Let the old year be gone

Dec 29, 2009 Editorial, Sports

Every year, people always proclaim that they are glad to see the end of the old one and express the hope that the new one would be better. And each year they welcome the New Year in a variety of ways only to feel some sort of disappointment when the year draws to a close.
Of course, a few people would proclaim that the year has been good to them but they are often in the absolute minority. Among them would be the people who would win the lotto or people who would get a promotion on the job although these are fast becoming a dying breed. Promotions seem only to be the preserves of the Guyana police Force and the Guyana Defence Force these days.
There is a reason for the disappointment. There are the public servants whose salary, despite the dollar size, seems to be getting smaller and smaller. Parents are hard pressed to support their school-aged children.
Indeed, most want the best for their children and for the generosity of overseas-based relatives, they would be in dire straits. Children apart, there is the rental and the transportation cost and the steadily rising food bill. Entertainment is a disappearing commodity except for the few who are content to frequent the beer parlours and the rum shops. Disposable income keeps shrinking.
Assuming that inflation is static, and this is almost an impossibility in a country like Guyana which spends so much on importing fuel and all the articles that need this fuel. The government often tries to compensate for the rampant inflation as it did last year when the global economic crisis hit. Gasoline and petroleum products began to cost so much more with the price of oil reaching astronomical levels. With these increases the prices of other goods went up significantly.
In Guyana, the cost of public transportation rose as did rents and home maintenance. The government stepped in and lowered the tax levied on the petroleum products; paid public servants what it called a cost of living allowance which soon became a part of the salary.
The government then offered pay increases to supplement the inflation and for a few months the people felt some relief. But when the year neared its close people were only too glad to see the end of it.
The New Year dawned and with it the Clico debacle. This is still with us and many a person is so much poorer. The government has promised to ensure that all Clico depositors are reimbursed.
But the economy apart, there are other factors that cause pain and none more than the road accidents that keep claiming lives. The New Year is not going to be any different. People will continue to be careless and will use the roads in a most indiscriminate manner. Tears will flow and people will as usual, be glad to see the end of the coming year, too.
The criminal elements are going to contribute their bit of discomfort. To their credit, the police did a lot to suppress crime in the city in particular and in the country in general. The victims will be among the most vocal to see the end of the year as has been the case this year.
Last year was worse. There were three massacres and some random killings that ended with the killing of the nation’s most wanted. The government helped refurbish the Guyana Police Force to make the members more capable of tackling the new breed of criminals.
It would be great if something special could occur in the New Year so that the population would be loathe to see the end of the year. There is no indication that there would be the kinds of flooding as the nation witnessed in 2005 and again in 2006; there is no likelihood of food shortages; and certainly there is likely to be a growth in the housing industry. Perhaps it is human nature to look forward and so there will continue to be the longing for the dawn of the New Year.

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Let the old year be gone

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