WHEN I was a young Marxist activist, I always harboured the feeling that though I love Guyana and will never leave, I will never understand it. From young Marxist radical to enduring Marxist senior citizen, I still have that feeling. I will never search and find the meaning of Guyana.
In one week, the things I saw and interfaced with tell me I will die with the yearning of wanting to know why Guyana is what it is. Here is a week in the life of Frederick Kissoon. I live directly across the road from Massy Supermarket. So, I patronise that outlet often. Last week Massy lowered the price of a 3-litre bottle of organic apple juice from $6000 to $2000 because it only had a remaining shelf life of one week. Massy lowered the price of a bag of 45 pieces of Hershey’s chocolate from $5000 to $2000. It had a shelf life of a week remaining.
The bargain price did not attract buyers, so after the week, I saw the attendants taking the stuff off the shelves. I asked what happens next. I was told the items would be destroyed. I dropped dead right there and then. I made an enquiry of the CEO of Massy Stores in Guyana, Mr. Chris Bobb-Semple.
A man always with an intestinal smile that is winning and charming, I asked how he could destroy food like that, food that should never be destroyed like that. Still with his inviting smile, he said: “It is unethical to give away food that has expired.” Here was my reply. Expiry date is a legal concept. Scientifically, expired food has nutritional value, except milk, three months after the label date.
I stressed to Mr. Bobb-Semple that there is a way of giving away expired goods, with the role of ethics coming in too. If two days before expiration, the reduced price still does not attack customers, then the day before, reduced the price even further to a level where customers will run after the item. If the bag of chocolate was further reduced from $2000 to $300, it would have been grabbed up in seconds. Mr. Bobb-Semple conceded that the attractive price reduction could be the solution. Not could. It will be. In France, they passed a law that design clothing companies cannot destroy clothes that have become out of fashion and the law applies to food manufacturers. I sincerely ask if there is a human in Guyana that supports Massy’s destruction of food?
Next – Banks DIH. The multi-trillion-dollar company announced that it has given 6.5 million Guyana dollars to 27 charities. I knew I had seen wrongly. It had to be 65 million. But it was 6.5 million. That means each of those 27 entities received $200,000 Guyanese. I say unapologetically that is an insult to this country. I could name you three individual businessmen that do not have the trillion Banks DIH has and through the mosques and temples give more than that yearly and the recipients are far, far less than 27. What was irritating was that the Banks DIH big wigs posed for a photo opportunity with the 27 heads of the charities. Really, does anyone understand Guyana?
Next – the Parika ferry stelling. My wife and I went by speedboat last Wednesday to Leguan for a funeral. The speedboats are at the bottom of the steps when you embark and when you disembark. The steps have no bannister to hold onto when walking to the boat and when coming off the boat. It is a difficult situation for senior citizens.
A bannister is as old as the seas themselves. A bannister is a commonsensical structure of a step-way. Show me a step-way that does not have a bannister to help you walk up and walk down. Most older folks hold on to the bannister when going up and down. If the authorities do not want to put a bannister made of wood or light chrome, then put a rope structure, but put something to aid senior citizens when they are using those steps.
Well, that was a week in my life. Do you think they will stop burning food at Massy? Do you think, next time, Banks DIH will make it 65, instead of 6.5? Do you think a banister is going up soon at Parika? Here is my answer.
Three years ago, I showed with graphic forcefulness that there is a wide trench under UG Road just before you reach the Beharry residence and that drivers will run into that trench. I showed images of the danger four times on the Freddie Kissoon Show. Check it out after three years. I will never understand this country.
DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited.