience in Guyana has taught me that in order to get things done quickly you have to pay a bribe for it. If a person has strong moral values and integrity, Guyana isn’t the place to do business because the system will force them to compromise their values.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
