Stabroek News on Wednesday spoke to members of the public at Parika, East Bank Essequibo generally about the rising cost of living and how it is affecting them. Their comments follow:
Marissa Wong
Marissa Wong, 25-year-old fruits’ vendor: “The cost of living is really high because everything gone up in the market. For instance, a few months ago, the cost of a small bag Karibee rice was $1,300, now the same bag of rice is sold for $1,800… Then you have a small Fernleaf being sold for $740. Before, that same pack of milk cost $460. As a single parent of two children, I would do a day-to-day hustle by selling fruits to provide for my family. However, not every day the fruits would sell. Some days I would barely make $8,000 to feed my family. On top of that I have to find transportation cost, $1,800 to carry in my fruits in the afternoons and then bring it out back in the mornings… and if, let us say I sold oranges for $1,000 a day, I have to find the rest of the money to stand the cost to run and feed my family for that day. This is really hard seeing that I have two children to take care of each day. Things in Guyana is getting hard, if inflation in Guyana is 11% on food, imagine how I’m struggling to cope with the rising cost of living. The government should pay the public servants $200,000 a month, $80,000 can’t do and it doesn’t make sense they are building the roads, roads are not progress in the country because the money is not trickling down to the people. Instead they should do something to reduce the rising cost of living in the country because everything expensive in the market. Also, the government should place control price on food item in the market to control the prices that the business people puts on to prevent them from exploiting the people.”