Dear Editor,
Devanand Bhagwan writes that “I’ve been in Guyana for several weeks, and it’s been a joy to indulge in ole-time get-togethers with Guyanese of all stripes and colours. I am impressed with the progress made in several departments but not its tolerance of mind-boggling madness, such as the noise factor.” I say to him “Welcome.”
As my preface, I point out that it is scientifically established that “Really loud noises, like an explosion or listening to loud music, can make sound waves that are strong enough to damage the eardrum. Loud noise also can cause temporary or permanent damage to the cochlea.” Then, “Driving with the music turned up too loud can distract a driver.” In fact, some studies have found that loud music can negatively impact a driver’s reaction time, increasing the likelihood of not braking soon enough, or failing to dodge an obstacle in the road.” Overall, the consequence of diverting attention from the road to the music while driving can be life threatening. Therefore, the obvious answer to end self-induced hearing loss, complications from it, and increased reaction time in vehicles would be to simply turn down the music.
To Mr. Bhagwan, I say to him that his letter, “Immune to the boom box madness,” is an exercise of utter wastage. From the President to the least of his leaders, there is a shocking ‘doltness’ that is impassable. The leaders of this land are totally bereft of the requisite minimum knowledge in key areas. Also, they all live ‘cushioned’ lives that are far removed from the ‘everyday’ hardships of the majority of Guyanese. For example, they are not exposed to pot-holes and puddles, traffic chaos and of course ‘ear-banging’ noises.
Like you, “I (too) believe one of the reasons (is that) they never experienced any such instance; they live in sophisticated, gated communities and have no idea how ordinary Guyanese suffer.” I will ask Dev to get some shots of how garbage is being picked up here in Guyana-the vehicles used, how the stuff is being rammed, and what Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are being used. If the President and his Cohorts want a unified Guyana, that elusive ‘One Guyana’ motif that they chant, then there must be some ‘buddying up’ in the buses, on top of the garbage-collecting vehicles, and driving incognito on the road during peak hours. Do these for a month I ask. The conclusion is that nothing will change except for the worse.
The pushcart music operators will continue to operate, Albion, Enmore and Enterprise will continue to complain, wedding houses and bars will never stop blasting, and parked vehicles will vibrate home utensils. This is Guyana we are talking about. It is the ‘land of the lawless,’ where lawlessness is endorsed by our leaders and irresponsive law enforcers. Here is a joke from one letter writer, addressing the same issues: “Minister Juan Edghill, as recent as October of this year, ‘mouthed’ that “The culture of minibuses flouting traffic laws while operating on Guyana’s roadways must come to an end, and authorities have signaled their intention to clamp down on such practices.”
In his ongoing practice of a wanton waste of words, he promised, like so many others and on far too many occasions, that “We have to work with the minibuses. Along the road, we have designated bus stops; we have to start enforcing it. Guyana is not a country that lacks laws, our problem is in the enforcement of those laws… We have to stop the culture of people wanting to stop right in front of their houses. Minibuses must only stop at designated bus stops.” Like hahahahahaha-a joke from a joker.
Let me remind all law conscious Guyanese to be careful. Keep reflecting on what happened last year August, when a religious leader, Rishi Barrat, called “Haribol”, confronted several men who were imbibing and using indecent language in front of his (own) home. This man was brutally beaten to death on that fateful Saturday evening. The details revealed that “… around 18:00 hrs, a group of boys were imbibing on the bridge and it continued around 21:00 hrs when he, from the window asked the men to desist, saying that the area was not a rum shop and he was trying to sleep. So, he went outside to talk to them, and, after a few minutes, the end result was his death.
Let me remind readers that “… several complaints were made to the police but they fell on deaf ears, in spite of the fact that these kinds of people “… cause trouble, every, every week; as they are all regular there and we always get this issue and nothing was being done. We made complaints to the police several times.” This kind of thing elsewhere would have created a consternation, and there would have been such a strict and sustained campaign, that by now, a ‘dropped pin’ would have sounded like an interference across the land.
Editor, someone needs to ‘braldcast’ the ‘real’ Guyana, that is, the bona fide one with its noise pollution, feral drivers and ‘potto-potto’ road. I will know that we have true leaders when there is the complete end to these everyday happenings.
Sincerely,
Gaylord Riley