Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence yesterday responded to the outrage caused by the ‘Word of God’ declarations posted on the Ministry’s Facebook page, while saying that they were not a statement or policy by the ministry.
During an almost seven-minute video that was uploaded to the Department of Public Information’s Facebook page yesterday evening, Lawrence said that the controversy caused by the declarations is one that should have never happened. “The Ministry of Public Health would never condone anything in spirt or language that speaks to exclusivity,” she said.
The post, which referenced Christianity to make eleven declarations, was removed after it drew both criticism and support but not before it was widely shared.
The first declaration “on the basis of the Word of God” was: “We declare the Lordship of Jesus Christ over the health sector, and that in this year, 2020, we will fear God and obey his commandments.” Another read: “We declare that the Minister of Finance, and the Director of Budget, will be inspired by God Almighty and that our programmes and our plans will find favour in the sight of God and in their sight and that we will have an unprecedented release of finances locally and internationally, that will help us to provide the necessary equipment, working tools and good working conditions for the staff in the Public Health Sector, in all 10 Administrative Regions.” Nine other “declarations” were made.
It prompted the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS) to make a report to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC).
In her video statement, Lawrence explained that during the Ministry’s third Sunshine Service, “the man of god, who brought the word, made some declarations.” She said that persons who attended the service, which is not compulsory for the Ministry’s staff but was attended by many of them from various religious backgrounds, requested that those declarations be shared with them.
“It should have been shared internally, not placed externally on the Ministry’s Facebook page, and placed there without explanation which lends itself to be interpreted by persons that this was a policy statement or a position of the Ministry of Public Health…The department with responsibility should have shared that request internally with those persons who requested it for this is the third year that we are holding this event,” she stated.
She added that before the Sunrise Service had begun, the ministry noted that there was a lack of education about the belief among the ministry’s staff, which is why the Sunrise Service and a number of other programmes in relation to the various beliefs of the staff were initiated. “The objective of us having those type of interactions and programmes was to foster a tolerance and understanding of each other and I can tell you that it has been working and so it is very unfortunate that we would have this blunder whereby a statement is placed out there and not placed in context. As I said, persons did request it and the department should have sent it out to those persons who wanted it. It was unfortunate, however, to have read the various statements made by persons based on their own belief,” she added before saying that the declarations were not a statement or policy by the ministry.
Under the video, a person commented, “Almost seven minutes of rambling and yet there was no apology to those who felt offended.”
In a statement on its Facebook page, the GHDS said that it viewed with “disquiet and concern” the post by the Ministry of Public Health. “We consider the post to be unacceptable in a secular state as ours and deeply insensitive to Guyanese that follow other religions. The post ignores article 1 of our Constitution which provides that Guyana is a secular state,” the religious organisation said. It urged the Minister of Public Health to “let good sense prevail and remove that post or rephrase with more general terminology as befits a government ministry.” The ministry is there to serve all the people of Guyana and is not a place of religious worship, the statement observed.
