Do nothing and you do nothing wrong?
Woman's-eye View
The Beal deal takes precedence in the list of consumer concerns this week. There are those who support the conditions as reported in the Stabroek News of May 12 without question. They do not realise that some of those conditions have been changed and were not included in the final draft. There are those who never comment. Ask them why not? And they will tell you that what is to be will be. They will say that the agreement is already a fait accompli. The hardy still voice their concerns. Some will remember Jonestown, a state within a state when Customs never examined the goods that they imported. Others, with knowledge of what has been happening elsewhere, fear that other influences may be at work when consumer interests are raised. One concern that was voiced was the question of re-sale. It was good to learn in the Stabroek News of May 12 that the Guyana Government has the first right of refusal in any sale of the land by Beal. Beal will be restricted from selling the 25,010 acres of land to anyone not approved by the Government. A concern worthy of note is a lack of confidence that the negotiating team had the knowledge and experience to deal with a matter as technical as this. Some say that knowledgeable persons should have been invited to assist. Social partners should have been closer to the deal. A letter in the Stabroek News of May 12 voices what should be a major concern. It is titled "Anarchy continues on the roads." As each new tragedy occurs, with mini-buses snuffing out the lives of consumers and causing injury to many, we hear lamentation and deep sympathy is expressed to the bereaved and injured. We wait with bated breath for an announcement from the Traffic Department. Time passes. The signboards continue to tell us that the Speed Limit is 30 miles per hour. Some mini-buses fly past the signboard at 100 miles per hour, day after day, and are not restrained. Some consumers question the baptism of roads as highways in built-up areas but we are silenced. Informally we learned that some of the entrances to the Rupert Craig Highway would re-open for traffic but nothing happens. Young lives are lost. Consumers share the grief of those who witness the accidents in which their loved ones are crushed to death by a speeding vehicle. A second letter in the same issue of the Stabroek News, "Georgetown is becoming a noisy `boom boom' society" receives endorsement but consumers know that this is a lost issue. The editorial in Stabroek News of May 15 touches on yet another concern that calls for speedy action. There have been too many avoidable accidents on our rivers in recent months. We are told that river safety now falls under the Guyana Maritime Authority which was set up on January 1 this year. The Authority is not fully implemented. Some remedial action could be taken in the meantime to ensure that drivers of speedboats are licensed, that boats are not overloaded and that Life Jackets (Personal Flotation Devices) are used. What ails us in Guyana? The motto seems to be "Do nothing and you do nothing wrong".
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