Dear Editor,
Congratulations to the Government for announcing the use of new terms to describe one’s ethnicity on police charges and on Government data. Attorney Hughes complained and the Government acted swiftly. Prominent Indians have been calling on the Government to call May 5 “Indian” Arrival Day and the Government which depends on Indian votes to win an election so far has refused and not even caring to respond year after year. The PNC supports naming the day “Indian Arrival Day.” Let’s see if the Government will now make that change.
The use of the term “Negro” dates back from colonial times. The PNC never changed that when they were in power. So, if anyone wants to blame the PPP, that would be simply dishonest. In the USA, people of African descent prefer to be called “Blacks” not “Negro,” and they resent being called “African.” However, Dr. Martin Luther King used the term “Negro” profusely in his speeches and writings.
All colonial practices are not bad, such as deeming some practices as ”sodomy” and marriage being between a man and a woman only, or calling someone with male parts a “boy” and those with female parts being called “girl”. Many words, terms, and governmental practices we still use today dates back to colonial times, and because of mental laziness on our part, we never changed those terms and practices. It takes advocacy, as Mr. Hughes has done, to change things we feel strongly about. How about changing the outdated colonial practice of the “Common Entrance” now called NGSA (National Grade Six Assessment) which is an ongoing malpractice and the root of inequities in education that Caricom has not really challenged? How about School Principals being called “Head Masters/Head Mistresses,” “Deputy Head Masters/Mistresses” and Senior Master/Mistresses?” That’s a retention of colonial era terminology. How about Whitley Council and Inspectorate? Those are colonial. How about the Passport Form requiring someone to recommend an Applicant and signing their pictures? Why is that necessary? It’s one right to apply for a passport and when you go in the officer will see that the picture is you. Why that extra step of someone having to sign your picture and passport form? We must always ask, why do we do, what we do? Does this thing make sense?
So, I trust this “renaming” issue will spark intentional widespread reviews of old, irrelevant, outdated colonial practices in Government. In these modern times, when you enter into many Government offices, colonialism and the colonial “top down” mentality is all over. You see stacks and stacks of files and papers in no discernible order. I went to the NIS Main Office and on the outside table they have ledgers and binders of paper records versus using computers to retrieve information. Same at many NDCs using large ledgers resting on the counters. GRA is the same. It must be daily miracles that they can find anything quickly. But such outdated systems have kept many in Government rich as you pay to play to obtain Government documents if you are in a hurry.
How about our land and property transport process? Why does it have to be so complicated and expensive? Why do lawyers charge by the value of the property? Is the idea to make lawyers rich? Replace that with the American system of transfer. How about our banks operating with little sense? Why do the tellers have to check with so many people before they give you your money. I remember President Ramotar had talked about “Reinventing Government.” Government needs some kind of Efficiency Czar to make Government user friendly for the people. Most Ministers are sleeping when it comes to efficiency in their Ministries. We are talking about using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Government but doesn’t that require some real intelligence in the Ministries first? We must get into full gear in a reform mode to change Guyana quickly! The President seems to be very progressive but Ministers are failing him!
Sincerely,
Dr. Jerry Jailall
Civil Society Advocate
