Dear Editor,
We live in a culture of remittances. We live in a culture in which those who live outside of Guyana subscribe – both mentally and financially – to the notion that sending money to our family members in Guyana is the right thing to do.
I was a recipient of remittances as a child. I can remember my aunt sending money to my mother who was a single parent of eight, to keep food on our table. Even though she worked hard, her salary as a waitress was not enough to feed us. I, however, am happy not only that my mother did not stop working, but also, that she did not become dependent on the remittances.
Second, when I was a student at the university, I had received remittances to buy food, which helped tremendously because I was a poor and hungry student. However, when I started working and making enough money on my own, I no longer accepted those remittances because I didn’t want to become dependent on them. I saw the remittances as something to help me temporarily until I could help myself and get on my feet. I believe remittances should be something temporary; it must never be something someone becomes dependent upon.
Unfortunately, some people have become dependent on remittances. Some have stopped working or refuse to work because they are receiving remittances.
Take for example my family member, who is 25 years old, and has not worked in five years. She said she couldn’t work for $40,000 a month; she received $60,000 a month in remittances. She had become lazy and dependent on remittances to sustain her quality of life.
The remittances system encourages some poor people not to work. It has caused my relative to be lazy, to desire not to work, and has encouraged her to feel a sense of entitlement rather than encourage her to be innovative, to continue her education, or open a small business.
The free and easy money, has made her dependent. In her case, remittances have done much more harm than good in the long run.
But why does her mother continue to give her daughter money even though it hurts her? The answer is because of parental guilt. The mother is like many parents who give to their lazy children simply by reason of guilt.
My relatives’ parents are divorced so her mother feels guilty about the divorce. So in order to ease her conscience, she uses remittances to take away the guilt; and because of her parents’ divorce, my relative feels entitled to the remittances.
Fourthly, remittances take away
our sense of dignity, self-respect and hope for the future. Additionally, evidence overwhelmingly demonstrates that remittances to family members have made
the poor poorer, and their growth slower, in addition to which it has increased their dependency.
Remittances will not lift a lazy person out of poverty, and it does not always reduce poverty.
Parents can help by cutting off this cycle of giving something for nothing.
What is the most important factor in helping the lazy person to succeed? My answer is simple: tough love. Tough love is essential to success. You have to let them suffer before they can learn to succeed. Even in my own life, my greatest sufferings have led me to my greatest successes. And my suffering has taught me how to succeed.
Suffering can indeed lead to success. There is no real success without enduring suffering.
I was very fortunate that I didn’t become dependent on remittances. It was a long trip from poverty to success; I had to work hard.
Yours faithfully,
Anthony Pantlitz
