From time to time in this column I’ve touched upon what I believe to be social issues, offering at the same time what I believe to be the solutions to some of them. This week, I’m going to offer an extremely condensed view of some of these issues.

To start off, I’d like to acknowledge the passing of the distinguished Guyanese consumer advocate Eileen Cox. Cox who died at 96 spent decades fearlessly speaking up on behalf of consumer rights, a concept that often still feels alien to Guyana today. One of the things she often revisited was that of expired consumer goods. I’ve written time and again for a more comprehensive approach to consumer protection from expired goods and a recent incident involving a friend who fell really ill from consuming an expired product brought this issue back to the fore with me. Perhaps in honour of the tremendous work Ms. Cox has done, perhaps the government can create and name a consumer affairs institute after her.

Another thing that I want to look at is garbage disposal. It is clear by now that our problems with garbage disposal don’t simply extend to the clear infrastructural issues but happen to extend to the cultural as well. And as with all things that require cultural change, I believe that the solution has to come from focus on our children.

One thing that I am suggesting is that we look at putting garbage in different coloured bags. Kids would get involved because of the education and excitement potential of instilling in kids the positives of solid waste management. We haven’t reached the recycling sophistication of Europe for example, but we can eventually get there. In the first year you can have the government financing the procurement of these bags.

On the enforcement side, I believe that companies or residents should get a ticket for improper disposal garbage disposal. The ticket, issued on the amount of garbage illegally disposed of would be paid at a central area, perhaps a specific night court to deal with misdemeanours.

Another area that I believe that focus needs to be placed on the young is of course that of sexual and reproductive health. As someone who has spent a considerable time in the health sector, I was proud when I read recently that Guyana is on the point of eradicating mother to child transmission. That however is just a first step. In order to consolidate and further our gains in this area, I want to recommend that there be a programme in which sexual and reproductive health is fully integrated into our high school curriculum, one that covers a range of issues from condom use to human sexuality.

On the other side of the spectrum, I’d like to once again reiterate my call for one stop care and service agencies dedicated to the elderly and strategically placed in various regions. I envision a place where our senior citizens can go and have their pension, minor medical check-ups and other services in one place. As I suggested before, this sort of service can be augmented or supported by a public/private sector partnership.

Next week, I’ll focus on, some other similar issues.

(By Keith Burrowes)