Dear Editor
First, I have to say that I’m happy to see some enforcement of littering. However, I would like to see a strategy to tackle littering. This cannot only be limited to enforcement. What about more bins? Not just bins, but a system that clears the bins when they are full. I would like to see a sign stating that minibuses must not litter. Citizens can help. I was able to pass littering buses on several occasions and tell a traffic officer to stop them. Citizens, you are the guilty ones. Please take your garbage bags with you to the beaches, creeks and seawalls. Please do some community service, TV and radio stations. I would like to appeal to polluters for an end to littering. Parents, please educate your children. I can recall when I was teaching my children to not litter and then throwing something through my car window, my daughter (age 10) immediately called me a litterbug. But wait, it’s not just parents who are the major litterers. It can’t be the other way. After I had cleared the East Coast of trash after the 2005 floods, I gave a talk to the Golden Grove School assembly. I spoke about littering. Later, a parent called to ask if I was Mr. Bisessar. I answered yes. She claimed that she had thrown something in her yard. Her son then told her that Mr. Bisessar has said not litter. I can recall years ago teaching at Rama Krishna School Kitty.
The yard was always in chaos. I told my teachers that we needed to do something, and they said it was impossible. I am against all negative beliefs so I began to talk to my class. It was Form One from the upper section. They stopped littering and began to encourage others to do the same. I wrote before and stated that academic instruction is not sufficient to make a person well-rounded. The school system can do a lot. We can learn to respect the environment.
Another question: Can anyone in government please do something about it? I have seen many videos and photos of excavators and heavy-duty machinery using roads without any precautions and causing damage to them. Recently, I saw one in which an excavator was turning on Reliance Canje Public Road. I was shocked at the extent of the damage it caused. There used to be boards that were placed on roads for equipment to run on. This appeal is to the owners and authorities to stop this lawlessness. Tractors with cage wheels, if I’m correct, must remove the one on their right when they travel on the roads. This is to avoid accidents. Even if your owners do not remove it completely, can you still stop and grab a stick to get rid of most of the mud from the roads? The mud can cause serious accidents, especially if it rains. Owners, you are feeding the nation. But please show respect for other road users. I have many issues to deal with, and some of them are related to respecting the environment as well as fellow citizens. I would drive for one month without tooting my own horns. The light changes, and people start to honk their horns immediately. It is a serious offense in Germany. A person tries to enter traffic from a minor street. We wouldn’t stop to let him in. We would not stop to allow him to pass us. Please be polite. Or the man would try to bore out desperation and this has led to accidents. I have witnessed situations in which a car trying to get out is actually on the road. Drivers would honk and swerve around instead of allowing the car to enter traffic.
Guyanese have suffered a decline in respect for each other over the years. This is an appeal to all Guyanese to show respect for each other and the environment. You can trust me that if we treat each other with respect, accidents on roads would decrease significantly. In a previous correspondence, I asked the government for traffic lights at the junction of Corentyne and Canje roads. I also requested proper signs and lines. Also, rumble strips were required before you make sharp turns. Hello! Are you listening?
Sincerely,
Rajendra Bisessar
BSc. LLB
