Despite advances in technology, Guyanese citizens are still prohibited from applying for passports online
Dear Editor,
Cost of living in Guyana has become a national stress; however, instead of us complaining, demanding/ expecting higher salaries/income to offset this dilemma, we must be focused and demand immediate reinforcement on two (2) main principles/ laws which were legislated and are vital (absolutely necessary) to stabilize cost of living in Guyana: 1. Price control on essential everyday needed/ used ration/ groceries (rice, sugar, flour, cooking oil, bread, biscuits, salt, matches, chicken, beef, pork, fish, kerosene /cooking gas) & 2. Rental (houses, apartments, room, commercial buildings, etc.,).
RE 1. As a youngster I was told by my
Dear Editor,
Last Thursday, my family and I went to the passport office on Camp Street to get our passports renewed. My family included 2 young children, one of whom had the flu. Even though we got up very early in the morning, by the time everyone got ready and we negotiated the heavy traffic from the East Coast into the city, we got there shortly after 8 o’clock. Sad to say, we were informed by the personnel at the door that they already had the quota of applicants that is allowed per day. I peeked through the glass window and saw that indeed, the room was filled to capacity. Also, there were dozens of people outside the building and on the road who, like myself, were not allowed to submit their applications.
Now imagine that hundreds of people leave their homes in the wee hours of the mornings every day to go to the passport office and many of them reach there at or long before opening hours, just to be told they arrived too late. This adds up to many thousands of man hours being lost. With the common knowledge that there is a great shortage of workers in the country at this time, this situation is unacceptable! In a country of only around 800,000 people, this situation should not exist. Let’s say half of the population are passport holders, with a passport being valid for 5 years. That means that 80,000 or less passports need to be renewed each year. So why this difficulty to get a passport renewed? In this age of technology, why can’t Guyanese be allowed to make their application on line?
It does not require much technological knowledge or money to do this. Many seniors that price control on essential everyday needed/used ration/groceries were legislated and enforced not only to protect citizens/ workers from exploitation by shop owners, but more so to enable the lowest income earners (persons working two (2) and three (3) days a week and beggars) to afford at least two (2) meals a day. The State is empowered (if necessary) to subsidize the cost of price control goods. Shop owners were compelled to display the prices of control goods in their shops/ supermarkets etc., and if found guilty of selling black marketing goods above control prices were jailed and shop licenses revoked.
Re 2. Rental/ rent school kids can do this. Simple software like pdf can be used to fill the forms and then submit it online. The applicants photo can be uploaded too...the applicants’ photo will be taken at the passport office again anyway. A convenient date can be chosen for the applicant to go to the office to sign the form and complete the process. The US visa application is done this way. This solves 2 problems...the applicant knows when he is scheduled to go to the passport office, he will get through, and he will only spend a short time there. Collectively, thousands of man hours will be saved, which obviously will be beneficial to the individuals and the country as a whole.
In my case, I will have to take another day off work and the children will have to miss another day of school. When you compare the present system being employed to obtain/renew a passport in Guyana and the process to apply for a US visa, it is obvious that it is easier to apply for a US visa than to apply for/renew a Guyana passport. It is my hope that the subject minister and maybe even President Irfaan Ali look into this matter. Guyanese will be very grateful if you do.
It is not right for hundreds of Guyanese having to leave their homes very early in the morning, most without even having breakfast, to spend the greater part of the day cooped up in a building like chickens, just to obtain a passport. If we want to modernize Guyana, we will have to change these archaic systems and come out of the Stone Age.
Sincerely,
(Name and Address Withheld)
Undoubtedly, rental for houses, apartment rooms etc. is a mental stress on all tenants and workers; especially the lowincome earners whose monthly rent is almost three fifths (3/5) of their monthly salaries. Alike to 1 above, rental for houses etc. were assessed/ determined by an authorized agency which I believe for our city (Georgetown) was the Mayor and City Council (M&CC). M&CC will have the relevant information on all the buildings within the City's limit/ boundary, that is area (residential/ commercial) plan/ size, cost etc. and with M&CC approved assessments and formula/method determine the monthly/ yearly fees (rates & taxes) to be imposed on proprietors for M&CC services (garbage collection etc.) and also assess the monthly rental/ rent for houses, apartment, rooms, etc. that are certified and approved rentable. Proprietors found overcharging tenants were allowed to settle same amicably by refunding or allowing tenants to live rent free until the overcharged amount is recovered.
Editor, as regards measures to stabilize cost of living, the Guyana Marketing Cooperation (G.M.C) was purposely established to be an affiliate; be the farmers' protector/ guardian from exploitation by unscrupulous middlemen/ traders by purchasing the farmers produce at prices equivalent/ compensatory/ rewarding for farmers’ months of manual (productive) labour, which will encourage continued expansion of output, set standard wholesale and retail prices equitable to all (farmers, wholesale buyers, vendors) which will enable our housewives, children, and citizens to savor our fruits and vegetables at affordable prices. G.M.C does not purchase or sell our fruits and vegetables (as before) at their enterprise; we pay $250- per lb of plantains, our farmers are paid $80/$100 per lb. G.M.C has betrayed our farmers and our Administration must reset G.M.C towards its original goal (protector/ guardian of the Nation's breadbasket) and immediately publish a list of the price control goods with prices (bread is selling at $380/$400 per loaf) and reinforce compliance as regards rental for houses, apartment, rooms, etc.
Sincerely,
Leslie Marshall