Dear Editor,
In a letter to SN entitled “ERC functioned and never lost its way“, ERC Commissioner Ashton Simon detailed the ‘activities’ he considers as contributing to the ERC’s success. However since success is measured by results can Mr. Simon please answer the following questions: How did these activities reduce ethnic tension? How did they quell ethnic violence? How did they create ethnic ‘harmony’? How did they make Guyana a better place in terms of ethnic relations? Perhaps too, Mr. Simon can reveal to the Guyanese public the instruments by which the ERC measures success.
The fact still remains that Guyana is as ethnically divided as it ever was and during the attempts to steal the elections the ERC did absolutely nothing to address the flare up of ethnic violence and defuse ethnic tension. Or, if it did, it was spectacularly unsuccessful.
Based on Mr. Simons’ details it would seem that the ERC went on jaunts around the country. But to what effect? And, as revealed previously, the ERC also converted taxpayers’ money for Christmas bonus of $150,000 each. Bonuses are conferred on individuals for work over and above the required. Just what did the ERC achieve over and above?
In fact it would seem that the ERC has never provided little, if any, accountability for its over $900M over the past seven years. This writer is also aware that most of the ERC’s meetings were time wasters and that one or two commissioners who sought to question wastage of time and resources, to suggest transparency and accountability and to seek to introduce a systematic approach to address ethnic issues whereby actual results could ensue, were shut down and told that they were free to resign.
Sincerely,
Annan Boodram
