Dear Editor,

THE culture of lateness is what is leading to lawlessness and intolerableness, and people are paying the price with their lives and damage to their valuable property, sometimes through no fault of theirs. We have, over the decades, embraced the culture of lateness that is consuming all of us.

One has to agree that most of the fatal, serious or damage accidents are being caused by speeding by one driver or at times both.

With the minibuses very rarely you’d find a passenger telling the driver to slow it down, due to the fact that some of the passengers are late, so it is in those persons interest that the driver exceeds the speed limit.

I am asking that we take some time off to make an observation of the amount of workers that have to be on the job at 08:00 and 08:15hrs. They are still in a minibus or may be driving their own vehicle on their way to work, This pattern of behaviour is most prevalent in the public sector, and this includes the Joint Services, particularly the Guyana Police Force. I was unfortunate to be at the Charity Police Station on three consecutive Monday mornings, driving from a distance of about 36 miles away and at 08:30hrs. The Sergeant in Charge of the Charity Police Station did not report for duty for that day, and it was a Monday.

And while most of you may not know the village and where this Station is located, Charity on Monday mornings, more precisely, during a given time, is one of the busiest places in the country. Persons travelling from up and down the Pomeroon River and as far as from Region One, for various reasons, not forgetting the people from neighbouring Venezuela and other South American Countries.

We have embraced the culture of being late, some of us all the time, and others most times. We may have perfected the art of making excuses for our lateness, and this happens from top to bottom, look at the numerous times that our Senior and Junior Government Officials, would have us waiting for them to arrive at the various functions, when these persons are slated to make presentations on many topic and issues or to deliver the feature address.

Those of us who are old enough would know when disciplinary action used to be taken for lateness in the Military Services, but sad to say I am not sure if those actions are still taken, but if not whey not.

In concluding, I would like to quote a line from the song of that famous Soul Singer, Ray C. Those days are gone, long gone.

Regards,

Archie W. Cordis