UN Day against racism

ANOTHER United Nations Day against Racial Discrimination has just been observed, with its theme, “Promoting tolerance, inclusion, unity and respect for diversity in the context of combating racial discrimination.’’

There would have been many statements and resolutions, from many organisations, both governmental and non-governmental, acknowledging the reality of this peril, as well as pledging further action for change to a system that continues to plague the existence of mankind.

One would have thought that the example of Nazi Germany’s Hitlerite racist ideology that resulted in the systematic mass genocide of six million Jews during the World War; the deliberate, brutal mass elimination of a reported mostly 800,000 Tutsis by a Hutu majority government in 1994; or the iniquitous system of Apartheid in South Africa, enforced by the then racist minority white government against the majority African population, would have served as a grim reminder to the world of the evils of racism.

One can add also the Srebrenica Massacre that accounted for the execution of 8,000 mostly Muslim men and boys in 1995, during the Bosnian civil war; and even as recent as 2017, when over 600,000 Rohingya Muslims were brutally forced to flee their Myanmar homeland, from a two-pronged attack by government troops and Buddhist monks.

These have been just a few unadulterated, graphical examples, recorded and well known to mankind throughout history, and recently, of man-on-man brutal behaviour, driven by the blindness of racism. It is most unbelievable that given those chilling instances of murderous brutality, nurtured and led by now categorised some of history’s infamous leaders, that racism and racial discrimination has continued unabated, so much so that it is perhaps second to climate change as a threat to international peace and stability.

Racism is a man-made social construct that theorises superior and inferior attributes of people, based on their race and colour of skin. It had long been propagated by social scientists, beginning in the 19th century. However, it has since been disproven and discredited, while unsupported by any valid scientific evidence. Yet, it has continued to be used and employed as a powerful weapon that fosters hatred of others.

Racism has become so entrenched in many regions of the world, that it is now a serious threat to minorities, their human rights, and to public order. But there are some factors which ought to be known about an ideology that does not add to advancement of the universality of man, the better understanding and well-being of each other, while in the end becoming inherently destructive wherever it resides.

First, the practice of racism and racial discrimination is undemocratic, since its deceptive precepts take away the rights of others, thus threatening the culture of the society in which it exists. Second, because of its well-planned strategy of deliberate marginalisation, which is a denial of equal opportunities, racism removes the means for working together, and being able to make a collective contribution to the national good, where all can benefit.
Third, because of the oppressive nature of racism and its practice, it is a form of imposition, diminishing and even denying the human rights of the group(s) targeted. This can only lead to deep-seated resentment, and an environment that is not conducive to co-existence.

Guyana, for all of its modern political history, has been bogged by the racial challenge that has led to the inability of realising its true potential. It has been a coveted goal that has eluded us as a people and nation and is indispensable for its future advancement. This, no doubt, would have greatly influenced President David Granger in establishing the cabinet office of the Ministry of Social Cohesion, thereby taking the responsibility as national leader in sounding the clarion call for a united people and country.

This concept is one that allows for, among other things, national conversations, recognising that although there is cultural diversity, there are similarities that bind us as a people. It is instructive to note, that the Ethnic Relations commission (ERC) has been re-constituted, after an absence of three years. As a constitutional body, enacted by way of Constitutional Amendment Act, 2000, it has the task of fostering better relations among Guyanese, among other seminal functions.

Its role will be very critical, particularly given the background of the sad experience of the last two decades, as well as taking into consideration the fact that Guyana is now poised on the frontier of an oil-and-gas future, with Guyanese finally in a position to reap the benefits of one of its untapped sources of wealth.

All nations, and their peoples that are afflicted by the scourge of racism and wicked arm of intolerance, must pay heed to Articles 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which unambiguously state that all humans are born free and equal in dignity and rights, and 2, that everyone is entitled to rights and freedoms, irrespective of race.
Racism and racial discrimination in any form are a blight and a burden on any nation in which it is perpetrated. It must consistently be condemned, particularly by political leaders who must understand their role in joining together to defeat a beast that some continue to nurture, as a means of fostering fear among their constituents for political support, and other narrow, selfish ends. Any leader who fails in giving such support stands condemned.

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