PNC leader Robert Corbin said in the Kaieteur News that the ‘PNC is wary of ERC Chairman’s involvement in election process’ (KN 11 Feb, 2011).
The ERC is a constitutional body with the mandate to promote ethnic harmony in our country and to pursue actions to bring this about. No doubt since its establishment, the ERC under the chairmanship of Bishop Juan Edghill has been working overtime in the pursuance of its mandate. My observation of the ERC’s activities in the promotion of ethnic harmony in Guyana is that all the ethnic groups, including religious organisations and civil society, play an active role and are involved. Keep up your good work, Bishop Edghill, and do not allow the racists to frustrate your hard-working efforts to create ethnic harmony in our beloved country.
Robert Corbin, leader of the opposition, is challenging the legality of the ERC, yet he stated that the PPP used its majority to pass resolution # 36 entitled “Appointment of members of the Ethnic Relations Commission and  “that the National Assembly calls on the President to take such steps so as to enable the Ethnic Relations Commission to continue to carry out its constitutional responsibilities in the interim.”
The fact of the matter is that, while the life of the ERC came to an end in 2007, it was given additional existence in the interim by Guyana’s Parliament, the highest decision-making forum of our land. But the political opposition voted against Resolution #36 for the continued existence of the ERC simply because they do not favour the present chairman of the ERC, who is in active pursuit of the Constitutional mandate of the ERC to promote ethnic harmony in our country; and no Guyanese can deny this, except those who have a political agenda against the government of Guyana.
The political opposition is also claiming that the chairman of the ERC favours the government. This is a pellucid deception designed to fool Guyanese and the international organisations working here in Guyana.  The ERC is in the pursuance of its constitutional mandate, and for the achievement of this mandate the organization has to work and collaborate with every individual and organsiation, both governmental and non-governmental, and this is what the ERC is doing.
What is tearing apart Robert Corbin and his disciples of ethnic disharmony in our country is the ability of the ERC to mobilise and organise all the peace-loving peoples of Guyana for the achievement of our country’s motto, which is “One People, One Nation, and One Destiny”. Propagators of race-hate who object to the ERC carrying-out its mandate should be condemned.
Very suddenly, the ERC came under attack by anti-government elements, including Robert Corbin. But the international  organisations working in Guyana need to understand that the criticisms against the ERC by the political opposition, including the newspaper columnists, are ‘merely political’ and coming at a time when general elections are going to be held this year, 2011, and where the ERC will deploy monitors in the 10 regions of Guyana to monitor political rallies and meetings by the political parties for the detection of racist remarks and to take swift action against those found guilty of stratagems meant to create ethnic disharmony in our country.
In this regard, the collaboration between the ERC and GECOM is essential, especially where the application of the Racial Hostility Act and the Representation of the Peoples’ Act is concerned.
The newspapers of our country will also be monitored by the ERC, including television stations and political commentators for any calls to create ethnic disharmony; and to take the necessary legal action against those found guilty. Do your work, ERC.
It was also learnt that the ERC will also be pursuing other activities during this election yea,r such as mass communication strategy, public lecture series on relevant topics, a media encounter, strategy for first time voters, awareness seminars for candidates and education on the Racial Hostility Act and the Representation of the People’s Act.
I must say that any political party that does not agree with the ERC’s activities for the 2011 election year is totally against ethnic harmony in Guyana and is unfit to manage the affairs of our nation state. Further, the Guyanese people have to seriously identify and isolate themselves from those political parties, political commentators, newspaper columnists and trade unionists who, for political reasons on a narrow basis want to stop the ERC from carrying out its constitutional mandate to promote ethnic harmony in our beloved country Guyana. The Bible says, “You shall know them by their fruits.”
But the opposition leader Robert Corbin should not be afraid of the ERC, since the ERC is not a political body, but a constitutional one established primarily for the purpose of promoting racial harmony in Guyana. If Mr Robert Corbin is currently against the work of the ERC, then he should take cognizance that Guyana is a multi-ethnic nation-state where ethnic hostility must not exist. Do your work ERC and frustrate the racists in our country.