Editorial
Stabroek News
August 18, 2001

There have been some improvements at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. The checking in facilities are infinitely better and more spacious than they were in those bad old days. The large waiting room for passengers leaving is comfortable and cool and refreshments are available. However, problems still exist with the immigration department and to some extent with customs. The viewing gallery also needs urgent repair.

Let us start with immigration. Outgoing is not too bad. It is sometimes not as fast as one might wish, but often the officers seem reasonably efficient and polite. It is when returning that one experiences that trauma of anarchy and disorder, that awful feeling that things have not changed and that Guyana is doomed because of indiscipline and corruption.

First of all, there are sometimes a few people floating around in the arrival area near the immigration officials who do not obviously have any official status and who shepherd certain people into the VIP or diplomatic line. These are presumably `clients' of some kind. Then, though the majority of people are orderly and queue up patiently in the appropriate lines there are still a number of queue jumpers who, unfortunately, are tolerated and dealt with by the immigration officers. This is extremely annoying for those waiting in the queue. Again, some immigration officers do their jobs quickly and well, others don't seem to be quite sure exactly what they're meant to check and take longer than they should. They need more training.

We urge the outgoing Commissioner of Police and head of immigration, Mr. Laurie Lewis, as one of his parting contributions to a service that had improved noticeably to have one of his senior officers monitor the situation for a week and give him a report. It is desirable that the first impression anyone should get be they tourist, potential investor or even resident should be a positive one. It lifts the spirits and makes one feel hopeful. If there is obvious disorder and people are jumping queues it has a profoundly negative impact. There should always be some senior person in charge to ensure that everything is in order.

As regards customs, we suggest that the nothing to declare exit should be widened and that persons with up to two bags each should be allowed to walk straight through without handing in any declaration, subject of course to challenge and inspection by the customs officers. Large signs could be posted in the immigration department above the heads of the officers in each line indicating exactly what one is not permitted to bring in without paying duty. There would thus be no excuse for not knowing.