Latest update December 12th, 2024 1:00 AM
The Culture of lateness
DEAR EDITOR,
The culture of lateness is leading to lawlessness and intolerableness and people are paying the price with their lives and damage to their valuable property; sometimes by no fault on their part. We have over the decades embraced the culture of lateness that is consuming all of us.
One have to agree that most of the fatal, serious or damage accidents are being caused by speeding by one driver or at times both.
In the mini buses, very rear, you find a passenger telling the driver to slow it down, due to the fact that some of the passengers are late, so it is in those persons interest that the driver exceeds the speed limit.
I am asking that we take some time off to observe the number of workers who have to be on the job at 08:00 hrs and at 08:15 hrs. They are still in a mini bus or may be driving their own vehicle on their way to work and this pattern of behaviour is most prevalent in the public sector and this includes the Military, particularly the Guyana Police Force. I was unfortunate to be at Charity Police Station on three consecutive Monday mornings driving from a distance about thirty six miles away and at 08:30 hrs the Sergeant in Charge of the Charity Police Station did not report for duty for that day. While most of you may not know the village and where this Station is located, Charity, on Monday Mornings more precisely, during a given time is one of the busiest places in the country. Persons travelling from up and down the Pomeroon River and as far as from Region One, for various reasons, not forgetting, the people from neighbouring Venezuela and other South American countries.
We have embraced the culture of being late, some of us all the time and others most times. We may have perfected the art of making excuses for our lateness, and this happens from top to bottom. Look at the numerous times that our Senior and Junior Government Officials, would have us waiting for them to arrive at the various functions, when these persons are slated to make presentations on many topics and issues or to deliver the feature address.
Those of us who are old enough would know when disciplinary action used to be taken for lateness in the Military Services, but sad to say I am not sure if those actions are still taken, but if not why not?
In concluding I would quote a line from the song of that famous Soul Singer Ray C, ‘Those days are gone, long gone’.
Archie W. Cordis
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