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Store owners, customers “seriously affected” by halted sale of ‘pirated’ text books
By Abena Rockcliffe
In light of the recent injunction granted by Justice Rishi Persaud, at the Supreme Court, prohibiting the publishing and sale of pirated books in Guyana; pertinent business owners as well as working class parents are crying out and asking “What’s next?”
Proprietors of businesses that facilitate the sale of pirated books were yesterday served with the court order and are expected to appear at the High Court today.
A mother, who went to Gandhi’s with her three children to buy books.
As Kaieteur News (KN) visited Ghandi’s Variety Store yesterday, disappointed customers voiced that they “…really do not know” what to do next as it relates to providing the necessary text books for their children.
One customer, who identified herself as Michelle Williams, explained that she was there to buy two books; namely Fun with Language Book two and Raymond Readers.
The single mother of three said that she really cannot afford to purchase the original textbooks. “Is me alone look after me children. Up to last year I bought books for my son that was in common entrance class is nuff I had to buy is what really they doing now; what will really happen by the time I have to buy CXC books?”
Another customer who was accompanied by three of her five children said, “I finally got the money to buy these books and now they telling me I can’t get the books”. She pointed to one of her sons and said, “The books was for he. I buy some before but I had to buy them piece, piece.”
Dhanram Satrohan, the owner of the store, disclosed that he only opened the section that currently facilitates pirated text books in 2010.
He said that before the entire section was set aside for the sale of books, baskets and other articles were on display. He said that only a few “abc” books were on sale, then.
The man said that he was walking around the store when a woman and her children came in. “One of the children said ‘Mommy I want that book’ and she turn and hit the child. I asked her why she hit him when she will soon go across to the other section and buy TCB (hair relaxer).”
Satrohan said that the woman responded “TCB cheaper.”
“That’s when I saw the need to open the section and sell the books at a rate that most can afford.”
In his bond were all the books that were removed from shelves. He said, “Look at all these books. What I am going to do with them?”
Satrohan said that hundreds have “passed through to buy books but what we gon do?”
At Giftland Office Max, Monica Beepat said that her staff members have been suffering verbal abuse from customers who visited the store to purchase books and were denied.
According to workers at the store, those who had prior knowledge of the “whole pirated thing” were calm when told they cannot be sold the books; but others were disgruntled.
They spoke of a woman who asked the sales representatives, “How am I going to send my son to school now?”
Beepat said that as much as she may want to assist the working class “we just cannot sell. We have cleared our shelves and that’s it.”
Beepat disclosed that she and her team are in constant communication with publishers trying to negotiate a cost that will go well with the pocket of the working class.
Giftland empty shelves
She said that the store might even sell the books at a cost “just to cushion the market.”
“You have to think about the children that will suffer when their parents can’t afford to purchase text books.”
Beepat opined that if publishers don’t negotiate at a cost that will meet Guyana’s working class, what they are currently fighting for will be to no avail since an underground market is most likely to develop.
“I think it is best for them to negotiate with the established stores before the situation worsens”.
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