Clean surroundings, better service must become a way of life

The call by Tourism Minister Susan Rodrigues for improved customer service, greater courtesy in public interactions and stronger personal responsibility for keeping Guyana clean deserves to be treated as more than another public appeal. These are basic standards of civic behaviour that have implications for the country’s quality of life, the effectiveness of public services, and the experience of visitors and residents alike.
The message that good customer service should not be confined to the tourism sector is particularly important. Tourism may have provided the immediate context for the campaign “Tourism Is Everybody’s Business”, but the principles being promoted extend far beyond hotels, restaurants, shops and tour operations.
Every citizen encounters a public servant, healthcare worker, teacher, cashier, security officer, transport operator, or business representative at some point. The manner in which people are treated during these interactions matters. Courtesy, patience, professionalism, and a willingness to assist should be expected across institutions and businesses, regardless of whether the person being served is a tourist or a Guyanese citizen.
Customer service is also a reflection of institutional culture and national standards.
For the public service in particular, the issue deserves sustained attention, and citizens who visit Government offices are often seeking essential services, information or assistance. Long waits, poor communication, dismissive attitudes or an unwillingness to provide basic guidance can turn what should be a straightforward transaction into a frustrating experience.
Improving physical spaces, including reception areas, is useful, but the quality of the interaction remains equally important. A modern reception area cannot compensate for an indifferent approach to the people using the service.
This is why efforts to improve customer service must extend beyond infrastructure. Training, supervision, accountability, and clear service standards should form part of the process. Employees should understand what is expected of them, while institutions should have mechanisms for addressing persistent failures in service delivery.
The same principle applies to the Private Sector, as businesses depend on customers, and courteous and efficient service should be regarded as part of the product being offered. A growing economy requires businesses that understand that reputation is built not only through what they sell but also through how they treat people.
There is, however, another side to the issue which deserves equal emphasis: the responsibility of citizens themselves.
The condition of Georgetown and other public spaces cannot be blamed entirely on Government agencies or municipal authorities. Governments and local authorities have a responsibility to provide adequate waste collection, receptacles, drainage, and sanitation services. But these investments cannot succeed if people continue to discard garbage indiscriminately or treat public spaces as though their upkeep is someone else’s responsibility.
The recurring problem of litter around areas used for recreation illustrates this contradiction. Installing bins and emptying them regularly are necessary measures, but they cannot solve the problem if citizens continue to leave bottles, food containers, plastic bags, and other waste behind.
Guyanese who travel abroad generally understand that there are standards governing how public spaces are used. Littering is discouraged, queues are respected and interactions with service providers are often conducted with courtesy. Those same standards should not disappear upon returning home.
A country should not require visitors to remind its citizens of the importance of respecting their own surroundings.
Guyana is undertaking significant development and investment, including efforts to improve Georgetown’s infrastructure, restore historic buildings, upgrade avenues, improve drainage and make public spaces safer and more accessible. Such investments can improve the physical environment, but their benefits will be undermined if public behaviour does not change alongside the infrastructure.
The responsibility is shared among the Government, local authorities, businesses, public institutions, and citizens.
The objective should not be to create standards merely for the benefit of tourists, but rather that Guyanese deserve clean communities, courteous service, and respectful treatment every day.
If improved customer service and environmental responsibility are to become a way of life, they must be reinforced consistently, in schools, workplaces, public offices, businesses, homes, and communities.
A cleaner country and a more courteous society cannot be achieved through campaigns alone. They require habits, standards and accountability.
The call should be embraced with the aim of building a culture in which good service, respect for others, and care for the environment are ordinary expectations.