Finally, some action by MARAD

TIMES INT'L

Dear Editor,
Two gruesome river accidents and all of a sudden there is a flurry of activities. This kind of knee-jerk reaction is so common these days that I am almost tempted to ignore this all-of-a-sudden interest from the Maritime Administration Department (MARAD). Reports indicate that it has begun an aggressive safety campaign on river transportation, which is commendable, but it took the deaths of 17 persons in the Pomeroon and Mazaruni before this move was made.
In Guyana, the litany of travelling illegalities is quite long and well established – selective minibuses carry four per seat, speeding, loud music, leaving the elderly behind, and smoking and eating while operating. I guess wake up time will come only with a series of fatal accidents, and again for how long?
MARAD officials however, must be commended for visiting the Parika Stelling and conducting a range of safety examinations. It was reported that, by the end of the exercise, close to 20 defaulters were identified. That is a good start and I think this kind of inspection should be repeated. I am pleased that the scope of surveillance is going to be broad-based to include Bartica in Region Seven, Supenaam and Charity in Region Two, Georgetown in Region Four, and Vreed-en-Hoop in Region Three.
A river patrol has now been implemented and this means that the presence of law enforcers will be very obvious. I call on these patrols to deal condignly with any misdemeanour. It is time to reverse the prevailing culture.
Yours truly,
Shelley Ann Joseph

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