THE Private Sector Commission (PSC) has made a plea for the government to review its decision to implement a closure of bars and nightspots at 2:00 am, but Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has staunchly denied the request.In a press release on Thursday, the PSC said that it has observed and received reports from its membership that the enforcement of the 2:00 am closure for bars and night clubs is having a significant, negative impact on businesses in the entertainment industry. The commission complained that many of the businesses are faced with the threat of closure and downsizing as a result of this decision.

“It is also our concern that this could have a long- term, negative impact on our developing tourism industry. There has been no definitive study on the social impact of the later closure on crime and accidents and this tends to be notional,” the release stated. The PSC is “strongly recommending that consideration be given for bars and night clubs to be open until 4:00 am on Fridays, Saturdays and Public Holidays for those night clubs located in commercial districts and zones and those which comply with building codes that limit noise nuisance.”
It was stated that with the upcoming Christmas holidays, we are recommending the extension and relaxation of the 2:00 am edict to facilitate visitors for Christmas and into the new year. But, Ramjattan told reporters shortly after the release was issued that he will not be revoking the 2:00 am decree and if anything, he would be bringing it forward to 12:00 am. “It will not be done – it’s 2 O Clock. I might very well bring it forward to 12,” said the vice- president.
He argued that crime and accidents show a direct correlation, hence his unmoving stance on the subject. “Didn’t you hear today what drinking is causing and how many deaths it’s causing? You bother with them private sector people,” he stated. The vice- president has been forced to defend the decision on many occasions, but this is the first time he is doing so under a threat from the private sector.
Addressing a post-Cabinet news briefing on Friday August 28, the Public Security Minister had challenged those who are not in favour of the law to “set up a petition.” While acknowledging that the law is an “unpopular” measure in combating crime, Minister Ramjattan explained that there is a correlation between heavy drinking at 02:00 hrs and after and accidents and domestic violence, among other crimes, in Guyana. He pointed out that the law at present states that the sale of alcohol MUST be stopped at midnight. He opined that because Guyanese have been breaching the law, the country is at its current state in relation to road accidents, violent crime, domestic violence, et al.
“We have to set standards here, and the law is that we [places selling alcohol] must close [at the stipulated time]; otherwise, we are going to have young people more out on the streets late at nights, drinking and misbehaving,” the minister was convinced, although unable to provide empirical data. Whether the bar owners are dissatisfied or the crime rate has steeply increased, Minister Ramjattan disclosed that many wives and women have expressed their satisfaction at the law being implemented, since it has caused their husbands to return home earlier with “a little more money” in their pockets.