Dear Editor,

THIS is in reference to missive by one Ms. Farah Ali in a letter in an online publication accusing “Bharrat Jagdeo of exploiting Indo-Guyanese for votes” and not giving them “fair representation in government appointments and public sector employment”. There is nothing further from the truth. During his tenure in office as President and since August 2020 under President Irfaan Ali’s administration, there has been ethnically balanced recruitment and appointment of personnel. The PPP/C has hired Indians, Africans, Mixed, Amerindians, Chinese, and Portuguese and has not discriminated against anyone. The government and all its hiring have fairly reflected the racial composition of the population. A commission of inquiry or an impartial investigation would confirm that there is no discrimination under this PPP/C administration.

Ms. Farah Ali quoted the Vice-President as saying during the Diaspora conference (May 23) that employment in State sectors and UG are dominated by Africans to bolster her claim that Indians are marginalised and discriminated against in the state sector. What the VP was saying was that the PPP/C government is accused of discrimination against Africans, and yet an examination of the state sector shows that there is a preponderance of Africans and Mixed persons. Any effort to redress ethnic imbalance results in cries of ethnic cleansing even though there is no evidence to substantiate such charge. Those who cry ethnic cleansing are the very ones who practiced and institutionalised racial discrimination in Guyana between 1965 and 1992 and 2015 and 2020.
Ms. Farah Ali is right that Africans dominate public sector employment. But it is not the doing of Jagdeo who is also not responsible for the lopsided under-representation of Indians in the public sector. Historically, there has been discrimination against Indians in State employment or the public sector. This under-representation of Indians is rooted in colonial policy and legacy, and it was exacerbated during the PNC’s tenure in office between January 1965 and October 1992 and again between June 2015 and July 2020.

Indians were not credentialed for state employment until well after indentureship that ended on January 1, 1920. Portuguese, Coloured, Africans, and Chinese were recruited, trained, and credentialed for State employment. They historically lorded over Indians and Amerindians who were not seriously considered for public service positions. After Indians became qualified through their own private efforts, not State provided, being trained and credentialed mostly abroad, they were accepted for State employment during the colonial era (particularly between 1930 and 1966). After Guyana obtained Independence in 1966, it was ruled by the African-based PNC, which progressively reduced the number of Indians as well as Amerindians in public employment.

Indians are indeed under-represented in several sectors of the State and efforts should be made to bring balance. The ruling PPP/C inherited that situation from colonial rulers in 1957 and tried to address it. Some progress was made with an increase in Indians in the public sector and in the teaching profession. But the PPP/C was ejected from office in December 1964, and proposals for racial balance were ignored by the dictator Forbes Burnham and his ruling PNC. In fact, during PNC tenure, the civil service became ‘racialised’, ‘radicalised’, and ‘militarised’ with its own supporters. The PNC administration was accused of institutionalised racism during its tenure – Indians, Amerindians, Portuguese, Chinese, and even some Coloreds or Mixed were victims.  Africans who opposed Burnham and the PNC were harassed and victimised – some physically brutalised and even sent to jail.

During the tenures of Cheddi Jagan, Janet Jagan, Bharrat Jagdeo, and Donald Ramotar, between November 1992 and May 2015, there was an increase of Indians and Amerindians in the public sector.  Indians did not show much interest to work for the State or to join the armed and police forces.  Whatever gains were made during the PPP/C tenure to reduce racial imbalance were quickly reversed by the PNC-led Coalition administration of David Granger from June 2015 onwards. Indians were terminated and or replaced supporters of PNC.  As an illustration, when the PPP/C was in office thru 2015, around 40 per cent of the Permanent Secretaries (PS) were Indians and Africans, Mixed, and Amerindians were proportionally represented. During the Granger Administration, none of the 17 PS were Indians or Amerindians.  Worse, thousands of Indians and Amerindians were terminated under the Coalition regime.
The PPP/C will find it difficult to terminate staff from the public sector. Even with less than 300 political jobs being eliminated, the PPP/C has been accused of “ethnic cleansing.” The PPP/C, like any other government, has the right to terminate political appointees. That is the norm after a change in administration in Guyana and in every country. The PNC-led Coalition got rid of all the political appointees of PPP/C when it governed from May 2015 onwards.

Guyana is a complex, divided nation that does not lend itself to easy solutions. As the late Editor-in-Chief of Stabroek News, David de Caires once said, “Guyana is among the most difficult nations to govern. I do not wish the running of this nation on my worst enemy.”
It is not easy to have ethnic balance in Guyana. But the government has done well since it came into office in August 2020. The Irfaan Ali-led administration is ethnically balanced in composition (MPs and ministers) as well as State boards, government agencies, and corporations.  Ethnic balance is needed in other institutions. To ease ethnic insecurity among Indians, the government should seek to bring some balance in employment, particularly in the police force and army, without hurting the cause of any group. And yes, I agree that measured efforts should be made to redress the ethnic imbalance if indeed Indians, Amerindians, and other groups continue to express interest in State employment and if they meet the necessary qualifications. I believe a commission of inquiry should be established to examine this issue and make recommendations.

Yours truly,

Vishnu Bisram