AFC insists on ERC reform, has ‘no regrets’ for budget cuts

May 31, 2012 News

The Alliance For Change (AFC) has no regrets voting against the almost $100M allocated to the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) in this year’s National Budget.
The move has placed 20-odd staffers on the breadline, according to the ERC.
Yesterday, AFC’s Parliamentarian, Khemraj Ramjattan, did not rule out his party’s endorsement of making the monies available again via supplementary provisions. But there will have to be administrative and other reforms first.
“No, no regrets, absolutely not. It comes out as if I am very harsh. We have to understand that when we make those decisions, we are frank enough to understand that there will be collateral damage,” the official said yesterday during the AFC’s weekly press conference.
Several ERC staff members had met with Ramjattan at his office on the matter.
The official said that he made it clear that it was not as if the matter was unforeseen. “But we are realists and we are hard pragmatists too. And we want to see reforms too.”
According to Ramjattan, the staff members admitted that they are not unwilling to reforms of ERC, a constitutional body that takes complaints of racism and other issues of discrimination.
Opposition parties have accused the ERC of being partisan and not balanced.
Ramjattan admitted that he is aware that for the ERC workers, it is a case of bread and butter issues.
“The sugar and bauxite workers are suffering too, and nobody saying anything about them. The running of Guysuco is hopeless and that is why sugar workers are leaving their jobs. We need reform there too.”
According to the AFC Parliamentarian, the state-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is facing an unprecedented crisis with its work force dwindling alarmingly from 18,000 to 11,000 in recent years. The sector, too, needs reforms.
He insisted that many reports of the ERC were not scientifically done. Foreign reports like the “Gay McDougal” report show that there is marginalization and racial discrimination. Yet, ERC has made no mention of this.
“Why use taxpayers’ money like this? It is not fair.”
According to Ramjattan, the ERC workers understand the stance of AFC and that if there are reforms; they will get back their jobs.
On Tuesday, former ERC’s Chairman, Juan Edghill, who is now the Junior Minister of Finance, announced that the body will not be able to function as staffers have not been paid and operations are at a standstill.
He defended the ERC as being an independent entity.
Edghill had also blasted ERC workers for meeting with opposition leaders and “begging for their jobs and begging for money to be released to the ERC.”
Edghill said that he is aware that staffers of the organization had met with opposition leaders of both APNU and the AFC. That, he noted, was not sanctioned. He attributed the actions of the workers to the threat they faced as it related to their jobs. He said persons were fearful and felt insecure.

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