Pride, Integrity and Honesty

OUR CIVIC RESPONSIBILITIES

I ordered a skype telephone online to allow better quality communication over the internet here in the British Virgin Islands. After more than a month the phone, unfortunately did not arrive. So I decided to call the seller with whom the order was placed and enquired about the long delay in receiving my order. I was told to give it a couple more of days and see if it will turn up. To make a long story short the seller had to resend the phone but this time via UPS. I did recieve the UPS delivery of the skype phone under five days. But the first phone shipped from England was lost!

Around October/November, First Bank sent me two credits cards. After three weeks had gone and I did not recieve the cards I called customers services in St. Thomas and was assured another set of credit cards would be issued. After two more weeks elapsed I called First Bank Credit Card department again informing them that I did not receive the cards they had sent. I then requested them to cancel my credit cards and issue new ones. This time I also insisted they sent my cards directly to the local Bank in the BVI, where I could go and picked them up. About three days later I went to First Bank and collected the credit cards. Eventually about two weeks later one set of the old credit cards did arrive and I had to discard them.

Is it the postal service to be blamed? Are the workers dissatisfied and has resorted to improper conduct? Were the items stolen before arrival in BVI? The BVI had always had a reputation for mannerly and honest people. From my experience with BVI islanders they are very courteous and they take pride in this. Most likely it might have been St. Thomas.where my stuff were lost.


So this brings me to my real concerns with my native country. And I would like to ask my native country people where is our self pride, our integrity, our honesty that has characterised us for so many years. Our people have had a reputation for instance of being the most hospitable in the world. We treat foreigners as semi gods. So I called upon you my brethren to instill VALUES of integrity, honesty, uprigtness in our children. Let us and our children take pride in the fact we have a reputation as a people of decency who respect others, who respect other people's property.

In December when I was NY on vacation I found a wallet in a car park in Binghamton. The wallet had the person SS card, credit cards, and cash inside. The first thing I did was to to take it to the attendant at the parking lot and ask her to return it to the owner. I hope she did!

Only a godly heritage will compel us to do the right thing. Perhaps personal pride in being honest will also help us to act righteously. So my friends begin in your homes. Lay the right foundation. If your kids bring home something that does not belong to them, let them take it back immediately or the next day. DON'T ACCEPT IT. Kill the monster before it grows and possesses you and your generations to come.

Let us work to together and build a safer and better Guyana.