Dear Editor,
I wish to recognize and applaud the enterprise and dynamism of Nigel’s (Nigels Supermarket), the Clinton Urlings (of Germans), the Lennox John (of Ashmins) and the Courtney Benns (of Courtney Benn Construction) of this great land of ours. I believe that these are individuals who would have wanted and sought to get. I pray that their successes be the inspiration to those who now aspire.
I would want to believe and I may be opening a can of worms here that in our society, marginalization is more a matter of perception rather than a reality – purposely, maliciously and for far too long used by political parties to pander to their respective ethnic support bases, and as a rallying cry from other ethnic groupings in order to appear relevant. If, however, marginalisation is more real than perceived then surely it can be measured.
What then are the yardsticks used when measuring marginalization? And are there degrees of marginalization? Is the term ‘ethnic imbalance’ and the term ‘marginalisation’ one and the same? Can these two terms be used synonymously?
I would want to think not. Certainly not in the Guyana Police Force of which I was a member. I know of no restrictions which existed then and I know of none now which are designed to prevent Indians from enlisting to serve in the Guyana Police Force. I never felt marginalized whilst being a member; however, there were other mitigating factors which caused me to quit, but that’s a different matter.
And certainly not in the business sector. I know of no policy in place which serves to discourage Africans from wanting to own businesses and by extension acquiring wealth. Neither do I know of any policy in place which was intentionally crafted which presents an unfair advantage to the Indians over the Africans in their quest for ownership of businesses. Therefore, it is my humble opinion that once nothing was being done or is being done intentionally as an act of economic sabotage, then marginalization is akin to putting up smokescreens.
Careful analysis would show that the present status quo, that is the ethnic imbalance in the Guyana Police Force and the business sector, was in existence long before the PPP/C government came to office in 1992. Twenty-three years later Africans still outnumber Indians in the force. So what is the desired end result of wanting and having an ethnically balanced police force? The question is why not a police force which is founded on professionalism and integrity regardless of its ethnic configuration? Or are we prepared to sacrifice professionalism and integrity in our quest for ethnic balancing? And what if the Indians continue to choose to sell boulangers at the markets over a career in the force (profits being preferred over a salary), do we entice them by offering them 10 times the salary of their African counterparts?
Which brings me to those who argue for the need for a Black entrepreneurial class. In a country such as ours a very thin line separates affirmative action, (as well intentioned as this may be), from racial discrimination. Should affirmative action be taken to tackle the marginalization, perceived or real, of any one of the six races, can it be achieved without the resultant cries of racial discrimination from the five other races? Then how do we do this? Maybe a fairer question would be why should we do this? Any attempt at affirmative action must be carefully considered. As much as I am all for the integration of more Africans into the business class and more Indians into the security forces, I shall resist all and any attempts at forced integration given that the Indians do not find a career in the military to their liking; similarly, why should we believe that Africans want to be a part of big business.
From talking with the brothers and sisters over the years I get the impression that as much as they require ownership of business and by extension financial independence they only want that much that they are comfortable with. At the end of the day it comes down to whatever makes one happy and comfortable. I know of many Indians who have made a fortune from selling fruits and vegetables at the markets, and twenty years on they continue to do the same, remaining in their comfort zone.
If affirmative action had to be taken to strengthen the African presence in the field of business, how do we accomplish this? And what is next after we have agitated for and achieved ethnic balance in the security forces and business sector?
Do we then start agitating for ethnic balance in the prison population? cricket teams? fotball teams? taxi drivers? The presidency? disc jockeys? lotto winners? Where do we draw the line?
In a free market economy like ours there is only so much that any government should be allowed to have control over, or at least have a say in ‒ ethnic balancing in the awarding of government contracts, ministerial and state board appointments and the appointments of REOs to name a few. On the other hand, no government should be able to determine that 5 African kids and 5 Indian kids must be in the top 10 at the NGSA; that 10 African millionaires and 10 Indian millionaires must be in every village, or that 300 Africans and 300 Indians must paint their houses every month. These happenings can only be determined by the degree of hard work and the amount of sacrifices that individuals are prepared to put in and make.
We must not in our quest for this socialist ideal, this utopian dream of ethnic balancing in very sphere of Guyana society allow the system of meritocracy to be relegated to the dustbin of history.
By the way, since when not having as much as someone else equates to being marginalized? Should I feel marginalized because I don’t drive a hummer while some others do? Should I feel marginalized if I were to compare my lot with that of Mr Sattaur Gafoor?
In a racially polarized country such as ours, claims of racial discrimination and ethnic favouring may only be avoided if any action aimed at alleviating the suffering of or at ethnic balancing of the Africans is initiated by an Indian president, (and only from) a party which derives the majority of its support from the Indian population and vice versa. Sad, but that’s the reality. It is my belief that there will always be cries of marginalization in Guyana and the colour of those tears shall be determined at any given time, by and large by the ethnic composition of our country and the entrenchment of racial voting at election time.
Finally, it is my desire to see that all Guyanese, regardless of their ethnicity, enjoy a good quality of life, reaping just rewards for their labours and sacrifices. The fact that we are all, in spite of our differences, bound together by the ties of a common humanity dictate that I shall desire nothing less. Let us not forget, that the things which unite us are greater than that which divides us, and that which divides us is of our own making.
Yours faithfully,
Reginald Sookram
