EMBATTLED entrepreneurs, John Singh and his wife Cynthia of Guyana Variety Store & Nut Centre, would like to make a “public apology” for using derogatory remarks towards Amerindians, comments that saw both of them being flayed in the media. The husband and wife, in a telephone comment to the Chronicle yesterday, said they both would like to issue a “public apology”, first of all to the Amerindian community of Guyana, the Minister of Human Services and Social Security Ms. Priya  Manickchand; Ms. Jean La Rose – Programme Manager of the Amerindian People’s Association (APA);  Dr. George Norton and the citizens of Guyana, for using derogatory remarks towards Amerindians.
Expressing regret over the recent development involving them and a former Amerindian employee, Mr. Singh said, “Over the past 25 years, we have been employing Amerindian people  and we hold no grudge against them.  If what I might have said in the height of frustration, has offended anyone, I wish to apologize.
“I have been serving the country and people of Guyana for the last 50 years regardless of religion, race,  colour or creed, hiring in the same way, and will not stop now,” the businessman said.
He, however, claimed that, from all indications, people have overlooked the seriousness of the allegations made against him and his wife by the Amerindian maid, to the extent that, at this time, all attention is being focused on ‘name calling’.
He contends that people ought to look at the seriousness of the allegations levelled against him and his wife, particularly now that the Ministry of Labour has found the young lady in the case at hand, to be lying (misrepresenting the facts). According to a Stabroek News article published yesterday, the young lady claimed she was free to, and did leave the home on several occasions, contrary to the first story published by that newspaper during last week, claiming she was enslaved and being held in her employers’ home against her will.
Meanwhile, the Amerindian Affairs Ministry on Thursday night issued a ‘strongly worded’ statement condemning what it termed as “repugnant remarks” made by the couple against Amerindians.
“The claim that they (the Singhs) feel vindicated after their maid agreed to drop the case and that the Ministry owes them an apology are insensitive and uncalled for since investigations into the other aspects of the matter are ongoing,” the ministry said.
The ministry said its responsiveness and involvement to providing representation and ensuring that due process is followed is a responsibility that it undertakes without prejudice.
According to the ministry, the matter under investigation is not new, since in June last, it had cause to investigate a similar incident involving the same couple and an Amerindian housekeeper.
“It is unfortunate that Ms. Singh would make (disparaging) remarks of hiring another person of Amerindian ancestry when she had hired a person of the same ethnic background and similar occurrences were reported, except that the earlier case was not widely publicized,” the ministry contended.
The Ministry said it therefore restates its objection to the tone and use of unethical language to describe their former employee, an Amerindian person, and notes that it reflects poorly on the couple involved.
The Ministry said it stands firm in providing representation of any such case that may be brought before it, ensuring that where the rights of Amerindians are being violated, that this leads to fair investigation and representation.