“DEATH is too high a price to pay for one call.”
These were the sobering words of President Bharrat Jagdeo who spoke yesterday at the launching of the Road Safety Volunteer Programme and workshop, an initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs, in collaboration with the Guyana National Road Safety Council.
The president made the remark with reference to drivers talking or otherwise using their cell phones while operating vehicles.
The two-day workshop, which ends today, is taking place at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, under the theme ‘Wear. Believe. Act.’ The event is also giving recognition to the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 to 2020.

The president thanked all those responsible for putting the activity together, saying that it was long overdue.

“As our road infrastructure develops, and as we get more vehicles on the road, the unacceptable loss of life that we already suffer will increase if we don’t do something about it,” he said.

“It is not just an issue of awareness; it is a lifestyle and mindset issue that we have to work on. So we will pass the legislation, and we have passed some of the toughest legislation in the world. We will tackle the infrastructure, we will step up the awareness programmes; but unless we change the mindset in this country, we are not going to get the maximum result that we can get,” the President said.

“This is something that we have to work on. How do we change mindsets? How do we get people to take greater responsibility for their own actions? This is something that I hope would be debated today, during the deliberations,” he said.

He said that the rules of driving on the roads have to be respected. “Unless we do much more work in this regard, I am fearful that we will not get the impact that we want. Lifestyles and mindsets have to change in this country if we are going to develop …in a safe manner,” he said.

“I wish to thank all the volunteers who are here. We really appreciate this. You are doing something that would save lives in the future. It shows that you want to make a change, that you want to make a difference on our roads,” said the president.

“As you go out there, recognize that we have to reach transformation in a societal way. If you can get people to be more focused and responsible then they act in that manner in every facet of their lives,” he said.

“We will continue to be supportive of this endeavour, but most people think that governments could be everything to everyone and fix everything. Governments are there to ensure that there is a level playing field, and try to open up opportunities to people. It is people themselves who have to make a difference and this is very important for road safety,” said President Jagdeo.

He said the police must improve the way they operate on the road. “There are a lot of hard working policemen who do an excellent job on the roads. Had it not been for their efforts, we would have been in a worse situation. But there are others who do not follow the rules. Therefore many of them contribute to some of the problems we have,” he said.

“I have asked the Commissioner of Police to ensure that we have periodic checks to ensure that the policemen we deploy on the road are living up to the high standards of the Police Force and that there is no shakedown of people, soliciting of bribes, of giving people free passes,” he said.

“If individuals feel that there is a way out – not through the courts – by paying money elsewhere, they would never change,” he said.

He lamented the critics of the government who say it is dictatorial to tell people not to use cell phones while they drive. He noted that in the United States, and in many other countries of the world, such laws exist. “It’s not that we don’t want people to use their phones. We want to make sure that your attention is focused on the road, so that you get home safely, and the people who use the roads are safe. Death is too high a price to pay for one call,” President Jagdeo said.

PPP General Secretary and Presidential Candidate Donald Ramotar said that too many people die on Guyana’s roads and every life in the country is precious. “Every time we lose a life we are all somewhat diminished because of that loss,” he said.

“These losses that we have had are preventable losses, due to carelessness and not observing the rules. It is also damaging to the country when we have those losses, because many, [if not most] of the people are people in the prime of their lives…many young people who would have had a great contribution to make to the development of the country, using their brains and their muscle to help to build a Guyana we all dream about…a Guyana where poverty becomes history,” he said.

He congratulated the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Guyana Police Force for taking the initiative in mobilising people to volunteer to help keep order on the roads and reduce casualties. He urged the volunteers to see what they are doing as a very noble undertaking.
Speaking at the event, Minister of Home Affairs Clement Rohee said when President Jagdeo met with the National Road Safety Council late last year, he asked them to seek out persons who would be willing to participate in an active road safety programme.
He said that the Council now has an inventory of not only names and addresses of volunteers, but also the profession that each of them practices.

“At any given point in time we could scan that inventory and call upon the various expertise to perform certain related functions,” said the minister.

He said the launching of the volunteer should be seen as a part of the Government’s strategy to address road safety in Guyana, and not be viewed in isolation.