Dear Editor,
ON Saturday March 23, 2019, at about 06:60 hours, I was at the Parika Ferry Stelling as a passenger that travelled early that morning. The tide was unusually high, but to a level we had seen before, and I guess it was somewhere near that level on Thursday and Friday before that morning Saturday.

I can remember that Guyana Maritime officials had, long before that period, issued an advisory to all, particularly the Captains, farmers, fishermen and all the people that live in low-lying areas, among other persons, to be on high alert. But it appears that the management of the Transport and Harbours Department did not read that advisory, or just don’t care about the people travelling during that period of time.

The water was more than six inches in height at the area nearest to the main gate where the office is located. And I am certain that everyone I spoke to, apart from a couple, is employed by the Department, but seemed unconcerned about the situation. That was very confusing, and much to the inconvenience to the travelling public, the senior citizens, the pregnant mothers, the mothers with babies, the little children, including motorists.
The touts with the hand carts, they were fetching people in the carts for $100.00 per head across that area that was no longer than three rods long for a period of about one-and-a-half hours until the tide receded.

It is beyond the comprehension of any right thinking person that with all the warning, the expectations, the benefits of hindsight and based on those factors, management could have easily provided a temporary or makeshift walkway that would have negated the grave inconvenience caused during that period and time of the day. Managers in the Public Sector must do an introspection of themselves. I am sure that in the private sector the situation would have been different.

Regards,
Archie Cordis