THE Government of Guyana went at length to address the issue of noise nuisance in the country (both from vehicles and persons’ homes), but the problem does not only seem unsolvable; it is gathering intensity. For one, the rapidly emerging ‘dudes’ who drive taxis and private vehicles are bent on ‘blasting’ their sets most indiscriminately: the hour and place do not matter. It does a ‘world of good’ for them too. The high school students, the ‘modern but inane’ young females’ et al all admire them. The same obtains in many neighbourhoods. The decibel level sets off the car alarms, vibrates the roof, and rattles the houses. Thus the value system is inversely proportional to development, decency and respect. I mean never mind the sleeping baby, and the studious citizen, the ageing and the sick. ‘To hell with them.’ After all, nobody cares, objects or reports. The few instances of reporting are met with tardiness in attention; ‘we’ the police cannot prosecute unless you, the complainant, are prepared to go to trial (never mind their hearing the noise). So Mr. Clement Rohee, and by extension, the government of Guyana, you have a great problem. We all want changes, but we are selfish and very much lacking in civility. We are not cooperating.
The second spot of real bother is that of vandalism. Point in case: when the 2005 East Coast of Demerara flood disrupted life for many citizens, the government, as expected, intervened. One of the finer acts of the ruling party was the building and resurfacing of the roads inside of many villages. One village that enjoyed this benefit was Annandale. However, its roads (at least two streets), are now in a damaged state.
Ramsingh Street, the western half, just after the junction, is very concave. Vehicles traversing this stretch are always scratching and damaging their bottoms. This is because trucks, at least two, overloaded with wood, had a habit of parking there. This was not reported, and now drivers ‘cuss, fuss and fret.’ They should ‘shut up.’ The same is obtaining in Droom Street, Annandale.
The stretches in both directions have reached a stage of disintegration, and why?
Again, overloaded trucks are driving, back and forth, carrying construction materials. At one time, it was so bad, the pipe line snapped.
Did any civic-minded person report? No.
So now the ‘cussing, fussing and fretting’ are all in vain.
Again, who do people blame? The PPP government. Are they justified?
No. Only recently, the Annandale North sideline dam was paved. The builders then erected a ‘black and white’ cross bar to prevent heavy duty and other large vehicles from accessing or leaving this road. Well, the cross bar was sawn off.
Again, no one saw and no one reported. A second structure is now in place. One hopes that the process be not repeated.
One can now go on and look at the minibus situation and here again it is the same. No one takes the time to report on speeding, overloading and noise. Some drivers and conductors even smoke and drink beer while operating. As a matter of fact, this has become the norm. It is so normal, when the drivers detect police on the road, they switch highways, turn down the music, slow down, or even ask passengers to disembark. All of this is endorsed by the commuters. And again, who gets the blame? The government.
It is hoped that the people of Guyana quickly come to the realization that they are the cause of many breakdowns in law enforcement. The country is not the government’s; it is everybody’s. It is time Guyanese change their indolent ways and ‘stick up’ for their rights.