– as gov’t continues to chart way forward|

RECOGNISING the challenges that must be overcome while celebrating the country’s successes, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali has reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to removing the destructive element of racism from the Guyanese society.
In an interview on the government’s third year in office, President Ali firmly stated that Guyana is already on the path of destroying the scourge.

“I assure you today that my commitment and my desire to destroy racism, to destroy disunity, to remove it from the psyche of our people, to disallow the intellectual authors [from using] it will succeed,” the Guyanese leader posited.
He added, “It will succeed because of my strong commitment and belief in the spirit of Guyanese; in what makes us the Guyanese people. And I believe…very strongly, that we are on the path of removing this destructive element of regression from the psyche of our nation, and that will be a tremendous accomplishment.”

To achieve this and many other national tasks, the head of state said the government has had the extraneous task of trying to get the political opposition on board with the vision.

“That’s a great challenge to ensure that in this political environment in which we want to build this ‘One Guyana’, that we get the opposition to understand that democratic principles and values, are not seasonal principles and values, that the rule of law is not seasonal, [and] that respect for the rights of people is not seasonal,” the president underscored.

Already, the government has reappointed eight commissioners to sit on the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC).
The ERC promotes harmony and good relations between citizens of different ethnic groups and discourages and prohibits persons, institutions, political parties, and associations from indulging in, advocating, or promoting discrimination on the grounds of ethnicity.

This forms part of the fulfilment of the administration’s manifesto promise to equip the ERC to actively fight against stereotyping and racism.

The commission also investigates any issues affecting ethnic relations, thereby promoting the elimination of all forms of ethnic discrimination. (DPI)