There are those bent on perpetuating the race factor

AFTER reading Mark Benschop’s reply to Dr. Prem Misir’s piece captioned ‘Racial incitement is an illicit mechanism in the pursuit of power”, I have concluded that there are those among us who are so bent on perpetuating the race factor that is unfortunately a dangerous tradition in our nation’s political and social life, that they willfully, not blindly, continue to encourage and spread in all guises the dangerously, potent message of race hate. Mark Benschop, social activist fits into this unwanted, ideological category.
Of course, the  UN Special Rapporteur did pronounce candidly on the effects of race as a factor in the country’s political, social, and economic life, and I am quite certain that the intellectual that the eminent Dr. Misir is, he would have agreed with such findings, but, rather than dwell on the negatives of Mr. Doudou Diene’s report, he has pinpointed the positives observed existing, that give great hope and encouragement for future, better racial harmony in this country, and not a case of  referring conveniently or excluding sections of the Rapporteur’s findings, as Benschop erroneously contends.
What this social activist has to understand is that there is no qualitative benefit to be gained  via the traditional tactic of appeal to race and racial incitement, the latter roundly condemned by Dr. Misir in his offering. I have no doubt that the findings that echo the existing ingredients for peaceful existence between the two major races must have upset Benschop’s fossilised, racist mind; as well as those among the political opposition of which he is a part. For that is the drum beat that they have been sounding thus far. But no one is listening. Not even their own constituents, for they have ever since recognised that there is much to gain in a peaceful Guyana.
This explains why the current PPP/C administration, cognisant of what racial fears and insecurity can have on the social and economic development prospects of this nation, has launched massive transformation programmes primarily aimed at improving the quality of lives for all, that will engender a feeling of mutual respect and confidence among all Guyanese; and a climate of justice and equality. This is what is occurring in Guyana at the moment, and apparently a threat to the dark doctrine of race to which Benschop, the PNCR and other opposition forces subscribes.

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