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Kwame McCoy, Subhan helping to coordinate ERC nomination process
Nominations are in for members of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), the body that mediates on complaints for racial discriminations.
The Parliament Office yesterday disclosed names of the person from the various bodies that will now coordinate with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Appointments to finalise the process.
Among the names of the persons that will help coordinate the process are controversial Office of the President Press Liaison Officer, Kwame McCoy, and Head of the Guyana Information Agency, Neaz Subhan.
Neaz Subhan
McCoy is also part of the Guyana Youth Development Association which proposed his name. Subhan is a prominent member of the Indian Arrival Committee.
The ERC life expired in August 2007 but the status quo was allowed to continue by former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
There have been challenges in the past on the impartiality of the ERC. Its former Chairman, Juan Edghill, is now a Minister in the Government.
According to Parliament, several entities participated in a meeting on April 30, at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, regarding the sensitization of entities in selecting and electing their nominees.
Among the other nominees were Hindu Religion – Swami Aksharananda of the Cornelia Ida Hindu Temple; Islamic Religion – Derrick Rahat of the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana and from the Christian Religion – Onya Sam of the Guyana Missionary Baptists.
The proposed nominees from the private sector bodies were Treina Butts, Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana while Dale Beresford from the Guyana Local Government Officers’ Union (GLGOU) will represent the labour bodies.
The other names included, for the women, well known activist, Karen De Souza of Red Thread Women’s Development Project; Amerindian Bodies – Michael McGarrell and African Bodies -Rickie Park of the Pan African Movement.
Prior to 2007, the former Government had failed to get two-thirds Parliamentary majority required by the Constitution to approve a motion proposing a list of 162 entities to consult with a new consensual mechanism for consultations.
The ERC is a Constitutional body established as an undertaking by the Herdmanston Accord and by Constitutional Amendment Act of 2000 and assented to by the President on August 11, 2000.
ERC functions include providing equality of opportunity between persons of different ethnic groups and promoting harmony; promoting the elimination of all forms of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity; discouraging and prohibiting persons, institutions, political parties and associates from indulging in, advocating or promoting discriminatory practices on the ground of ethnicity; promoting educational and training programmes and research projects which provide for and encourage ethnic peace and harmony; and promoting arbitration, conciliation, mediation and like forms of dispute resolution in order to secure ethnic harmony and peace among other critical functions.
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