The recent steep increases in fuel prices and their natural domino effects continue to take a harsh toll on the lives of ordinary Guyanese. Strike action is ongoing by operators of the public transport system in various parts of the country. That in itself has its own domino effects: primarily inconvenience resulting in lateness or probably absence from work and school for those who have no other means of transportation. As bad as it is, it is not the most telling effect of the hike in prices.
No convincing is needed to understand and accept how it will exacerbate people’s challenges to make ends meet which had already been herculean prior. The devastating effects are not confined to the seeming impossibility of stretching incomes which have been deemed inadequate, but as additional assaults on the human psyche. An epistle can easily be crafted to remind of the social impact it can have on both the family and communities.
While much has been said about that, it may be useful to restate the basic. The gamut of cost of living escalates with raised fuel prices as especially food and transportation become more burdensome. The situation worsens for families with children who have to use public transportation and who need adequate supplies in their lunch bags. Added to the woes, there is the strong possibility of electricity and water rates moving upwards.
While the strikes by some minibus operators appear to be out of concern over increased fares on commuters, others have already implemented a markup. The bottom line is that the ordinary people will feel the brunt and will suffer. The wholesalers and retailers will endeavour to insulate themselves by passing the increases on. In the realm of commerce, they generally cannot be faulted. However, some have blatantly taken advantage of the situation by increasing prices on commodities much higher than deemed necessary for offsetting.
Their natural propensity is to milk the situation by blanketing the new prices on stocks bought cheaper previously. The free and open market, therefore, makes it virtually impossible for regulation to cushion the effects on the citizenry, thereby further worsening their vulnerability. The painful reality is that poverty-stricken families will be, among other things, heading to work and schools with less than what is considered to be adequate for sustenance.
Austerity measures, precipitated by a plethora of taxes over recent years, have crippled the ability of the masses to generate disposable incomes. This surplus is vital for the advancement of their families from the standpoint of the home environment, convenience and academics. Its absence has a rippling effect with dire consequences for the national economy. With a lessening or a disappearance of disposable income, as in the case for many, the improvement of the standard of living would be stagnated; the same for escaping poverty. This adds to the social impact in a society that seems saturated.
In recent years, the economy has been struggling for propulsion. A natural derivative is a rise in unemployment evident from the closure of some entities. Those without the means to help support and mitigate the effects of an increasingly harsher economic climate would see themselves as without a straw to clutch, thereby compounding their woes. This resurfaces the plight of the thousands of sugar workers who lost their jobs and those from other establishments which were closed.
The obvious cry, especially for them, would be to question why their lives are being made harder and harder in a time when they really should not be. The sentiments would be similar for the masses. While economists will offer different views and possible solutions, for and against, the question remains pertinent and deserving of an honest answer.
Those who feel it know. They know, and they experience the unabated stacking of burdens upon burdens for which they are gradually being made weaker to carry. They know how bleak the future seems at the moment as despondency engulfs and much-needed relief appears unattainable.
Relief is being clamoured for. Experts have posited the reduction of the relevant excise taxes to buffer the hike in the fuel prices; something which has been done in the past. It naturally begs the question of why not now. A now tax-driven economy may offer an answer as to why not. If that were to hold, then relief may unfortunately remain elusive for an extensive period, much to the despair of the affected.
Worrisome, is not just the seeming secrecy, quiet revelation and lack of reason for the unexpected increases, but the apparent absence in the public domain of compassion and an attempt to address mitigating measures. If the current situation remains, the negative impact will grow rapidly and become far-reaching – making, for many, a life of a better disposition a mere utterance skilfully crafted. The reality does not suggest otherwise.
