Opposition Leader, Aubrey Norton yesterday urged the newly appointed members of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) to work to fully understand their constitutional mandate and put the “national good” above political allegiance.
Eight persons were on Tuesday sworn in as the new members of the ERC, and according to Norton, it has been publicly voiced that most of the new commissioners are “closely affiliated with the PPP or are government employees.”
However, he said that the Opposition challenges them “to put the national good above their political and other allegiances, to put the common interests above their self-interests, and to thereby transform the ERC into an effective agent in building good ethnic relations.”
According to Norton, building good ethnic relations is only one of the ERC’s three interrelated constitutional mandates, and equally critical are its two mandates involving the identification, prevention, and elimination of ethnic discrimination, and the promotion of equality of opportunity, regardless of ethnicity.
“These last two mandates demand that the commission must also focus on governmental policies and institutions that control the distribution of state resources and opportunities, such as jobs, contracts, subventions, and cash transfers”, he said.
He added that the ERC must seek to “instigate policy, administrative, cultural, and structural changes within all state agencies to ensure their operations enhance ethnic relations, eliminate ethnic discrimination, and promote equal opportunity for all.”
Further, he called on the ERC to also design programmes to build harmonious inter-community and intra-community relations in the country across ethnic lines, and for them to work with the Ministry of Education to develop multicultural programmes for lower-school children.
“Yes, while education in STEM is important, we in Guyana must also seek to educate our primary schoolers to function in a society with ethnic, gender, and social diversity.”
He stressed, that to effectively fulfill its vast mandate, the ERC would also require much technical and professional assistance from like-minded organizations, such as the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission.
“In fact, we in the Opposition hereby recommend that such cooperation should be arranged as a matter of necessity and urgency. Should the new commissioners take on their task with the required seriousness and vision, they can count on the support of the Opposition and, surely, the Guyanese people”, he said.
Meanwhile, the ERC in a statement said that the newly reconstituted board met yesterday and will begin work shortly to “facilitate its plan of interaction with citizens from all ethnic groups throughout the country, in an effort to strengthen its constitutional mandate”.
The ERC said that the board is working to develop an action plan for its three-year term in support of its mandate to “promote harmony and good relations” among all Guyanese.
The statement said that the Commission is guided by its 24 functions and its secretariat consists of Media Monitoring, Public Education and Awareness and Investigation Units.
The new board was sworn-in on Tuesday in the presence of President Irfaan Ali and comprises ten Commissioners representing ten constituencies that reflect the Guyanese society. The new board is headed by Chairman Shaykh Moeen ul Hack who also represents the Muslim constituency. Still remaining to take their oaths are Deputy Chairman, Commissioner Charles Ogle representing the Private Sector constituency and Commissioner Reverend Rodwell Porter, representing the Christian bodies.
The Commissioners who took their oath of office on Tuesday are:
Shaykh Moeen Ul Hack – Muslim bodies.
Pandit Krishn Deo Sharma – Hindu bodies.
Norris Witter – Labour (Trade Union) bodies.
Neaz Subhan – Indo-Guyanese bodies.
Dwayne Adams – Youth bodies.
Deon Dick – African Guyanese bodies.
Chandroutie Saran – Women’s bodies.
Ashton Simon – Indigenous bodies.
