HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon last Wednesday informed…
Dr. Roger Luncheon
Dr. Roger Luncheon

HEAD of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon last Wednesday informed that the 15 members of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) who have been appointed by the Parliament would be sworn in before the end of this week.
Luncheon, also Secretary to the Cabinet, made the disclosure during his post-Cabinet press briefing at the Office of the President, in Georgetown. President Donald Ramotar has been notified about the successful appointments and it is now up to the Office of the President to schedule the swearing in. Noting what caused the hold up, Luncheon said they had to wait for notification from parliament of the 15 members.
Meanwhile, last July, the National Assembly approved the names of those nominated from ten broad categories to be considered by the president for positions in the ERC. Those names were drawn from a pool of Christian, Islamic and Hindu groups; representatives from the Labour Movement, private sector and youth groups; women’s groups, and cultural and ethnic groups from Amerindian/Indigenous peoples, and African and Indian bodies.
The following names were considered for appointment by the president: Dr. John O. Smith (Christian Religion); Rajkumarie Singh (Hindu Religion); Shaykh Moeen-ul Hack (Islamic Religion); Gomattie Kalicharran (Youth Organisations); Ruth Howard (Women’s Organisations); and Peter Persaud, Barrington Braithwaite and Neaz Subhan of the Amerindian, African and Indian ethnic groups respectively.
Former Chairman of the ERC, Bishop Juan Edghill lauded the move by the Committee on Appointments, since it was recorded that during the Ninth Parliament, “there was an inability to agree to the list of entities to be consulted.”
Consensus, according to Bishop Edghill, was carried on the premise that there existed in the committee “some amount of institutional memory” in resolving contentions. The Bishop, however, cautioned that persons nominated for appointment should be of genuine and respectable character.
Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr. Raphael Trotman noted that persons of questionable character ought not be considered for any appointment on the ERC.
The ERC was derived from recommendations of the Herdmanston Accord, signed on January 17, 1998. Brokered by a CARICOM mission, the Accord sought to provide a peaceful solution to the political impasse that gripped the country after the contentious December 1997 Regional and General Elections.
As provided for under Article 212 of the Guyana Constitution, the ERC advocates for equality of opportunity among persons of different ethnic groups; promotes the elimination of all forms of ethnic-based discrimination; and discourages persons, institutions, political parties and associations from indulging in discriminatory practices.

 

SHARE THIS ARTICLE :
Facebook
Twitter
WhatsApp
All our printed editions are available online
emblem3
Subscribe to the Guyana Chronicle.
Sign up to receive news and updates.
We respect your privacy.