Dear Editor,
IDPADA-G has been in the news recently with some folks passionately defending it, while attacking the government. As an average African Guyanese, I have never heard about IDPADA-G, until about two months ago. So, I decided to do some research on exactly what this organization is. My research shows that IDPADA was founded in 2018 by the United Nations, as “The International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly.” It was the UN way of acknowledging the people of African descent, as they occasionally do many various races. Of interest, my research shows that there is no IDPADA-B for Barbados, or IDPADA-J for Jamaica, or IDPADA-T for Trinidad etc., the problem for black folks like myself who live in Region 6, is that I have never heard about IDPADA-G.
I have never seen any spending done by the organisation and do not know what its functions are. I have attended two APNU meetings since 2020, watched the news and followed some APNU members on social media. The first time I heard about IDPADA-G, is when the government demanded accountability and cut off most of its funding. Now, the same people who demand financial accountability from the government, are screaming racism when the government demands the same of them. But, more importantly – the same people who cry for equality and equity have never demanded similar funding for Chinese, or Indian or Amerindian organisations. Is this not hypocrisy, discrimination and racism? I say, not in my name.
Sincerely,
Herbert Allen
