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By Ralph Seeram

January 31st 2016

 

The predominantly East Indian community is bounded by Shieldstown to ...

Did you know that a donkey cart man and the dray cart man had to get a license? Really? To top it off, the poor cart man just got his license raised under this new Guyana $230B Budget for 2016.

Yes those poor souls, a dying breed if I may add, had their License fees raised nearly 700% from $300.00 to $2000.00. Not a large sum or money by any standard, but that’s not the point here.
Seriously, what kind of “dent” will donkey cart fees make on a $230 Billion Budget, come Mr. Finance Minister Jordon, cut these poor guys some slack.
Donkey cart licenses should go the way of bicycle and radio licenses. Yes for those of you who are too young to know, there was a time in Guyana, when you had to get a license for your radio and bicycle. READ MORE

 

There used to be even police road block to check if your bicycle had a license, there was always a truck on stand by to haul all the non license bikes, including mine to the nearest police station, where you had to produce license to retrieve your bike. Oh they check your bike for fitness too; well it was brakes, bell and light. Funny but true.
Road blocks were not a lucrative business for the police then, unlike today where some Guyanese Police are bandits and extortionists in uniform. We all know why police set up road block in Guyana; it has to do less with crime and traffic safety, more about extortion.

Oh don’t let me forget, about the Radio License man, your radio could be blasting music or cricket commentary, since word in the area that the radio man in the area, the entire neighborhood becomes quiet, all radios gone under the bed, hide away, he certainly can’t go in you bed bottom to look, in any case the first thing he going to butt up with is the lady Posey.
Truth be told I never took out a radio license, yes I hid mine too.
Now I can imagine today’s police road block. Donkey cart man or dray cart man, get stop.

Police, “whey yuh license bai”
Cart man”wha license yuh talking about”.
Police, yuh cart license bai is $2000.00, we keep the donkey if you don’t have yuh license, you can pull de cart home”.
Police, Yuh gat an option, left a thou and go lang yuh way”

On a serious note, these are a dying breed of people, a dying cultural institution, we should try to preserve them, and I mean the canter trucks are putting them out of business.
Maybe I have a soft spot for donkey cart, maybe it’s because we had one back in the day.
The last time I wrote about my donkey I got in trouble and caused me to stop writing for Kaieteur News.

All because I said my donkey was more intelligent then the Jackass Freddie Kissoon. It so happened that most of my readers agree, that the self style political activist is an idiot.
But back to my story, as I recall there used to be inspectors to see that the animals are treated well, that the harness is proper, that there are no sores on the animals and so forth.
The truth of the matter is I doubt most of the poor souls will take out a license anyway, I mean how much money the poor guys makes.
So please Winston, have a heart, abolish this dray cart donkey cart tax, its archaic, let it go the way of the radio and radio licenses.

Ralph Seeram can be reached at ralph365@hotmail.com

Copyright © 2016, Ralph Seeram. All Rights Reserved.

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Bibi Haniffa posted:

By Ralph Seeram

January 31st 2016

 

The predominantly East Indian community is bounded by Shieldstown to ...

Did you know that a donkey cart man and the dray cart man had to get a license? Really? To top it off, the poor cart man just got his license raised under this new Guyana $230B Budget for 2016.

 

Ralph Seeram can be reached at ralph365@hotmail.com

Copyright © 2016, Ralph Seeram. All Rights Reserved.

Holy smokes !

You got to be kidding !

This marks the decline of Guyana under this shameless AFC/PNC administration.

Guyana is now officially a Certified Licensed Jackass Cart Economy under the AFC/PNC government.

FM
Last edited by Former Member

"Police, “whey yuh license bai”
Cart man”wha license yuh talking about”.
Police, yuh cart license bai is $2000.00, we keep the donkey if you don’t have yuh license, you can pull de cart home”.
Police, Yuh gat an option, left a thou and go lang yuh way”

 

FM

You ever heard the saying that lil lil dutty build dam? This is what the tax on donkey cart represents, a little squeezing of the poor here and there and hey presto, the afc/apnu can cover their expense of 50% raise. 

FM

Blacks are the majority in the police force and army - almost 90% .

Indians have the donkey cart. 

The budget was designed to make these people rich. 

They patrol in Indo neighborhood and is looking for the little mistakes by the indo drivers - $ 10,000 G bribe. And they don't collect the money now, a plain clothes buddy shows up at the house for collection. 

FM

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