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Guyana has become a nation of cultural beggary

Dec 16, 2017 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
Allow me to highlight how Guyana has become a nation of cultural beggary which needs to stop. It is a learned practice from the previous government and spill-over to the current administration. It is embarrassing, offensive, and plain and simple, out of control.
I write this letter in the hope that senior officials of the government “may” issue a mandate to all government offices to cease this practice and violators will be sanctioned. But then again, this may be wishful thinking, since senior officials are part of this beggary practice. When senior officials demonstrate robust, marginalized criminal solicitation through “approved” beggary, the philosophy and genius of this surely is a form of instilling fear through victimization.
I am a small business owner and also work for a company which requires me to frequent government offices almost daily, and the process of beggary has become pathological to say the least, and approved at all levels of administration. It is a hideous practice and it must not be allowed at government offices.
This beggary goes on with commentaries such as my birthday, my son or daughter’s birthday, my wife’s birthday, my anniversary: “leave me something”, “what you bring me?”, “my church needs a donation” (and the money is going into the coffers of the beggars), “you have to buy my barbecue tickets” (then others would tune in), and the list goes on.
Naming a few entities which are prominent for this disgusting and repulsive behaviour – the Guyana Police Force (GPF), Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Postal Service, and several other governmental entities.
I have first-hand experience from all of the mentioned agencies. Now with the Christmas season here, it is worse. I am tired of it. They want a hand-out for their Christmas parties, when I cannot even afford a party for myself, yet the solicitation is never-ending. The GPF, GRA, and GGMC staffers are the worse violators.
Going to these offices to conduct business and being confronted with these individuals is a disgusting and frustrating hindrance in accomplishing the goal set-out to accomplish. Failure to indulge could become offensive to the perpetrators and the assistance sought may not be provided or delayed through deliberate collusion of behaviour.
This type of conduct from government employees should be considered criminal solicitation, because government officials are part of this and are freely peddling and allowing it at all levels of administration.
Rules must be implemented for this practice to cease at all government offices, and if employees are caught doing so, then they must face the music – be suspended or fired. This nasty culture of solicitation is used adversely and coercively as intimidation in the prevention of providing assistance government employees are supposed to provide, when these people are being paid to perform a job. If they cannot do what they were hired for, then they should be removed — no question asked.
I highlight this issue because when I go to a government office it is for a particular official reason, not to be bullied and shook-down by people who are in positions where they could use their influence negatively against the public to accomplish their means of feeding their coffers. I am blaming both the past PPP/C and current government for allowing this type of nasty and criminal behaviour to continue. If I have to give to everyone where I conduct business, at the end of each month I cannot feed myself, pay my rent, utilities, and transportation.
Disgusted Citizen

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