While the appeal by the President of the Tourism & Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), Mitra Ramkumar, for a reopening of the various entertainment spots was entirely predictable, even understandable, the point cannot be made too strongly that such consideration as is given to THAG’s appeal must be set against the objective conditions that obtain, that is to say, those conditions that have to do with the circumstance of the pandemic and the threat that it continues to pose, on the one hand and on the other, the situation in which the entertainment sector finds itself.
The pronouncements attributed to Mr. Ramkumar point to the fact, first, that bars and entertainment spots have been closed for more than eight months (which, truth be told, is not altogether accurate) and secondly, that a grace period allowed by the Bank of Guyana and commercial banks for those indebted places of entertainment to begin to repay their debts, is nearing its designated deadline which is yearend.
There are the hard, cold facts of the entertainment sector’s circumstances to be considered here. It is not simply a matter of what, over the months has been a circumstance of considerable loss of earnings for the proprietors of these various business houses, but also the matter of the loss of jobs, in both the shorter and longer term for those employees who have been either furloughed or removed from their jobs, permanently.
There is, of course, the other side of the coin, that is, the overarching obligation of the authorities to, in the circumstances, do everything in their power to ensure that the procedures and protocols associated with pushing back the pandemic are not compromised for any reason whatsoever by the yuletide festivities.
There is considerable evidence to suggest that during the season of the pandemic some business houses (and these range from the established and entrenched to the corner shops and ‘speak easies’) have been paying scant attention to the protocols and prohibitions associated with public entertainment during the period that the pandemic has persisted.
Whether or not the various Business Support Organizations (BSOs) have been sounding their voices loudly enough in support of the protocols and prohibitions is questionable. More to the point some of the transgressions of the strictures have been blatant, barefaced, and reflective of a contempt for official authority. Worryingly, there have even been suggestions that some of the transgressions are ‘covered’ by what one might call official exemption.
This newspaper has already said that from the inception, one never really got the impression that law-enforcement ever really ‘got on top of its game’ as far as policing the strictures and a whole host of reasons have been advanced for its alleged failure to do so. Bottom line… we need to ask ourselves whether, on account of its posture towards the protocols associated with efforts to fend off the pandemic, the entertainment sector, as a whole, has made a persuasive case for being granted the waiver which THAG now seeks; and even if, for argument sake, that case can be made, can we be guaranteed that at this riotously festive time of year, any exemption or immunity will confine itself to the allowable limits or will revelers simply immerse themselves in what Guyanese customarily describe as “the spirit of the season” and damn the consequences to hell.
All that being said, the legitimate concerns of a bona fide part of the private sector, that has to do with, among other things, employment creation, ought not to be tossed aside. The first thing that should be said here is that there ought to be an immediate official intervention, involving the banks, the PSC, and government to address the issue of further extending the deadline for the repayment of loans. That is likely to be a testing discourse but surely it is a preferable option to a decision that simply throws caution to the wind.
One can, of course, envisage an outcome which, arguably, allows for special dispensation for some entertainment houses based on pre-determined and strictly supervised protocols. And that, of course, is almost certain to raise howls of protest from the smaller ‘players’ in the entertainment industry whose offerings, frequently provided on the streets, are almost certain to be far less controllable. Here, the authorities need to guard against accusations of prejudice.
Today is Christmas Day. The major entertainment events would have already begun though we are none the wiser as to the regimen under which these are taking place. The reality is, however, that whatever THAG, the private sector, or the entertainment houses themselves might want, COVID-19 is still rampaging and there can be no question of us allowing the accustomed seasonal entertainment activities to obtain. That would amount to downright reckless governance.
