GOVERNMENT yesterday dismissed claims by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo that the setting up of a Ministry of Social Cohesion serves to usurp the roles of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC). “In no way does it supplant or take over or usurp the functions of the ERC. The ERC needs to be appointed very quickly and get busy and so, too, the other Rights Commissions,” Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman told reporters at his post-cabinet press briefing.

He said that government is currently examining the possibility of endorsing the list of nominees for the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) that was recommended during the 10th Parliament. “We are examining whether the PPP would agree to a process whereby perhaps the 11th Parliament could endorse the list produced by the 10th Parliament, if not we have to start the process all over again. We are in receipt of legal opinion which says that we have to restart the process which is unfortunate because it took months to build consensus around a few nominees which were nationally acceptable,” Trotman told the media during a question and answer segment following his post-cabinet press briefing yesterday.
On Tuesday, the Opposition Leader called on the government to swear-in members of the ERC, while stating that his party will not participate in any social cohesion activities as it believes it undermines the basic principles and seeks to usurp the power of the ERC.
“Swear-in members of the ERC now… if government is so concerned about social cohesion,” Jagdeo told reporters. But the Governance Minister believes it would be a tedious task to restart the process while emphasising that “the last administration failed to appoint the members.”
“The question is ‘can the President in the 11th Parliament go and pick up a list generated by the 10th parliament and enact it.’” The administration is hopeful that Opposition Leader Jagdeo would agree to a motion that says the 11th parliament “will endorse the list generated by the 10th Parliament.” The truth is, Trotman said, “It is the same players, just that they have changed sides.”
Government finds the statements by the Opposition Leader laughable, as it was under the previous administration that members of the ERC were not appointed. “…it was a very long and sometimes painful process to identify the nominees of the new ERC…between July 10th of 2014 to November and then when Parliament was prorogued and then it was dissolved, the Donald Ramotar administration made no steps whatsoever to appoint the persons, including members of the PPP/C who are part of that committee and had worked to produce that list.”
Trotman described the utterances of the Opposition Leader as “passing strange”, noting that “the PPP did not find favour with its own list but all of a sudden now, this list is being waved around and you are being dared.”
He said too that government would “hate to restart that process.” Asked whether the presence of a Ministry of Social Cohesion usurps the roles of the ERC, Minister Trotman said no. “No, impossible! In fact, the ERC remains a constitutional entity; whether you have an ERC Commission or not, it is the duty of a responsible government to seek social cohesion in our society, so the fact that the President has named a ministry and minister to that portfolio, I think speaks volumes…and in no way does it usurp the powers of the ERC.”
He believes, however, that the ERC members, like all other rights commissions, need to be appointed quickly.
THE National Assembly back in July 2014 had approved the names of those nominated from ten broad categories to be considered for positions on 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 respectively. Then Chairman of the Committee on Appointments, Dr. George Norton had asserted that in keeping with Resolution 68 of 2004, the Committee consulted the approved list of entities for nomination to the ERC; and those entities met, and later submitted their nominations between April 30, 2014 and June 6, 2014. The ERC had comprised representatives from seven different constituencies. These included a representative each from the three main religions – Hinduism, Islam and Christianity, labour, the Private Sector, and youth and women’s affairs organisations.
Among those chosen by the Appointments Committee were: Pastor John Smith who represents the Christian community; Rajkumarie Singh, the Hindu community; and Shaykh Moeenul Hack from the Muslim community; Norris Witter, Labour; Ravindra Dev, Private Sector organisations; Gomattie Kalicharran, youth organisations; Ruth Howard, women’s organisations; Peter Persaud, Amerindian groups; Barrington Braithwaite, African groups; and Neaz Subhan, Indian group.