PLANTAIN CHIPS ARE BACK

May 14, 2009 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

There are certain things that are happening in Guyana that suggest that we have a problem with income distribution.
Interestingly, these developments are occurring at a time when the economy is reportedly on a sustained growth path, and thus the skewed income distribution cannot, as was the case in the late seventies and eighties, be attributed to the lack of growth.
I will avoid the use of an economic construct to explain what is taking place. Rather I will deal with these pointers that are reflective of what is taking place at a deeper level within our society and thence I will explain how, given the nature of Guyanese society, this skewed income distribution can have serious problems.
The first observation is that a large number of persons are taking to the street corners with trays. While some may wish to suggest that this may be a growing sign of the growth of small entrepreneurs and micro industries, our history warns us that this may be a sign of growing numbers of persons having to take to this form of activity in order to make ends meet.
During the PNC days, especially in the eighties, when the economic crisis reached an all-time high and Guyanese had to struggle just to survive, we witnessed this same phenomenon.
Large numbers of persons took to selling mints and plantain chips, and cigarettes at blackmarket prices just in order to take home food for their families.
The street side vendor with a tray selling chewing gum; the child going to the cinemas with some mints and plantain chips in tray begging moviegoers to patronize him; the worker who took underwear which she purchased on credit from traders to sell to her colleagues in the workplace; the teachers who took sugar cakes to sell to school children, were all extensions of a development which suggested that for many, they needed to take to vending with trays in order to put food on their table.
These trays are returning. They can be seen all over, including in the villages, and it is a development which the government must take heed of because it suggests that in a growing economy the wealth is not tricking down to the poor to the extent that it ought to.
It suggests also that more and more persons are finding it difficult to hold down steady jobs and this may be the first sign of a contraction in the economy.
The government expects the economy to grow by over four per cent this year. One international organisation is not so convinced and is predicting a smaller growth.
Unless the income distribution patterns are altered, therefore, there is likely to be more street corner sellers vending their wares in trays.
The second development that I have noticed supports the former observation and its ramifications. I have also noticed an increased number of persons taking to begging.
While we have always had beggars and while we have always had persons who will rather be bums than seek out jobs, this begging that is taking place now is becoming part of the formal economy.
The street corner and pavement begging is now an art form. I have seen one case in which a woman brings out her old mother and her young children to beg at the traffic junctions.
So we have a situation where she is running a family business on the streets. In other cases, persons with disability are also taking to the streets to beg and to profit from the sympathy that their disabilities will attract from an increasing number of motorists.
In addition, a group of well dressed teenagers are sharing out flyers at some junctions and asking for a donation, but they can provide no information as to which organisation they are representing.
I collected one of these flyers which are being used to solicit the donation and all it had was a meaningless verse.
What we have is a new industry in Guyana. It is called begging and this is a sign that despite our prosperity as measured by successive years of growth in recent times, there is increased social deviancy developing in Guyana.
It is now not just a case of junkies; it is now a situation where more and more persons are finding it profitable to beg rather than work.
I urge the government to take note of these two developments – firstly, the growth of roadside tray vending and secondly, the emergence of professional beggars.
They suggest that the growth of the past few years is distortionary. It also suggests that there is need to reduce panhandling before it becomes more problematic.

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PLANTAIN CHIPS ARE BACK

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