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Fighting among politicians hinders Guyana’s progress – ERC report

Feb 03, 2009 News

Fighting among political parties is a major ‘hindrance to progress in Guyana, and as such will affect Guyana from being a united and peaceful country.
This is listed as one of the obstacles to a peaceful and harmonious Guyana in the Ethnic Relations Commission’s (ERC) Report on the Inter/Intra Community Dialogue that followed the Lusignan and Bartica massacres last year.
The report states that when asked “what kind of Guyana do you desire?” among the common responses by community members were peaceful, free of racism, progressive, and crime-free.
Community members said that among the obstacles blocking the kind of Guyana that they desire are discrimination based on race and religion; inequality in accessing Government services, due to race; parents teaching children to be racist; poverty; and lack of strong leadership and good role models.
Community members recommended that politicians ‘keep their word and promises,’ remove ‘Indo’ and ‘Afro’ when identifying the two major ethnic groups. Politicians should set good examples regarding racial issues, as “they contribute to the division among the people.”
Use of racist language must be eradicated; laws should be implemented to prevent media personnel from promoting racism; and there is the need for communities to be integrated.
Other recommendations include addressing domestic violence and truancy among school-aged children.
This should be the responsibility of the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, and members of the Police Force should be trained to deal with issues of domestic violence.
There is also need for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission to be set up for politicians; welfare officers should be appointed in schools throughout the country, to reinforce career guidance and address disciplinary problems; inter-community dialogue should be held on a regular basis; lie detectors should be used on all public officers, government ministers and religious leaders.
After the Lusignan and Bartica massacres, which occurred respectively in January and February 2008, the ERC intervened in response to those incidents, to avoid any escalation of potential ethnic tension and insecurities.
The Commission visited the affected areas to lend support and guidance to residents in the form of conflict management and conflict transformation.
“The ERC, at the time, felt that there was need to introduce an effective process to help guard against the stereotypical perceptions that were engulfing the minds of members within and outside both communities,” the report stated.
It added that a project to utilise this process was launched, titled “Inter/Intra Dialogue,” under the theme “Building trust through dialogue.”
The Inter/Intra Dialogue was essentially aimed at improving ethnic relations among Guyanese at the local community level.

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