PEN AND PAPER PUSHERS SHOULD GO OUT INTO THE STREETS

Sep 03, 2013 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

I have noticed that a woman holding a small child in her arms has joined the long lines of professional beggars that peddle their trade at junctions with traffic lights.
There are two women in particular who seem content to beg at various traffic lights for the rest of their lives. They even compete with other beggars at some junctions.
But this latest addition to the school of beggars is worrying because of the presence of a child in the hot sun being used to evoke sympathy so that persons would give alms to her mother.
This is child abuse and it is shocking but not at all surprising that no one has yet publicly raised noises about this development and ask that the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security take action to stop not only this mother from using her child to beg but also to work with the traffic authorities to ensure that the dangerous practice of persons begging at roadside junctions is stopped.
I am sure that tens of thousands of persons would have passed these individuals on a weekly basis. I am sure that amongst those passing them would have been officials of the Ministry of Human Services and who knows, even some politicians.
I do not know how many of our political leaders actually wind down their windows and give these poor souls a “towel”. But by now, they should have already taken action because what is taking place represents a threat to the lives of those begging.
No one should be begging at junctions. They can easily be run over by vehicles. They can also be used as bait by bandits wanting to target drivers by luring them into winding down their car windows.
Both the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security and the traffic authorities have an obligation to protect lives and when persons stand at junctions begging, they risk being run over by vehicles as was the case not so long ago when a man in wheelchair was run over by a truck.
Those persons also distract drivers. They should not be there. And certainly, the one whose foot is in a cast should be in bed or in a hospital and not begging on the streets.
I do not accept that there is desperation forcing these persons to beg. What we have is a case of professional beggars and they are being joined by some healthy looking individuals.
The use of children to evoke sympathy should not be tolerated. That child can end up being dehydrated from being so long in the sun and it is unacceptable for a mother to be using children in this way.
While the authorities are looking into this problem, something needs to be done about those persons sleeping on the streets, especially near to the markets where most of them get a daily hustle.
There is serious health risk because of the actions of these persons, some of whom defecate and urinate in drains not far from where food is sold. If the public health officials in this country were truly strict, all- not one, not a few but all- of the markets in this country would have been closed down by now. All of them are health risks and there is no way that any developed country would allow food to be sold in this way.
One of the shocking scenes which can be seen on the ever extending La Penitence Market on Sundays is the sight of vendors playing their trade close to where garbage is dumped. The same thing happens at other markets. This is unhygienic.
These are some of the little things that need fixing. Instead we are hearing about all kinds of big plans, like the dormitory that was recently opened, compliments of the Venezuelan government.
In a country like Guyana, we do not need to be institutionalizing old people. We need to be placing them in homes with families with support being given to those families who are willing to take care of these individuals. Only those really serious cases should be institutionalized. But this is not happening.
While the rest of the world is moving towards improving travel safety and being innovative in their social security programs, we in Guyana seem to be spending more time pushing pen and paper rather than going out in the byways and observing what are the problems being faced by the people.

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