IT IS common knowledge that the greatest constraints to overall development in our country originate from the racial prejudice that affects our activities in the various spheres of our existence, whether social, economic, political, or even to some extent spiritual.

Even the problems we are at present witnessing among the players in our Parliament can be traced to this schism within our society.

And although it may seem very improbable that we can solve this mountainous dilemma at any time in the foreseeable future, each Guyanese must see it as his/her duty to play a part in its elimination, so that even if we feel that we will not live to see the fruits of our labour, we can at least leave a legacy of communal peace and stability for those who come after us.

To do so, an assessment of the causes of and extent to which this cancer has taken hold of our body politic would be useful in determining any strategy that needs to be instituted to deal with it.
Anyone attempting such an objective appraisal of this phenomenon in our society will find so many factors which militate towards prolonging its existence that it would appear permanently intractable.

Some of these are:-

1. Race is intricately intertwined in the economic imbalance that exists between the racial groups, especially the two in the majority. Employment practices, occupational preferences and habits all tend to perpetuate this disparity.

2. Succeeding generations since the middle 1950s were born into a society largely divided by racial strife, and they have, whether on purpose or by default, passed this on to their children, who comprise the present generation.

3. The international powers created and, to some extent, strive to maintain, the schism of our people into two racial camps, so as to counteract, in their view, the threat of communism within the state apparatus. This means that although our international benefactors may act generously towards our welfare in other areas, we cannot expect much help from outside with this, our major problem.

4. Some politicians will not surrender their policy of playing the race card, as they see this as the only means of maintaining the support of their parties at elections, each being hopeful that they would be able to garner enough from the other side to place or keep them in power.

5. Our religions are mainly aligned along racial lines, this being inherited either from those who brought their faith with them, or who adopted them for the centuries of their living here. It is true that Christian denominations have made some inroads among traditionally non-Christian groups, but it is still believed that racial prejudice still largely affects relations among respective members, especially in the rural areas, where other social factors impact on them.

6. The physical arrangement in which the two main racial groups have settled historically in so many enclaves, and which has been maintained by various racial disturbances, starting from the breakup of the original PPP in the 1950s and heightened in the 1963/64 and other post-election disorders, has militated against groups benefiting from close interaction, which would have led to more understanding and appreciation, and consequently treating one another primarily as human beings rather than members of an alien entity.

7. Because of the inherent cultural differences which exist between the races, which in some cases are diametrically varied, and the reluctance of all sides to compromise in these because of their perception that their culture would lose its gravity, many deep-seated differences have been maintained; and these further drive a wedge between our groups.

An examination of these factors must show how each one is problematic, and how slim are the chances for them to be resolved by any strategies that do not consider the personal element of racial prejudice, which is at the heart of the impasse. Although we tend to lay the blame for discrimination and racial violence on groups, including the Government, racial prejudice is basically a personal depravity that needs to be dealt with at the personal level if we are to permanently get rid of the problem.

It has to start in the heart and soul of each of us, and I therefore call on each Guyanese to see it as his/her binding duty to do whatever he/she can to eradicate this scourge from among our midst, and thus enable us to deal with each other as fellow human beings who share the same hopes and aspirations for our people as a nation.

ROY PAUL