Latest update July 21st, 2026 1:09 AM
Oct 27, 2023 Dem Boys Seh, Features / Columnists, News
Kaieteur News – It’s a tale of two vendors in GT – a place where the roadsides are more saturated with vendors than a sponge in bucket of water. You see, there was once a time when vending was the humble profession of of those who needed it most, the real working-class hustlers. But, oh my, how the times have changed!
The rich have taken it upon themselves to cash in on the free-for-all which was allowed to develop by the authorities. They roll up to prime roadside spots early in the morning in and they set up shop. Some of them already have stationary caravans in place. It costs almost a million dollars to build one of those. Some roadside vendors do better business that some small shops.
Meanwhile, the poor vendors are catching hell. They started off with dreams of being their own bosses. But in their quest for independence, they’ve managed to make themselves paupers.
Some of them sit in the scorching sun and drenching rain, barely making enough sales to cover the price of a sugar cake. At day’s end, they pack up shop and trudge home. Their profits, or lack thereof, would make you laugh if it weren’t so painfully ironic. They’re living on credit, and their smile is as fake as a cheap knockoff watch. These poor vendors strut about as if they’re the entrepreneurs of the year, but in reality they’re balancing on the edge of the precipice of bankruptcy.
Now, the real business magnates aren’t far away. They have decided to join the vending fray, too, albeit on the paved pavements of wealth. Their turnover? Well, it’s in the tens of thousands of dollars. They’ve swept in, jostling aside the competition as if they were clearing crumbs from their dinner table.
And you look around, and you can’t help but think: the real poor folks in Guyana have been evicted from their own vending territory. Large swathes of the pavements and roadsides have been seized by the rich, leaving no space for those who genuinely need it. The divide between the haves and the have-nots has never been starker.
Talk Half! Leff Half!
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Jul 21, 2026
Kaieteur Sports – Guyana’s top-ranked 83kg powerlifter, Dominic Tyrrell, recently attended the SilentWorker Switzerland Meet, held on 18 and 19 July 2026. The competition formed part of the...Jul 21, 2026
(Kaieteur News) – As our nation remains gripped by the heartbreaking tragedy surrounding the capsizing of the M.V. Barima, our collective attention is, understandably and justifiably, focused on the rescue efforts, the search for those still missing, the care of survivors, and the grief of...Jul 19, 2026
By Sir Ronald Sanders (Kaieteur News) – Few issues test the sovereignty of small states more severely than requests made by powerful friends. How should a country respond when cooperation is expected, but the proposed terms exceed its legal, financial and institutional capacity? That question...Jul 21, 2026
(Kaieteur News) – When the Titanic went down into the watery depths of the Atlantic, there was singing, dancing, and much merrymaking in riotous motion on its bejewelled decks. When Guyana’s MV Barima descended to its watery grave in the Pomeroon, there were some level of drinking onboard, and...Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: glennlall2000@gmail.com / kaieteurnews@yahoo.com