Dear Editor,
The Register General (RG), on September 24, 2021, and in response to criticism of his department’s sloth in issuing birth/death/marriage certificates, tried to justify this deficiency by blaming the pandemic and the need to have these certificates authenticated. But he admitted that all records had been digitized, which would allow remote work, and a DPI report informed that authentication of digital certificates were in practice since May 2021. So, as another letter writer quite correctly admonished the RG response and characterized it as “making excuses”. But the General Register Office (GRO) problems go beyond one of productivity and extends to communications. Despite the RG, in his letter, suggesting that customers contact his department through social media and its website, using these means are a waste of time and result in non-responses. My experience is a case in point.
I needed a death certificate, so I went to GRO website which was promoted by the RG in his letter. One can download a birth certificate application form and a few others but not a death certificate application form. So, I sent an email to GRO’s address provided requesting an explanation and a form. This was on September 28, 2021. On October 5, 2021, I sent a reminder, and repeated on October 13, no response. On October 13, I tried a different approach. The department had by then installed a complaints form on its website which was completed and submitted. After an initial problem, which appears endemic with the entire website indicating a lack of adequate testing, my complaint was delivered. I immediately received a notification of its receipt and an assurance that it would be answered shortly. Today is October 25, 2021, and still no reply. Lack of performance seems to be a feature of GRO. Guyanese deserve better. The job is not rocket science. It’s recording certain events in a data base and querying/extracting/printing this information when needed, a straightforward clerical function. Yet it is presenting the current management with a challenge. Changes are needed.
Sincerely,
Louis Holder
