Social Cohesion may be a convenient tool for Govt.

Aug 08, 2016 Letters

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Dear Editor;
In my Sunday Column “Eye on Guyana with Lincoln Lewis” (Guyana Chronicle, 7th August, 2016) my view on social cohesion was misrepresented. The misrepresentation is: “In a society where governance is secular and religious freedom (self-determination) is constitutionally guaranteed, social cohesion would never be achieved by targeting only the religious organisations to preach on this subject.” With the insertion by the newspaper of the word “only” it has not only contradicted my position but has also changed the universal principles under which social cohesion is premised.
Social cohesion acknowledges, respects, and seeks to ensure fundamental rights and freedoms are guaranteed as a primary premise from which all can cohere. Guyana is a secular state. The Constitution of the State guarantees the right to religious freedom. This in itself is a cohesive act where persons are free to practice whatever religion they chose in peace, or whether they chose not to be so associated. It follows that if anyone is denied the right to practice his/her religion the State carries a corresponding responsibility to intervene to protect this right.
When this Government in using the plank of social cohesion to get into religious organisations to tell them what it thinks social cohesion is, it is undermining social cohesion because the policy and programme, even though well intent, will create divisions between government and worshippers and among worshippers themselves, even as it excludes the non-affiliated and non-believers.
For instance, the Jehovah Witnesses, which by their principle stay out of politics, were the government to think it can go into this community and address them on social cohesion would be a violation of the congregants’ right to not associate politically, and will create conflicts between the two groups. In the Hindu community, where many of the religious leaders are strong supporters of the PPP/C they will not allow the government to walk into their temples or religious events and talk to their members. And in doing so they will be in order, given that there is separation between religion and State and religious organisations would be exercising their fundamental right to demand that the politicians stay out of their organisations.
Similar conflict exist with social cohesion targeting racial groups to tell them race is not important and they must forget race, when throughout the world race is an important factor not only in identity and history, but in planning and development. Further, the Guyana Constitution calls on us to celebrate our racial diversity, which is an acknowledgment of same, yet we are being asked by the politicians to ignore it.
Social cohesion properly practiced starts out from respecting fundamental rights and freedoms which are enshrined in the Guyana Constitution, and work through laws, policies and programmes to ensure there is equity in the system by creating a level playing field for all. The government has programmes before it that it can commence the process of removing inequality and injustice which are hindrance to social cohesion. These are:
1) The 2001 Bharrat Jagdeo/Desmond Hoyte Agreement, which includes addressing the plight in named depressed communities. This was an agreement made between two leaders in their constitutional capacities, and constitutes the State’s position and a contract with the people, and must be implemented;
2) The 2012 Agreement between the Central Government and Region 10 Regional Democratic Council. This is a document between regional and central governments, which was approved by the National Assembly, and must be implemented.
3) The Government as an employer and protector of the citizens, respecting  the rights of workers to join and be represented by a trade union of choice, and engage in collective bargaining. The disregard by the government for these fundamental rights and freedoms undermines any claim that it has an interest in social cohesion.
The government cannot join with the Russian management at the Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) to deny workers their right to belong to a trade union of their choice, and moreso refusing to have the management respect the Laws of Guyana, yet at the same time speaking in glib terms about social cohesion. Social cohesion is about doing things in society to the benefit of the people by removing inequalities and injustices in the system. It seems very clear that the government either does not have a programme or intend to address social cohesion in a systematic and orderly manner consistent with its spirit and intent.
Lincoln Lewis

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