First of all, allow me the opportunity to extend my congratulations to all the students who achieved success at the 2010 CAPE examinations. Also, I wish for them every possible success in their future endeavors. A solid education is truly the cornerstone for a bright and productive future. However, it is also interesting to note that there was a mix of races among the top performers this year. More proof that equal opportunities exist for all Guyanese, regardless of the ethnic makeup of the individual. A marginalized population, according to Mary Morgan, specialist in private sector development in developing and post conflict countries, is “a group that experiences systemic discrimination or unequal access to power and resources in society”. Systemic discrimination, she defines as “widespread practices, laws or attitudes which are viewed as neutral and sometimes acceptable but establish inequality and disadvantage for certain groups of people in society”. This is not the case in Guyana, since Guyanese, regardless of ethnicity are constitutionally protected from any form of discrimination and acts of racial hostility. Also, through lifelong interaction and socialization with different ethnic groups, we are, as a people, culturally graced to embrace and respect the cultural diversity of our Guyanese brothers and sisters. There is no tangible evidence of racial discrimination or ethnic marginalization in Guyana, rather, I strongly believe that it is the class structures that exist within these ethnic groups that result in unequal distribution of the country’s resources. This competition for society’s scarce resources is what forms the foundation for all class structures.

Race and ethnicity are not barriers to an individual’s progress and development. In every society, there will exist class structures. In Guyana, as in many other countries, there is an upper and a middle class. Karl Marx calls it the haves and the have-nots. What is important is that we realize that the haves, is not exclusively one ethnic group, nor is it predominantly made up of people from any single ethnic background. Neither is this the case with the have-nots. What is also important is that we realize that there is no marginalization of ethnic groups in Guyana. Education is a significant steppingstone towards the productive future of an individual. And in our school system for example, no child is denied entry to a school, or is subject to inequity where school resources are concerned, on the grounds of ethnicity or race.

The distinction between the haves and the have-nots in Guyana is not drawn along racial lines. Guyana’s fundamental problem is that we are blinded to the existence of the class structures that exist within our ethnic groups. This makes us easily susceptible to racial hostility.