While the opposition PPP/C has continued to accuse the government of sowing ethnic division, President David Granger yesterday committed his government to dismantling “the artificial walls of distrust and division” that continue to keep the country’s people divided.
In the face of continued accusations by the opposition that the four-month-old coalition government been firing and hiring persons based on their race and political persuasion, Granger yesterday also defended his government, saying all the dismissals were justified.
Speaking at the opening of a roundtable discussion on social cohesion at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre, Granger outlined his government’s plans to foster social cohesion through policies aimed at achieving the eradication of extreme poverty, inequality, and ensuring greater inclusion at the political level. On the latter point, he referred to his recent meeting with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo as a step in the right direction in the area of political inclusiveness.
“We can’t talk about social cohesion when large amounts of people are losing their jobs and they [government] are not giving credible information why they are losing their jobs, except, in our view, because of their race or political affiliation,” Jagdeo, however, told Stabroek News on Wednesday.
The PPP had been invited to the roundtable discussion, which has been organised by the Ministry of Social Cohesion, but refused the invitation as it believes the government has been practising discrimination.
Speaking to reporters after addressing the opening session of the discussion, the President pointed out that the engagement with the opposition process has to be taken one step at a time.
“He [Jagdeo] did come to the meeting and we did indicate some aspect of the agenda and he did indicate that he would like to ensure that the process go forward but at his own time, his own rate,” the President said, while adding that he is confident that the process will go forward but that Jagdeo must be given time to brief other members of his party so that they all will come on board. He added that he did not want to interfere in the internal processes of the PPP/C.
However, the PPP/C issued a statement on its non-participation in the discussion and it echoed the sentiments expressed by Jagdeo. The party charged that the government cheated it and its supporters at the May 11th elections, conducted mass “ethno political discrimination” in the public service, arbitrarily terminated almost 2,000 Amerindians—the government has said the persons were being paid to conduct PPP/C work—and has persons in its ranks who openly promote a racist ideology. It also charged that the government continues to make important national decisions without consulting with the relevant sections of the Guyanese society, and has blatantly usurped the functions of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), a constitutional body established to deal with social cohesion.
“The PPP remains committed to a socially cohesive society, but cannot endorse the ongoing charade being put on by the APNU+AFC in the name of Social Cohesion, while its members and supporters continue to be witch hunted out of their jobs and openly discriminated against,” the party said.
Addressing the accusation that that there have been discriminatory dismissals following questions from members of the media, Granger defended the termination of the contracts of former government employees and affirmed that in every single case there have been very good explanations.
“It has not been a purge, there has been no witch hunting [but] we have had cases in which funds have disappeared, we have had cases of malpractice and those cases have been brought to the Cabinet. So, there has been no witch hunting…,” the President said.
He pointed out that from his assumption of the presidency he had indicated that an efficient public service was needed and some persons who were not prepared to participate in the government’s programme have left the service. “We want an honest and efficient public service; they are going to be better paid, they will be better educated and they would be respected, that’s what we are aiming at. We are not carrying out any purge,” he added.
‘Social erosion’
Meanwhile, Granger said the country still needs to inhibit the kind of social erosion that he believes has degenerated into social and civil violence. “We still need to exhibit the spirt of social cohesion which can ensure effective representation and inclusion,” he said at the opening of the roundtable discussion yesterday, while pointing out that central to that concept is the constitution, which speaks to the practice of inclusionary democracy.
According to Granger, there is evidence in Guyana that differences between social groups continue to “threaten mutual trust and weaken people’s sense of belonging.”
“Ignoring the absence of social cohesion risks allowing social instability to fester,” he further warned, while identifying economic and class divisions as some of the causes of the problem.
Guyana, he said, is huge and has bountiful natural resources and people need not be poor or divided. He pointed out that discord arising out of ethnic, economic, political, religious and other differences during the disturbances of 1964 and more recently during the troubles of 2002 to 2008 has been seen to have the potential to spur extremism and conflict.
“Society has been scarred by violence, which left a lingering legacy of distrust with the potential for fresh disorder,” he noted, while calling for the damage to be repaired and the trust to be restored. He said the foundation for moral communities has to be built as opposed to monuments.
Towards this end, Granger outlined five areas of public policy that the government plans to focus on. Among them is the elimination of extreme poverty and he noted that far too many Guyanese are classified as being extremely poor. “There can be no social cohesion in an economy characterised by huge gaps and wide income disparity between a few very rich people and a large mass of destitute, homeless and very poor people. Extreme poverty can be reduced and eventually eliminated,” Granger said.
Secondly, the President indicated that there is a need to address the elimination of all forms of inequality, including gender and geographic inequality. He pointed out that while the national motto speaks to “One nation,” in economic terms there are two nations—one on the coast and the other in the huge hinterland.
Thirdly, Granger identified the need for the assurance of greater political inclusion, which must start at the levels of political parties and be facilitated through general, regional and also regular municipal and local government elections. “We need the elections to create a system of inclusionary democracy by promoting the participation of citizens and by including their organisations in decision making,” he said, while adding that his government is committed to this objective since the creation of an inclusive political system is the foundation for national unity.
Granger also reiterated his commitment to be president for all Guyanese, including those who did not vote for the government as he said he cannot exclude the elected representatives of 49% of the population.
Fourthly, the President assured the implementation of fair employment laws for the working people and safety for miners in the hinterland. Over the last few months, he said, a number miners have been killed following accidents where mining pits caved in and the government has since launched an inquiry. “We would enforce the existing laws against racism more vigorously and vigilantly guard against bad elements who ferment social and racial strife,” he further said, while adding that providing employment for youths is important since there is presently a crisis of youth unemployment.
Lastly, Granger stressed the need for equal access for education for everyone while pointing out that it is only when opportunities for quality education are accessible to the entire nation that schooling becomes a powerful equalizer as it would bring prospects of upward mobility even to disadvantaged groups. According to him, the quality of education beyond mere enrollment needs attention so that improvement in educational outcomes effectively translate into greater productivity, better growth prospects and improved opportunities for employment. “Schooling should be organised to increase the participation of children from poor, remote, vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, thus making education more inclusive. Greater inclusiveness can also result from the development of teaching techniques, in particular, that foster diversity and enhance positive perception of others within the system and within society,” he added.
The roundtable discussion, which is to conclude today, is expected to produce a five-year strategic plan for social cohesion.
