UNLICENSED BOAT OPERATORS SEEM TO HAVE MORE PRIVILEGES THAN LICENSED OPERATORS

Sep 01, 2019 Letters

Dear Editor,

I am a businessman who travels regularly from Essequibo to Georgetown and I use the speedboats to transport my goods to and fro.
However, on Thursday 29th August, 2019 about 17:00hrs while the sun was still up and shining bright, I arrived at the Parika Stelling with my family and my goods which were brought from Georgetown to Essequibo to stock my business for the new school term. My family and I, along with fourteen other passengers were on the Parika Stelling, when one of the MARAD representatives was standing on the stelling, it caught my attention when there was a Supenaam boat loading, which could not have accommodated my load and my family, so I enquired as to the next boat that will be loading for Supenaam and I was told by the operators that they could not have loaded because a MARAD representative told them that they have to tie their boats and if they move or load their boat, she will report them and cause them to be grounded, but during that time as I was standing and enquiring, I saw a boat was loading, namely “Dreams Express”, so I decided to ask the man who was at the steering wheel where the boat was going and his response was Bartica. To my amazement, that boat will take about ninety minutes to arrive at Bartica and the MARAD official did not offer a single word to those Bartica Operators. It is known that from Parika to Supenaam, it only takes about twenty five to thirty five minutes, then why are these officers being biased? At 17: 05hrs, there were sixteen passengers on the stelling, why couldn’t the officer dispatch a Supenaam boat? Instead the officer waited their till the Supenaam operators took their boats to the boat house and moored them. While standing there, the MARAD official saw another boat, which was loading, and then the official walked off the stelling.
That operator of this boat, which is said to be unlicensed, charged each passenger $3000 per person. Why couldn’t the boat that is in the association, of a rightful system load? A boat that pays for a yearly licence and pays taxes and contribute to this country’s development are not allowed to work and an unlicensed boat with an uncertified captain is allowed to operate anytime. It looks like we are heading backwards or it pays off to be illegal rather than legal. Without a doubt, I think this is something MARAD needs to use their discretion on.
Essequibians are left to wonder what next to do because sometimes you are caught in a traffic jam at the DemeraraHarbour Bridge resulting in lateness and when you have arrived at Parika, you have to pay extra just to meet your destination. There are persons who have to reach home to look after their loved ones and there are some who are even bedridden, and some are even single parents trying to make an honest living and then you have to deal with this situation.
I am calling on the government and President David Granger to look into the welfare of Essequibians.
Please bring some relief to this situation, so our fellow travellers can enjoy the good, safe and reliable service offered to us by the PSSA – Parika Supenaam Speedboat Association).

Yours Sincerely,
Essequibians

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