This ONE GUYANA thing is kind of one-sided

Nov 06, 2024 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Guyana may have emerged to prominence from the Jim Jones story, to political squandering, to the Exxon oil exploration. At present, the One Guyana motto is alluring. The rapid growth of industrial and infrastructure expansion appears convincingly popular and promising to visitors and returning Guyanese.

The Guyana Diaspora has strived to organise forums to inform and update Guyanese across continents of the progress and projected prosperity in Guyana. It is almost believable that Guyana is the “Dubai” or (Do-buy) with all the buildings and highways and ministers’ speeches of changes of big ideas and easy to do business until you actually show up in Guyana and you are confronted with chaos and total stagnant backwardness.

First off, nice highways and lovely mansions. The scenic beauty with all the ONE GUYANA ideas is Amazing. Next, the days are extremely hot and humid. This does not prevent the uniformed traffic officers who intermittently line the highway to stop vehicles for among other reasons the non-permitted or too dark tints.

The irony of tint is that it is prohibited on the roads and highways but permitted in offices, that is in Government offices; public offices that serve the citizens of Guyana. You ‘clearly’ are not allowed to see the person to whom you are speaking. You have no visual of the person beyond the tinted glass. The muffled response beyond the tinted glass echoes through five holes or the tiny cut out semi-circle mouse hole not larger than 8 inches that has been designed for you to pass documents, invoices or cash payments. In some offices, the glass is not yet perforated to allow audio. It is sad to observe older folk with hearing issues keep repeating their queries to no avail.

Why is this extreme and distasteful, inhumane practice permitted in a free country on government property? How does this qualify as privacy?

Take for instance this scenario at GRA office in Region Two. Upon entering the building, you get checked through a ‘pat-down’ procedure by two uniformed officers. Once you are allowed to proceed, it means you are not a danger to the inside staff. The two uniformed officers are situated a few mere feet away from the cashier window. Opposite the cashier window are seated customers waiting to be summoned to the counter. Beyond the cashier department, there is another door with another security officer. This place is guarded, grilled and protected by some type of glass or plastic with about five holes for audio and a mouse hole to barely fit your fingers. Is that not enough protection? Why block out the visual of the person you are transacting the business with?

This experience is not limited to the GRA office only. It is the same at the Guyana Water Authority, NIS office, Transport and Harbour ticket counter and numerous other government offices. The public does not need to see your cash drawer nor your computer screen, the public has a right to see whom they are speaking with and for those who may not be able to hear well, they can have the opportunity to read your lips. I feel individual customers’ privacy is being violated when they have to repeatedly state their business loudly to a roomful of strangers because of the effects of speaking to a tinted glass with no reassurance that they are being heard or seen by the person on the other side of the tinted glass.

What is inhuman is the person behind the glass exhibits no cordial relationship with the customer. With automated systems, at least you get a welcome and a thank you as you follow the prompts and it guides you through the steps or stages as you process the transaction. Here in these government offices, the invisible clerk is both mute and nameless. Although, it must be true that beyond the glass, the clerk can read the room and has the ability to determine when one person has completed his or her transaction and moved from the window before accepting a new customer.  One day, I accompanied my father, an older person to the Anna Regina GRA office. He placed his invoice and money through the mouse hole and stood there waiting. Both of us could not hear anything. Not a good morning nor a thank you. There was absolutely not an audible sound. Just like he placed his documents and money in the hole, his change came out. However, before he could pick up all of it another waiting customer pushed his documents through the hole so there was a bit of kerfuffle or confusion. This is a big counter with one open hole and a room full of waiting customers. It begs the question what are they really protecting beyond those dark glasses?

Washroom fee:

Over at T&HD counter at Supenaam, there is a clean and congenial waiting room. Clean well painted benches and lavatories. That day in October, the water pressure was low but acceptable. The cleaning and plumbing teams were present and doing their jobs. Over at Parika is a whole different story.

The waiting room is mediocre and tiny. There is a table set up with two agents. It is not clear if they are security or janitors. Whether you are a ticketed passenger for the boat or just passing by, you can have access to the T&HD lavatory for a fee of $40.00. That fee allows you a measured piece of toilet paper and the key to the lavatory. Now I see the point that Parika is a joint with many non-vessel passengers and you pay to use the washroom is only reasonable and thoughtful. However, it is concerning about the accountability of the accumulated fees. Does this go to the T&HD or is this the wages of the janitors? Or further do the janitors set up this little operation as a side hustle? It must be noted that this washroom cash business operator did not once get up to check on the cleanliness of the washroom nor were they collecting the cash behind some tinted glass. It was open business in an open section of the waiting room. Customers purchasing tickets for the boat have to be on the outside to purchase tickets through a tiny window that is at an average person waist level and again you speak through what I counted as five tiny carved out holes in the heavily tinted front window. Clearly, only one agent is selling the ticket at either Parika or Supenaam why is the whole window darkened? Why is there no accommodation for travelling passengers including the mute and tourists to see whom they are speaking with?

Cashier counters in Government offices should be made people friendly simply by providing visibility and adequate features for clear audio. These areas offer customer service and therefore should be designed to accommodate eye-to-eye level communication between the customer and the agent/clerk. I am pleading with the ONE GUYANA to treat your people with dignity and respect. Be visible and transparent in words and actions.

Sincerely

Citizen of Guyana

(This ONE GUYANA thing is kind of one-sided)

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• cashier window, Exxon oil exploration, inhumane practice, NIS office, One Guyana

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