Allegations of racism surface

Jun 25, 2008 Features / Columnists

Racism is a term bandied about, because it is always easy for someone to accuse another of being a racist without being asked to provide proof.

If someone refuses to employ an individual, and that individual who is rejected happens to be of another ethnic persuasion, then the cry of racism goes up.

The Government, fully cognizant that there is some ethnic security in the country and that the claims of racism have been in the air, established the Ethnic Relations Commission to investigate all such claims.

This body comprised people from the various political parties and from just about every aspect of civil society.

Indeed, there have been charges and each has been investigated thoroughly, because it is in the interest of everyone to ensure that there is peace and harmony in the land.

The Commission decided to investigate allegations against Government ministries and found nothing untoward.

It went to various work places, and where there was one iota of racism, either real of imagined, recommendations were made.

People got dismissed and complained that their race had something to do with their dismissal and, again, the Ethnic Relations Commission investigated and pronounced.

But setting up this commission was not the only thing the Government did to end this scourge; it gave the Commission teeth to prosecute, and while there has been none so far, the focus is still on the perception of racism.

It is for this reason that President Bharrat Jagdeo was forced to respond rather harshly to accusations of presiding over a country in which there were allegations of rampant racism.

These charges came from people who once lived here and who rubbed shoulders with every section of the society.

None of them could identify a single case of racism, but they proclaimed that there is racism in Guyana and proceeded to blame the Government. They carried placards and they made their statements before people who know little about Guyana.

It is not that anyone actually believes the accusation, because the country is under the scrutiny of the United States Department of State.

On no single occasion has the US Department of State fingered Guyana for racism, because that entity knows that this is never the case.

The Government would not tolerate it. President Jagdeo pointed to the daily aspects of national life; he sees people rubbing shoulders unconcernedly about the appearance of that person; they patronize each other, and in most communities, rush to the aid of each other without hesitation.

Accusations of racism cannot stand; and while the political parties have from time to time tried to talk about ethnic voting, they have shied away from accusations of open racism in the society.

But these small numbers of people in the United States decided that they must seek to embarrass the Government, and what better charge than to accuse of racism.

The Government, conscious of the ethnic composition of the country, sought to ensure that there was no ethnic domination in any section of the society.

Some people called for ethnic balance in certain organisations, not least among them the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Defence Force.

Indeed, some efforts were made to have more people of a certain ethnic persuasion join these organizations, but there is a recognition that people also want to be free to choose the organization with which they work, and their refusal to do otherwise is not because there is any block or hindrance.

There is no racist motive or move to prevent them, so the administration is really confused about the allegations of racism.
One must examine the motive of those who promote allegations.

There is a saying that the one who protests too much is often the guilty party. Are those who picketed the President in New York and levelled allegations of racism the real racists?

Those who know the truth can only be surprised at the extent to which people would go to find a reason to blame the Government.