Race baiting

THERE are indications that some elements in our society are hell-bent on sowing the seeds of ethnic discord in our society. Such attempts will not only fail, but they certainly go against the grain of the Guyanese people, the vast majority of whom live with each other in a state of utmost respect and  cordiality.

Only recently, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall had cause to reprimand an opposition activist who, at a public meeting in Buxton, organised by the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), reportedly said: “The Afro-Guyanese-dominated police and soldiers…would stand with Afro-Guyanese in resisting the mainly Indo-Guyanese-supported PPP/C….we come to tell you that we will ensure that our brothers and sisters in uniform do the right thing and this thing will be over quickly.”

Such statements are at best unfortunate coming at a time when President Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali and the PPP/C administration is doing everything possible to unify the whole of Guyana under the One Guyana initiative. Such vile and divisive statements emanating from a leading member of the WPA cannot be countenanced and must be condemned by all those who cherish the ideals of a peaceful, harmonious and cohesive society.

Chairman of the Joint Services, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, was prompt in his call for social and political activists and commentators to refrain from making remarks which would incite racial tensions and deviate from the promotion of peace and security, which the armed forces are mandated to maintain.

He made it pellucidly clear that irrespective of its ethnic composition, the Joint Services of Guyana will continue to uphold the noble position of service to Guyana. It is guided by the Constitution which mandates it to stand firm in protection of the law and in the execution of its duties in keeping with its constitutional responsibilities and not by any partisan values and interests.

It is important to note in this regard, as observed by the Chairman of the Joint Services, that the Joint Services of Guyana is an apolitical institution and has a duty to uphold the noble position of service to the people of Guyana.

And the Attorney General, who is also Secretary of the Defence Board, in response to the statements, said, “I feel compelled to condemn in the strongest possible terms the exhortations by Tacuma Ogunseye to the Armed Forces of Guyana to join a mass uprising against the lawful and democratically elected Government of Guyana, referencing the Forces ‘ready access to weapons for them to be ‘battle ready’ and preying to the dominant Afro-Guyanese composition of the said Forces.”

According to the Attorney General, this “racist incendiary call for public disorder, positioned as an alternative to the democratic process of Local Government Elections lawfully due, is capable of amounting to several criminal offences, including, but not limited to, sedition, seditious libel and order within the State of Guyana, if not treason.”

Mr. Ogunseye is no stranger to politics and would have been around during that dark period of PNC dictatorial rule when Forbes Burnham boasted that “his steel was sharper” in response to the militancy of Dr. Walter Rodney, who was the then-leader of the WPA. The degree of repression culminated in the assassination of Walter Rodney and the killing of several other opposition activists.

It is unclear whether the position taken by Mr. Ogunseye is reflective of that of the WPA, which, from all indications, has now lost its way and for all practical purposes is now a spent force. Regardless of its current political status, it has a moral and political obligation to state its position on the remarks made by a leading executive of the party. Its refusal to do so could be seen as an endorsement of what was said and the likely repercussions of such incendiary political rhetoric.

President Ali, for his part, has made it abundantly clear that nothing would stand in his way in the realization of his One-Guyana initiative. The One- Guyana vision, according to the President, is not an option but a national imperative,  one that is about promoting greater inclusion at the legislative, political and social levels.

It is about creating a more equal society, one that guarantees that every Guyanese regardless of race, religion or political affiliation is afforded the opportunity to lead productive and happy lives.

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