Please help me understand Giftland’s logic

Jul 17, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

I spoke to Mr. Roy Beepat on Friday about my column on the unfair treatment of taxi drivers attached to Giftland. Giftland has since put out a disclaimer as a rebuttal to what I wrote.
The disclaimer is simple but misleading. I will deal with that below. Mr. Beepat was polite and made three points, two of which were irrelevant to my complaint. He told me that the rental at Giftland is the lowest in comparison with other places. Secondly, the traffic at Giftland is large so it benefits the taxis.
Let me remind readers of what I wrote last Friday, so I can go to the relevant delivery of Mr. Beepat. The drivers pay a rental but outside taxis come in, and steal their customers while Giftland’s security does not intervene.

The third point of Mr. Beepat was that the taxis pay the rental to a private company named Prosperity. This makes no sense in management principles and legal obligations. If Johnny rents a house from Peter and Johnny rents it out to Mary, then Peter still has a legal responsibility to Johnny who is his client. So the Ministry of Public Works says they have to curtail the bridge of the house for road widening. It is Peter that has to negotiate with the ministry not Johnny, not Mary.

Mr. Beepat did not mention that Prosperity rents the space from Giftland. It does and thus Giftland has a legal obligation to protect the business of its client which is Prosperity. Prosperity cannot plant guards at Giftland to stop the encroachment. It is Giftland’s obligation to its client to stop the pouching by outside taxis.
After Giftland’s disclaimer, that very Friday afternoon, I received a telephone call from Ogle airport engineer, Raymond Persaud. He said he is in Giftland and the poaching is going on openly. He said two minibuses were openly soliciting passengers in full view of security and the taxi drivers.

I have no quarrel with Mr. Beepat whom I consider a patriot for what he did for his country. Giftland is a handsome contribution to Guyana’s sociological landscape. But it does not mean the media should not investigate wrong-doings at Giftland. I once took Giftland to the Labour Ministry over the company’s financial mistreatment of electrical technician, Arvin Ruhoman and won. Please see my two columns- Friday, September 7, 2018, “I took a victim to Minister Keith Scott,” and Sunday, April 8, 2018, “If this is my new life, then no regrets.”
I end with a call to Giftland. It has a legal obligation to Prosperity to ensure that the taxis operating on behalf of its client is protected from drivers who want to take away their livelihood. I can assure Mr. Beepat, I have a positive opinion of him but I will never put down my pen when the poorer folks of this country complain to me. I see that as my calling in life.

Frederick Kissoon

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