In its usual blatant display of tunnel vision and amnesia, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), which operates under the guise of a civil society organisation, seems obsessed with the current government but turned a blind eye during attempts by the now Opposition to orchestrate the rigging of the 2020 elections, along with everything under the APNU/AFC administration’s time in office.

Transparency and accountability are vital ingredients of any organisation operating in the public interest. Regular, open, accessible, and fair elections are non-negotiable elements of any civil-society group, not least for the one-person show being operated as GHRA, claiming to be the country’s leading voice for human rights.

The GHRA has failed the test of transparency and accountability because of its explicit political biases. The GHRA is always on the side of the current political Opposition and has a distinct urban preference.

The blatant political and cultural bias of the GHRA was recently revealed when Mike McCormack stood down from condemning the violent, racist rant of a top WPA official, all of this in the presence of the Leader of the Opposition, Aubrey Norton.

General Secretary of the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Bharrat Jagdeo has underscored the need for Guyanese to fight racism and has called on the Guyana Police Force to go after those who continue to spew racial hate and inciting remarks.

The age-old issue of racism needs to be tackled head-on to end race-baiting as a political tool.

The PNC, under the guise of the APNU, cannot carry their racist rhetoric at public meetings. Still, they would use front organisations like the WPA to push the racist rhetoric in their community meetings for the PNC to reap the political rewards.

Then the self-righteous organisations like TIGI or the GHRA turn a blind eye to condemning racism.

Meanwhile, the GHRA was also blind and remained silent under the APNU+AFC during the excessive firing of over 2,000 Amerindian Community Support Officers and over 7,000 sugar workers, which placed workers and their families on the breadline and stifled whole communities.

Further, GHRA was blind during the single-source procurement of vehicle scales that were paid for in full but never delivered. Public money was also used to purchase personal gifts for APNU ministers.

The GHRA maintained a stoic and stony silence on all these atrocities and more, turning a blind eye to the lawlessness and excesses of the APNU+AFC dictatorship. Suddenly, the GHRA awakened from its slumber and found its voice.

Many Guyanese questioned the validity of the GHRA’s structure, of which most remain unaware, despite the association’s existence for over 40 years, being indefinitely headed by Mike McCormack.

The GHRA itself is a questionable entity, with a president serving for life and membership and an executive who are largely unknown if they exist.
It needs to be clarified when the GHRA last held an annual general meeting for its membership, submitted audited financial statements and annual reports on the stewardship of its executive, and submitted its executive to a competitive election by the general membership.

Additionally, in an unsurprising move, the GHRA found its voice to criticize the government’s signing of the US$35M e-ID card, saying that there was sole sourcing in terms of the contractor and a lack of public consultations or parliamentary oversight.

It would be interesting, however, if the GHRA could show that it is always concerned about such matters, especially concerning sole-sourcing by showing Guyanese its “statement” on the matter of sole-sourcing of $366.9 million in emergency drugs in June 2017, during the previous administration’s tenure, when the Ministry of Public Health at the time was accused of hand-picking HDM Labs over three other companies that had submitted tenders.

It would be interesting too if the GHRA could show its concerned statement when the former Health Minister under the APNU/AFC administration was accused of and even charged with misconduct in relation to the act between June 2016 and January 2017, instructing his Permanent Secretary to sign a contract between the Ministry of Public Health and Linden Holdings Inc. (LHI) for the rental of a property situated at Lot 29 Sussex Street, Albouystown, Georgetown.

The property was rented for three years at $12.5 million monthly for the storage of pharmaceuticals, and $337.5 million was paid to LHI, without the approval of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board.

But the GHRA could show their statement when old-age pensioners had to once again pay for water and had VAT added to the cost during the period of the APNU-AFC.
Further, on March 20, 2023, the Attorney General’s Chambers revealed what appears to amount to financial malfeasance by the GHRA.

Records prove that the organisation, which was incorporated in 1979, needs to be in good standing for failing to file its annual returns since incorporation. The company has allegedly failed to apply for continuance under Part IV, Division B of the Companies Act and therefore owes the State some $38,649,600.

A human rights organisation should always obey the law. If it does not, it should be disbanded forthwith.
Mr. McCormack should do the right thing and resign from his current position, and he should also be pleased to honour and put into practice the basic principles of human rights conduct.