The International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G) has issued an open letter to President Irfaan Ali seeking an urgent, constructive engagement with the government.
Chairman of IDPADA-G, Vincent Alexander said in the letter that three oral commitments by the President to meet with the group are still to materialise. He said that it was self-evident that good relations between the government and IDPADA-G “are central to improving the overall relationship with the African Guyanese community”. He said that with this in mind and the “thorny” relationship between the government and people of African descent “constructive engagement between the Government and IDPADA-G is evidently urgently needed at this time”.
IDPADA-G said it looked forward to an urgent meeting with the President “in the interest of pursuing the goals of the Decade and deescalating the current tensions”.
IDPADA-G and the government have clashed over the subject of money that was allocated to it particularly under the Granger administration and how it has been used. Financial statements were sought from it by Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Charles Ramson.
IDPADA-G last December moved to court over the withholding of its subvention by the PPP/C administration. The body is seeking an order mandamus directing the Minister of Finance to immediately pay to it, the sum that the Government has committed to.
This move by the organisation came months after the Government abruptly stopped the monthly payment forcing it among others things, to send staff members home and discontinue some of its activities.
Yesterday’s open letter by Alexander said that IDPADA-G wrote to Ali on July 12, 2022; August, 2022 and September 5, 2022 seeking meetings and there had been oral commitments but no meetings.
The International Decade for People of African Descent, 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2024, was proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in its resolution 68/237, under the theme “People of African descent: recognition, justice and development”. By resolution 69/16, the UN General Assembly adopted a programme of activities for the implementation of the Decade. The overall objective of the Decade is to promote respect, protection and fulfilment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms of people of African descent.
Alexander’s letter yesterday said that IDPADA-G was established with the objective of providing an institutional approach by the African-Guyanese community for the pursuit and attainment of the goals of the UN decade.
