A boorish bus driver and a dignified guard

Dear Editor,

Travelling occasionally by bus gives me the opportunity to experience the nitty-gritty of human interaction and views of the masses in Guyana.

None was more appalling and unsettling than a tirade that erupted between a male bus driver and a female security guard. The woman upbraided him in a sober way about constantly stepping on his brakes in a rash manner, which was causing passengers, including me, to lurch forward. Her expression to him that he display consideration and care, unleashed an onslaught of venomous talk from him. He told her that the seats were not made of gum and that she had to expect the lurching. After a mild protest from her, he went on to say that we are living in Guyana and that is what happens here. She retorted that it was people like him who make Guyana degenerate into such a society. He also told her that she is a security guard and doesn’t make as much money as he does and he injected an expletive. I cringed in my seat next to him, traumatised that this was happening, and didn’t even feel like casting my eyes in his direction. I felt guilty afterward that I had not been more supportive of the female, as I would usually support any just party but some days in Guyana one sadly enough, lapses into a state of self-preservation. The driver should realise that it is the ordinary person like the guard who gives him his

wages, not people earning substantial money. That security guard was a customer who was contributing to his income. There are a few other contributors like me who would take a bus ride when the destination is nearby or who would not expect such occurrences while travelling in a bus.

A passenger who disembarked shortly after the exchange, said aloud that it was a good thing that she was coming off then as she would have let the driver know of her disgust with his outbursts. However, I felt that she was actually fearful, as she had ample time to intervene before disembarking. No one should be made to feel fearful as a passenger in a bus.

The discrimination against guards was displayed by the bus driver and I have heard people speak derogatorily about guards and in some cases, justifiably. However, this guard exuded an air of dignity and level-headedness compared to the boorishness of the driver, which I had noted upon my entry into the bus. Stature in any occupation can only be determined by one’s attitude towards the occupation, life, and people. Guards put their lives at risk for many people. There is dignity in labour. As Martin Luther King Junior had said: “anyone can be great because anyone can serve.”

With the production of oil not long from now, many Guyanese have hopes of a better life and a modern country but this will not materialise to the extent that it could when we apparently have among us, thousands who act less than human and as if they had no guidance or education in the home or at school. More people and foreigners will be travelling by bus and the behaviour of the bus driver I travelled with should not be condoned. The Mini Bus Drivers’ Association quickly meets with the government when they want an increase in fares and should act with similar alacrity in dealing with ill-behaved drivers and conductors. The Association should have a system in place to surveil their daily conduct. At the time of oil production, more guards will be needed and there should be a mandatory increase in their wages along with those of the rest of the population. This should help to restore the respect for guards. Bus drivers are also important and the driver I spoke of should have realised that people entrust him with their safety and expect him to render courtesy and helpfulness. Our sociologists and psychologists should analyse this incident and others with the intention of making our society a civil one, with penalties for misconduct in public spaces more relevant.

Yours faithfully,

Conrad Barrow