‘Don’t speed,’ driver of snake bite victim told

Jun 17, 2018 News

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By Leonard Gildarie

An all too familiar story is here again.
Many of us have travelled abroad and there is one thing that is highly evident in those more developed places…the rule of law, or at the very least of it, the appearance that the law is being enforced.
In New York, the tickets for breaching a red light are sent to your home. Cameras are at strategic locations around the stoplights and you can bet your bottom dollar that the breach will come back to haunt you.
You are not allowed to mix your garbage when placing it outside for pickup…you have to separate. Parking in a handicap zone at a supermarket could result in a fine.
Worst yet, you are found to be the cause of an incident, let’s say your building that is under construction has collapsed, and there is damage, the cost is left on your doorstep.
I recall a story told to me about a Guyanese man in New York who ran into a utility box, shutting services to hundreds of customers. He lost his home after being slapped with sanctions. He had to pay the costs for not only the repairs, but for the business that was lost to the service company.
Traffic offences like speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without seatbelts, or holding and using a cellphone while driving, are offences that can hurt your pocket.
I read a story in yesterday’s edition of Kaieteur News regarding a man who suffered a tough experience. He and some friends were camping in the hinterland when one of the females he was with was bitten by a dangerous snake…the labaria.
He managed to rush her to the Mabura hospital where the guard was unwilling to wake the nurses. He then drove like a madman for five hours to Linden hospital but they did not have anti-venom. He decided to take the girl to the city. He was coming around a bend, when police stopped him. He told the police that he had a snake-bite victim in his vehicle.
The police wanted no excuse, and threatened to slap him with more charges for the mud on the vehicle.
The girl was saved, thank God, after he managed to make it to the hospital in time.
I stop here on this one.
On Friday, I went to Sixth Avenue, Diamond, where a businessman, someone I grew up with in Grove, wanted to expand his drinking water distribution business. He reportedly decided to drill a well in his yard. I can understand the reasoning of the man.
However, the actions sparked a situation where the drill hit a pocket of methane gas which escaped, inundating the neighbouring homes with mud and causing authorities to evacuate the immediate area.
The explosions were frightening and the sight of the mud shooting up in the area, sparked a rush by authorities to the area.
It involved the Environmental Protection Agency, the police and fire department, the Civil Defence Commission, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission and even the Health Ministry.
The family barely managed to remove the stuff in the downstairs of the home. The yard was covered in mud that was about the three feet high. The back steps caved in and the water trestle came down as the ground where the well was started to cave in.
The home itself may not be habitable. It has large cracks in the walls. I doubt anytime soon that the family can return. The building may have to be rebuilt.
I can imagine the thoughts in the minds of the family. How did it all go wrong? If the authorities decide to sanction the family, the bill will be hefty for the cleanup. I am sorry for them.
If it is true that the family did not get permission, it is a clear reflection of how we see things in Guyana.
There are some important lessons to be learnt here. We go to other countries and toe the line; catching the bus, separating the garbage and even finding a designated driver for the nights we want to drink.We don’t park in the handicap spot.
But in Guyana, we continue to break our laws because we believe that nobody is watching.
I laughed recently when a conductor crammed more than 30 students, like sardines, into a minibus. He was arrogant. Fortunately, the video was shared and he ended up before the courts.
Karma!
The disrespect that continues on our roads from the minibus operators with little answers from the powers that be to arrest the situation is a sad indictment on how the tail is wagging the dog in this country.
I have always said it and will repeat…we have some really decent policemen and women in our force. But there are some leeches, similar to what used to transpire in the Customs department.
Yes, there are stories told of Customs officers being given targets of bribes to be collected. You are told to bring in so much each week in kickbacks, and it is shared. It was part of the “benefits” of working in there. A Customs officer has significant powers and stop and search. He or she can delay your goods for any reason.
The perception of the police force has improved in the last three years. A number of them, including some high-ranking ones, are before the courts for murder and other crimes.
There appears to be no sacred cows.
As citizens, we have to urgently start cultivating attitudes that our laws are ultimate and should be respected. This can only come about if the people that enforce the laws appear to be even-handed in their duties.
Our government and our opposition must understand these concepts. Our contractors and the evaluators for state projects must be stern. There must be absolutely no compromise.
Our Public Utilities Commission, Public Procurement Commission and the Guyana Elections Commission must be seen as bodies that will carry out their mandate irrespective of the parties that are involved.
Other constitutional bodies, like the Police Service Commission and boards of the state agencies must know that they are accountable to the people of Guyana…the shareholders…and have to make the decisions that are long-term and solid in their benefits.
We can choose the road where the rule of law trumps or we walk the path where we allow the chips to fall where they may.

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