GUYANA has made significant strides in every facet of life. This fact is acknowledged by most Guyanese but there are some people who are so blinded by prejudice that they simply cannot accept and come to terms with this reality, even though it is staring them straight in the face. This reality dawned upon me during a recent visit to the Essequibo Coast. I was pleasantly surprised to see the number of passengers and vehicles that boarded the Chinese made roll-on roll-off vessels which are not only much more convenient compared to private vessels but also much safer.
The Government of Guyana must be commended for putting such excellent services at the disposal of the commuting public in particular those travelling from Parika to Supenaam and the islands of Leguan and Wakenaam.
I never seem able to get accustomed to the rough waters on the way to Supenaam, especially during high tides which I thought is not without some amount of risk to passengers travelling on speed boats. In this regard, the measures taken by the authorities to ensure passenger safety is commendable especially in light of recent river tragedies.
River transportation, and for that matter transportation in general, has come a long way over the past two decades which has considerably enhanced economic activities and social ties between the coast and the riverain communities. Parika is no longer the sleepy community it was a decade ago but a hub of economic and social life.
This is one of several indicators of economic growth and social progress which some people conveniently chose to ignore.