Dear Editor,
I recently visited the GRA Office at Lethem to conduct some business. Upon entry to the building, the first thing that came to my mind was the sheer chaos of the place with a number of customers milling around in a small, tightly packed space. No consideration or seating arrangements were in place for the elderly. Secondly there was no help desk with a staff member dedicated to assisting members of the public, to provide direction and guidance and to increase efficiency. Many of the customers were from remote indigenous villages who had travelled at great personal cost to visit the GRA Office, and most were uncertain who to approach or speak to. The language barrier was also quite evident. Thirdly in the absence of a help desk, there were no signs or markings to show where a member of the public could go to have their transaction done. Fourthly, there were only two staff members dealing with transactions, while a number of others sat around idly, doing nothing but chatting amongst themselves. Fifthly, there was no numbering system in place for customers, adding to the overall sense of chaos and confusion.
Finally, after figuring out that this was a “fight for self” sort of arrangement, I approached one of the staff for assistance and was immediately taken aback at the lack of common courtesy from the staff that I spoke to. Now as a public servant myself for over twenty years, and with the ingrained notion that it is the job of the public servant to treat a member of the public with respect, courtesy, and empathy, the behavior of this staff, whose name and designation I duly noted, came as a shock to me and it took all of my willpower to remain calm. The rude and lackadaisical treatment by this staff continued, until I asked to speak to a supervisor after which there was increased urgency in having my transaction expedited. GRA Lethem has to do better. Don’t the staff go through basic customer service training? Don’t the managers and supervisors not look at ways and means to increase efficiency and make things easier for the public, especially our indigenous brothers and sisters who often travel long distances and at great personal cost and are often sent away, with their transactions incomplete? Guyanese are overwhelmed daily in the news and on social media with the government’s so-called drive on efficiency in the public service. Frankly, this “efficiency” seems to have completely missed the GRA branch at Lethem.