Dear Editor,
Please permit me a space in your letter column to express my views in your widely read newspaper. I am a businessman who travels regularly from Essequibo to Georgetown and I use the speedboats to transport my goods to and fro.
On Thursday 29th August, 2019 about 17:00 hrs while the sun was still up and shining bright, I arrived at the Parika Stelling with my family and my goods which are brought from Georgetown to stock my Essequibo business for the new school term. My family and I, along with fourteen other passengers were on the Parika Stelling. One of the MARAD representatives was standing on the stelling. There was a Supenaam boat loading which could not have accommodated my load and my family, so I enquired as to the next boat that will be loading for Supenaam and I was told by the operators that they could not load because the MARAD representative told them that they have to tie their boats and if they moved or loaded their boats she would report them and cause them to be grounded. However, during that time as I was standing and enquiring, I saw a boat was loading, namely “Dreams Express” so I decided to ask the man who was at the steering wheel where the boat was going and his response was Bartica. That boat would take about ninety minutes to arrive at Bartica and the MARAD officer did not offer a single word to those Bartica operators. It is known that from Parika to Supenaam it only takes about twenty five to thirty five minutes. Why did this operator exhibit bias? At 17: 00 hrs there were sixteen passengers on the stelling, why couldn’t the MARAD operator dispatch a Supenaam boat? Instead she waited there till the Supenaam operators took their boats to the boat house and moored them. While standing there, she saw a boat named “Contented Youth” which is an unlicensed boat loading, and then she walked off the stelling.
That operator of “Contented Youth” charged each passenger $3000. Why couldn’t the boat that is part of a legitimate system load? A boat that pays for a yearly licence and pays tax and contributes to this country’s development was not allowed to work and an unlicensed boat with an uncertified captain was allowed to operate. It looks like we are heading backwards or it pays off to be illegal rather than legal. Without a doubt I think this is something MARAD needs to use their discretion on.
Essequibians are left to wonder what next to do because sometimes you are caught in a traffic jam at the Demerara Harbour Bridge resulting in lateness and when you arrive at Parika you have to pay extra just to get to your destination and there are persons who have to reach home to look after their loved ones and there are some who are even bedridden, and some are even single parents trying to make a honest living and then you have to deal with this situation.
As we were in the boat I spoke to my fellow travellers and this was one of the views from a woman who had her five-year-old grandson with her. She related that both the child’s parents passed away along with her husband but she is taking care of him and went to the city to purchase goods to sell and provide for herself and the grandson. Others also shared the views.
What do these people want us to do? Steal? It only leaves me to wonder if these MARAD officers have a business going on with these unlicensed boats, I only came to this conclusion after what I saw happened. If you are going to stop the legal boats who have a licence and are certified from operating at a certain time on the waterways while others are allowed then it leaves me with no other choice but to think that something is seriously wrong. I am calling on the government and President David Granger to look into the welfare of Essequibians, please bring some relief to this situation, so our fellow travellers can enjoy the good, safe and reliable service offered to us by the Parika-Supenaam Speedboat Association. With Guyana soon to start producing oil it will be a significant boost for tourists entering our beautiful country and for sure they will have access to the speedboat services that are available, since Guyana is a land of many waters.
The actions of these MARAD officials are only bringing a bad reflection on the government and I am quite sure that this is not the way the government would want it to be.
Yours faithfully,
(Name and address provided)
