RACE will continue to live with us, and rightly the Guyana constitution, in its preamble, gives each citizen the right to belong and celebrate their diversity.
Given allegations and evidence over the years, efforts must now be made in a sustained manner, to investigate and address charges of discrimination and exclusion. Where the constitution makes provision for the Ethnic Relations Commission and Human Rights Commission, both institutions ought to go to work. When properly put to work, they can facilitate conversations in an open, frank and honest manner, supported by evidence that will shape national policies and guide law-making.

It would not be unfair to say that the legislature did not move with the needed urgency to address racial healing and the promotion of equality over a number of years. While the People’s Progressive Party had the greater opportunity within the last two decades to deliver this leadership, they failed the people. That is why the claims by the party of an ethnic imbalance in GECOM ought to be examined. It is also instructive to note that GECOM, as presently staffed, is an inheritance from the PPP, which lends to the suggestion that the present outburst is more characteristic of extremists plying their trade.
This nation would be doing itself a disservice by traversing a path determined by the bigots in our midst. The time is now to move to embrace and accept race as a given and put structures in place to facilitate equality, dignity and respect for every group equally, as structures must be put in place to deal condignly with those who profit off racism, racial mischief and divisions. In a land of six peoples, where some were brought against their will, the fact that we are all occupying this land called Guyana demands that systems be deepened and strengthened to ensure peaceful co-existence and equal opportunity for development.

This country must no longer allow any group to be systematically denied employment, as happened in the public service, particularly the Foreign Service, where a policy was personally executed by Clement Rohee as Minister of Foreign Affairs that targeted the removal of African-Guyanese career diplomats. It is time for Equal Opportunity laws, inclusive of tabulation for evidence and scientific reference of the opportunities, given the various demographics.

It would be marking time to on one hand acknowledge and complain about division, and on the other hand fail to do something in structured and legitimate manner to address defects. For instance, it is divisive to call for ethnic balance in the public sector and ignore the private sector as a requirement to ensuring equality across the board. Tempting as it may be for the private sector to argue that they reserve the right to determine who they employ, in a racially charged society as ours, such is a disservice to the ethos of promoting and ensuring equality for which the private sector too shoulders corporate and social responsibilities.

In political participation, voting along the lines of race is protected in one’s right to freedom of association (Article 147). And this is why, giving true meaning to inclusionary democracy, which allows for all groups to be involved in the management and decision-making processes of the state on matters that impact their well-being (Article 13), is relevant and important.

Race also has significance in social and health issues. For instance, African-Guyanese are more predisposed to diabetes and sickle cell disease. This means that national planning, while it aims to address these illnesses universally, also needs to pay greater attention to directing resources in managing same to the group most affected. The same goes for suicide that is prevalent among Indian-Guyanese, and so forth. Gathering statistics on race allows analysis of the strengths and weaknesses that exist in each community. The data can be fed into the national development programme, which allows for tackling issues in a scientific manner and removing the one-size-fits-all approach that has been applied over the years and also, at times, deliberately used to deny others.

This nation must work for racial equality as constitutionally required. Equality means all must be given the same opportunity and treatment. This cannot be achieved in the absence of programmes that target the disadvantaged. Where groups were historically disadvantaged, there must be special provisions/programmes put in place to bring them up to the level of the historically privileged as a starting point. While it is by the collective that historically a nation’s development is measured, its GDP, given that the world has taken a shift where poverty, rights and sustainable development are new measurements in economic performance, identification and targeting of race/ethnic groups become more necessary.