…says “It’s another cheap political trump”
Recent claims by members of the Opposition political parties, including the Alliance for Change (AFC) and the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) now “A Partnership for National Unity “ (APNU) came in for heavy criticisms from the government, as the administration  said claims by these parties that only Indo-Guyanese are being given key positions in government are far from the reality.  Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker, who himself has strong Afro-Guyanese roots, dispelled the notion that the Bharrat Jagdeo’s administration operates within the confines of racism. Several key operatives of the opposition claim that the administration has been marginalising Afro-Guyanese and are pushing those of Indian descent.
However, Minister Whittaker highlighted the significant number of Afro-Guyanese who have been placed in senior government positions under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, including government ministers, permanent secretaries, and heads of agencies, among others.

Minister Whittaker said in the various government ministries, most of the permanent secretaries, and those in senior positions are Afro-Guyanese; he pointed too to the number of government ministers who are of African descent.

“Within the Cabinet, if I am to start with the Honorable Prime Minister, include the head of the Presidential Secretariat, include Minister of Public Service, Minister within the Ministry of Finance, yours truly, Minister Robeson Benn, who holds a very key Ministry in this country, these are examples of Blacks in whom our President Bharrat Jagdeo has placed confidence, and they hold key positions,” Minister Whittaker argued.

He added, “Blacks hold key positions in the public service, culture youth and sport, human services and social security, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Trade, Ministry of Housing and Water, these are all Black permanent secretaries; the Ambassador, the Director General (Ministry of Foreign Affairs), the Deputy Finance Secretary (Ministry of Finance), these are all Blacks holding key positions within our public sector,” the Minister added.

Minister Whittaker also pointed to the key positions that Afro-Guyanese hold within the security sector, which demonstrates the government’s trust in such a critical grouping.

The minister’s sentiment has debunked a particular argument that president Jagdeo is racist and as such, the government practises racism.

The minister is charging those making the claims to come forward with the evidence of racism and marginalisation being practised by the government.    

He believes that the Afro-Guyanese society is being led by a few with political agenda to believe that the government is practising marginalization.

According to the minister, the cry about marginalisation has always been supported by political elements.
He however pointed to an era when marginalisation and racism was rampant, when Mr. Burnham decided to dismiss or re-deploy 40 percent of public service employees. The upshot was that many Indo-Guyanese chose to leave their jobs.

On Monday, in sections of the media, Carl Greenidge, a former finance minister under the PNC, in a letter, claimed that the president is guilty of distributing resources along racial lines.

“In Guyana today, there are indecent income disparities between communities and within racial groups, extensive urban destitution primarily manifested among Africans,” Greenidge said in his letter.

He added that “anyone knowing Guyana prior to 1992 would be shocked to see the changes in African participation in the skilled vs unskilled activities. In a country where over a third of the aircraft pilots were African, and the corps widely mixed, I could find in a recent picture of the Ogle training school staff only two Africans out of a staff of 19.”

However Mr. Whittaker noted that when the government prepares its annual budget, resources are allotted equally to all communities and areas without any racial consideration, as all Guyanese, regardless of race, benefit from the government’s programmes, projects and policies. He added, “Under this government, opportunities have been provided for the upward mobility of blacks.”

According to the government, the investment in Afro-Guyanese communities across the country under the PPP/C cannot go unnoticed, as the evidence of government’s investment in Linden, in Golden Grove, Victoria, Buxton, Ann’s Grove, and Dartmouth, among others, is unmatched by any other government.

Only Monday, the Agriculture Ministry commissioned a $254M structure to improve such structures in Golden Grove/Victoria area, to complement $16M spent on the rehabilitation of three pump stations at Golden Grove, Craig Milne/Victoria and Cane Grove.

The administration also pointed to the president’s commitment to the multi-million dollar water treatment facility for Linden, the refurbishing of the Tipperary Hall in Buxton, among others, as notable investments by the government in communities where there are predominantly Afro-Guyanese.

However, the government said it is making it clear that these investments are no different than what is happening in communities that are dominated by Indo-Guyanese, Amerindians, and other ethnic groups.

The administration says it therefore calls on those political parties seeking cheap political mileage to desist from using racism to divide the country, as it was once under previous governments.