While pointing out that the scourge of heavy drinking is taking a toll on the country’s economy, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan yesterday said the 2AM curfew for bars across the country will be enforced from this weekend.
Ramjattan made it clear that in spite of pleas from several bar and restaurant owners, he will not be reneging on this legal requirement and he informed that violators will be dealt with.
Asked shortly after he handed over several new vehicles to the Guyana Police Force whether the ministry will be going ahead with the implementation of the curfew, he responded, “Absolutely. We must go ahead with that because drinking has a direct relationship to domestic violence and most of the women’s organisations that I have spoken to have said, ‘Yes Mr Ramjattan, go right ahead with that.”
He told reporters that the women rights group have indicated that they want to see drinking at that late hour stopped. He said that those drinking around that time are also doing pretty heavy binges, “spending monies that could have normally been spent more wisely.” He added that this sort of behaviour has a direct effect on the number of traffic offences being committed as well as work ethic as when persons drink too late, they “can’t get up to go to work and even if you do get up to go to work, you are not working as efficiently as you ought to.” He said that drinking at that hour had a direct impact on the economy. Asked how soon it will be implemented, he revealed that officials were already going through the paces of asking persons to close up at 2 am.
According to Ramjattan he expects a lot of the places to follow the directive. “I would want all of them, every night…,” he said. Among those captured in this directive are Gravity, 704 and Palm Court night clubs.
“I am getting a number of the bar and liquor restaurants (owners) already lobbying me and I will not in any way try to retract and renege on that. It is also legal requirement under the licensing agreement that they bring a halt to their activities at 2 o’clock in the morning,” the minister noted.
He said he indicated to these businesspersons that they “are not going to get any assistance from me in that regard.”
Ramjattan noted that there are sanctions in the law to deal with any violation with another option being to suspend or revoke the licence for any breach.
Asked if the 2AM time would apply to international shows, he said that these will have special permission and a time period will be given. He said that in this regard he is unsure whether the 2AM shutoff will apply. He said the licensing arrangement for liquor restaurants and bars has 2AM as the stipulated time for closure. “If there is a special show that can go on till 4AM, well fine we can deal with that. That is a show and they can sell liquor there, but their attention will be on the stage… when you are at the bar, your attention is on that glass and the liquor,” he added.
