“Absolutely not! It’s the law and I am only adhering to the law…the next thing they will ask me is they don’t want to pay taxes,” Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan yesterday said in rejecting a call by the Private Sector Commission (PSC) to ease the 2am curfew to 4am on weekends and holidays.
“They just don’t understand the (correlation) between heavy drinking, domestic violence, traffic accidents…we drive badly when we drink,” he said, while also pointing to the impairment of reflexes and the impact on work.
When asked by Stabroek News what evidence there is to substantiate that within the Guyana context, there has been a reduction in crime and accidents, the minister said that data “the world over” has already proven the impacts of alcohol abuse.
“Are we all so different? Data is all over from universities all over, Britain has, all over it is the same abusing, drinking is correlated to all these things…” he said.
Chairman of the PSC Norman McLean told Stabroek News that the body was merely making a recommendation given the upcoming Christmas season. He added that other than “anecdotal” reports, evidence is yet to be produced as it relates to how the current curfew had resulted in a decrease in accidents and crime.
To that Ramjattan stated “you tell them to give me the data that they will make $10M between the time…
“I have gotten the data,” Ramjattan said.
Earlier, in a statement yesterday, the PSC called on Ramjattan to “rethink this strategy and its implication on business.” The statement urged that “consideration be given for bars and nightclubs to be open until 4:00 am on Fridays, Saturdays and Public Holidays for those nightclubs located in commercial districts and zones and those which comply with building codes that limit noise nuisance.”
The PSC also urged the relaxation of the 2am curfew to accommodate the expected increase in visitors for the Christmas season.
It said that it has observed and received reports from its membership that the enforcement of the 2am closure for bars and night clubs is having a significant negative impact on businesses within the entertainment industry and “many of the businesses are faced with the threat of closure and downsizing as a result of this decision. It is also our concern that this could have a long term negative impact on our developing tourism Industry.”
This was echoed by McLean who said that there is a real long-term concern that the developing tourism industry could be stunted.
Many nightclub proprietors were leery to speak on the record when contacted by Stabroek News for fear of being singled out. “You know where you deh?” one told this publication saying that to openly criticise could result in unwanted attention on his business.
Another businessman, General Manager of Altitude Lounge Ryan Rahaman told Stabroek News that as the Christmas season approaches, people are looking to “let down their hair” and spend time with family and friends. He said that during the week, he saw no problem with the current 2am curfew, but on weekends, he could see why businesses would want to stay open later and take advantage of consumers who are enjoying the season.
Seeta Gursahai of Seeta’s Bar said she would welcome the extension on the weekends. She said that heading into Christmas, persons are looking to entertain overseas visitors. She noted that there is an ongoing and general Guyanese mentality of “going out late, staying out late.”
She echoed the sentiments of other proprietors saying that for weekdays, the 2am curfew is reasonable but her business would definitely welcome the profitability that would come along with a weekend extension.
The 2am curfew began being enforced in early July. While the majority of businesses have complied some have not, and for some of these, no known fines have been applied.
