Dear Editor,
I’m a Lindener and I’m very much interested in the state of our region and town. To me, it seems the representatives are out of touch with their responsibilities.
Before there was a Regional Democratic Council and Mayor and Town Council, Wismar, Christiansburg and Mackenzie and some extensions of these were governed by a local authority which consisted of well-respected people. To name a few, there was Mr Hugh Harris, Mr Festus Adams and Mr Gason Mosely. McCity people, as we were referred to then, lived as senior citizens (not in terms of old age) but because we had a high standard of livelihood and were the envy of many people within Guyana.
With the introduction of the Regional Democratic Council and Mayor and Town Council, and the closure of the Alumina plant in addition to the changes from hand to hand of the bauxite company, our living standard changed also. It is clear our councillors in both organizations need to attend workshops and seminars in order to understand their functions and responsibilities, instead of rushing into each other faces in public when a meeting is concluded. Most councillors are unaware they have a responsibility to hold meetings, inform, ask residents in their neighbourhood of the ills of the area, and report with signed documents from citizens to the council meeting.
I would like to suggest that names, telephone numbers and addresses be posted on councillors’ houses for identification purposes; in addition they should wear identification cards indicating the area they represent. I know standards have fallen very much in our society, but let us make a change for the better.
As children, we were taught that males should remove their head-dresses or hats before entering a building. On Saturday morning, August 15, while viewing NCN Ch 8 Linden TV, I saw a Pastor wearing a snap-brim hat while preaching to his membership in church. What a thing. Everything has changed. Even going to places of worship is a fashion show and the loudness is compared to that in a discoteque. While they said, ‘Give a joyful noise unto the Lord,’ people must recognize that noise is unwanted sounds. It should be, ‘Give a joyful sound unto the Lord.’ Spoken and written statements changed from time to time.
Our ancestors had to repeat what was taught to them by their captors. The time has come, A quote from a 1966 Independence speech the late President Linden Forbes Burnham: “After 150 odd years of British rule and in some cases misrule, we are now independent, but we harbour no bitterness.”
Let’s move forward ‒ forward ever, backward never.
Yours faithfully,
B Winslow Parris
