Dear Editor,
Unbelievable, but acceptable. President Ali establishes task force to examine countrywide noise nuisance. Finally, a move, a step, attempted. A word of appreciation for His Excellency. But a task force to make the rounds and return with the tale of noise nuisance at rollicking, jamming, uninhibited crescendos? Surely, that’s not necessary. Not when there is the corroborative littered in bludgeoning volumes from community to community.
In the halcyon fields from which President Ali himself hailed, the thunder of revelry is no stranger. Leonora. On many a day. Work day. Holiday. Sabbath Day. Other holy days. For long, torturous hours, the cacophonies blare into the atmosphere. Then settle in the environment. One neighbourhood after another terrorized and tormented, through liquid sounds blasting from the latest in modern technological devices bigger than an 18-wheeler. The immortal Attorney General of Guyana, Hon Anil Nandlall, SC, weighed in more than once. Not proper. What better task force than the incomparable Anil Nandlall? His representations must have some weight, though he isn’t in the first row.
Complaint after complaint. Minister upon minister made the long trek from the vistas of Georgetown to the metropolis that’s Leonora. The music played on; the bottles arced; and the language was of a quality that would send even AI running for shelter. If not good for grown, seasoned, adults, then what of the children? The man of the law, the inspiring Dr. Clifton Hicken made an appearance in Leonora, made solemn commitments, kept a straight face throughout, and off he went. The sounds of thunder, the boom of electronic boxes, and the year-round merriment continued unabated. I should consider taking up residence there. Leonora sounds like a happy community. Music round the clock. Ministerial interest (and empathy). Top Cop’s gracious presence (and comforting words). And a head-of-state who ought to be well aware of the unrestrained excitements that are now part and parcel of the patch of land where he was born.
Leonora could have been graced with that much high-powered involvement, due to its favorite son. He is none other than Mohamed Irfaan Ali. Guyana’s master of ceremonies. Guyana’s inventor of a national noise nuisance task force. If in Leonora, where does that leave Kitty and Kaneville, Soesdyke and San Souci? If there is that level of arrogance, impertinence, and negligence in storied Leonora, then why a task force to determine the decibel temperature (I said it) in Corentyne or Kwakwani?
Facts faced: noise nuisance is noisy. Secrecy can’t shield it. It splits the air. Ruptures the ear. It impales with the crippling. Nerves. Rest. Peace. With rum and the riotous energies set free, there’s unfettered joy. A celebration of oil wealth. A tribute to the PPP Government. A salute to the freedoms fostered by that same government. When there’s so much money to be spent, and flowing from so many sources (some aboveboard, many below the carpet), there has to be outlets to release all that pent-up spending power. With all the booty cornered and captured from different places and different people, there has to be retail depots for what was not officially deposited to be distributed, and not be wasted.
Does the president not know? Are ministers not familiar? What about the commissioner, is he out fishing? In a world of ignorance, pretended or pure, there is one man who should know all of this and more -the erstwhile Anil Nandlall, Guyana’s man of the law, and man in the know. Why a task force, when he’s there? A one-man task force, a veritable encyclopedia in his own right about noise nuisance.
Having said all this, the task force is deployed, does its work, gathers the facts. What then? A solution was already delivered. Insulate or soundproof music rooms. A cure for a curse. There are still a few others. Alcoholism. Environmental degradation. Additions to the dictionary. Not CXC English. Domestic violence. Road rage. Road carnage. Instead of a task force, there should be the force of law. Not the force of the private sector. The noise got to my head. Time for a soothing hymn.
Sincerely,
GHK Lall
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