Wake-up Guyana…Turn the clock forward by two hours on January 1, 2014

Oct 26, 2013 Letters

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Dear Editor,
Many Guyanese justifiably long for more daylight hours. In actuality, there are sufficient hours of daylight in Guyana, but we fail to utilize them effectively due to the extra early setting of the country’s time. Guyana’s time-setting results in an unfavourable imbalance where we have excess daylight in the early mornings, which is mostly wasted, and a severe shortage of daylight in the early evenings, when it would be much more useful. Though there are people who put the extra morning hours to good use, the net benefits of Daylight Saving Time will likely prove significantly more valuable to the nation, as all can share the benefits of more daylight in the evenings.
Fortunately, this is one important condition that we have full control over and can easily remedy. Daylight Saving Time (DST), as implemented in many countries, is the process of turning the clock forward in order to better utilize additional daylight in the evenings. I propose Guyana turns the official time forward by two hours in order to jolt the nation into a more fruitful mode.
Many of us in Guyana today, including children, wake up when the sky begins to get bright, which is often much earlier than we need to and results in us being robbed of a full night’s sleep. We then leisurely prepare for our day ahead which typically starts some three hours later. Adjusting the time will result in daybreak moving from around 5am to a more appropriate 7am, and nightfall moving from around 6pm to a more rewarding 8pm. Just imagine the benefits the children and all of us in Guyana will derive from DST.
DST Arguments
Humans are most productive in the early morning hours after waking from a good night’s sleep. Reducing the time between daybreak and the actual start of the work/school day can significantly boost productivity and reduce the sleepiness so many Guyanese feel early in the mornings. This sleepiness is often a direct result of waking up too early and being up for too many hours before starting to work.
Supporters of DST argue that the additional evening daylight helps to boost tourism and increase commerce as stores can open for extended hours and tourists and residents can more comfortably partake in outdoor activities. Spending more evening time out of the house arguably results in lower at-home electricity costs as lights and other appliances will not be turned on as early. In addition, studies have shown a direct correlation between longer days and reduced violent crimes. Further, supporters argue that DST helps to lower traffic accidents at nights. Finally, and very importantly, the additional evening daylight allows for more after-school/work activities for children and adults, and increases opportunities for quality social, leisure, and family times.
The main opposition to DST historically came from farmers, nighttime businesses, and transportation system providers. With improvements in technologies, however, many farmers and other former opponents now strongly support DST due to the many benefits it brings.
The best time for Guyana
One option would be to restore the previous time setting by turning the clock forward one hour. However, I propose we push the limits to maximize our gains by setting the time in Guyana two hours forward. This is urgent and important as the Guyanese society needs immediate restructure to best equip our people for success in this increasingly competitive global economy.
We should make every effort to start the year 2014 with renewed structure, opportunities, and vitality. January 1, 2014 is an appropriate date for Guyana’s time reset. This simple adjustment will enhance the psyche of Guyanese so significantly that in one year we may see measurable reductions in serious crime, improvements in worker and student productivity, better social engagements, increased commerce, and a better sense of happiness and peace of mind throughout Guyana.
Let us do this Guyana
From today I wish to challenge every person in Guyana to pay attention to their use of time and think about the net benefits of this proposal. Check the time and observe whether it is already daylight when you first rise in the morning.
Keep track of the amount of time that goes by between the time you first rise and the time you begin work or school, and consider how much you could have already accomplished, or how much more sleep you could have enjoyed.
While at work or school, do you feel sleepy and lose focus? Would you have been more engaged and productive if work or school had started two hours earlier? Do you wish you had more daylight after work/school? Would you and your family be able to accomplish more in a typical day with two additional hours of daylight? Would you feel safer walking the road at 7:30pm if it gets dark at 8pm rather than 6pm? Do you feel safer driving home with natural daylight or with artificial night lights?
Starting today I implore all Guyanese to support the call to restructure the way we live by appealing to our esteemed lawmakers to set the time forward by two hours effective January 1, 2014.
Halvard George

 

 

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