PARLIAMENT on Monday approved a motion to increase the membership of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) to include one representative each from the Indo-Guyanese, Afro-Guyanese and Indigenous people cultural/ ethnic group.The motion on the appointment of members of the ERC, including the new category, had been moved by Dr. George Norton, M.P. and Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee of Appointments, which had also included representatives from all three political parties represented in the National Assembly.
Dr. Norton had been mandated by Parliament to nominate representatives for President Donald Ramotar to appoint as members to the ERC, their numbers being no less than five nor more than fifteen, after the entities are determined by votes not less than two-thirds of all the elected members of the National Assembly.
He reported to Parliament on Monday that the Committee had decided to increase the membership of the ERC from seven to ten, by adding a new entity called the Cultural/ Ethnic group which would have three nominees, one representing each of the three major ethnic groups of Guyana, namely: Afro-Guyanese Indo-Guyanese and the Indigenous people.
The Committee had completed its work and as a result was seeking the approval of the National Assembly for the number of nominees from each group of entities to be one each from the Hindu, Muslim and Christian religions, one from labour, one representing women and one from youths, one representing business and one each from the three major ethnic groups.
Before approving the Motion, Members of Parliament of the Alliance For Change (AFC), A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) all spoke in support.
Endorsing the Motion, Dr. Leslie Ramsammy expressed his agreement with the eligibility criteria used by the Appointments Committee to select the entities from which members of the ERC would be drawn.
He said that the next step following the approval of the motion is to have the members nominated and appointed as quickly as possible so that “this very important Commission” can begin the work it was intended to do without delay.
On behalf of the AFC, MP Garrida Lowe supported the recommended expansion of the Commission, saying that there was a genuine need for it to be expanded even further.
She mentioned the beautiful mixed races of “dougla” and “boffiander” and other Guyanese of mixed parentage and said that there was need to seriously acknowledge and categorise this group which is growing larger every day.
MP Gail Teixeira said that moving of the motion was a very important achievement of the Committee of Appointment in 2013.
She said that the inclusion of representatives of the three major ethnic groups on the ERC for the first time satisfied recommendations made by some Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) on the need for such representation on the ERC.
CORDIALITY, NO ACRIMONY
She said that the inclusion of this category was an important initiative of the Committee of Appointment. She added that the mode of work of the committee which was done with cordiality and without acrimony was a very good development within Parliament.
The motion was approved by a two-thirds majority.
Written By Clifford Stanley