Dear Editor,
PLEASE oblige me to vent on an issue that seems to have become a norm on the ‘west side’. But first, I must commend the PPP/C for opening huge amount of lands over the river and allowing for the importation of many motor vehicles without even upgrading the infrastructures that would accommodate the now high volume of commuters. Thank you for such consideration and vision during your 23 years in office.

Now on to the subject at hand, I cannot understand, even until now, why the Guyana police officers would harass a regular citizen (who may not know a “big-one”) but allow the so-called “big ones” to do the wrong things and say they are doing their job. I’ll wait for that answer patiently.

The traffic flow over the Demerara Harbour Bridge during the rush hour period is beyond horrible, so we have to ‘tow’ the line as they would say. I guess no politician had the vision to build a new one since they were so much focussed on building their own backyards.

Now, a principled person like me would follow the line until I get to cross, but even principled people get distraught and exasperated when the police would allow their friends, families and ‘big ones’ (with heavily tinted windows) to halt the traffic for them to pass through.

A citizen should (and I say should again) only allow for an ambulance, Government official vehicles (usually with siren) and police vehicles (those that always seem to be in a hurry to get somewhere, only God knows, even in the height of the 5:00am back up traffic, but that’s understood) to get about their urgent business. But for a police officer to allow other private vehicles (and again I say heavily tinted) to pass on the side with the up-coming traffic and then stop the traffic so they can get ahead of you on the bridge is beyond wrong. If I did that it would be seen as erroneous and [I]would be charged because I don’t know any ‘big one’. At the end of the day it is wrong; everyone knows that it’s against the traffic rules. On-going and up-coming traffic cannot be in the same lane but I guess someone is trying to rewrite the rules.

Question: are you trying to tell me that where I am going is not important or is my tax paying dollar worthless to those who are put ahead of me? Let anyone with proper reasoning answer that.

This is the main reason why the Government of the day is never held accountable for anything in Guyana because the citizens get so accustomed to always “finding a negative way around things”. Instead of demanding what is right, we sit and accept or just complain among ourselves while politicians do whatever they want to do. The next time a politician come and ask for your vote let them fulfil your need before you give it, like a new bridge or a new road or a school or a health centre. Until they can provide that for you, no vote. Life is all about bringing something to the table so we can meet each other half way.

Again, why should we allow others to pass freely after waking up late while we stay in the line after being up early to make it on time? I personally don’t see the right in that. Every man Jack has to join the line and feel the same excruciating pain of the bumper to bumper traffic during the morning crossing. And where is the heart of people these days? On the floor? Human beings are becoming more and more selfish each day, but for Guyanese, we are a special kind of ruthless but gets quite timid when we go overseas. Mr. President, Sir, please use your years of army base training and speak to your police force on what it is to be orderly. Let’s see a reformation of the ‘last-come, first go” system at the bridge so we can really have something to celebrate come 2019 Independence.

Regards
Nkase Carter