Gov’t touts competence over ethnic balance of State Boards -PM

Aug 28, 2016 News

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While admitting that the APNU/AFC government takes a number of factors into consideration

before selecting persons to sit on State Boards, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo categorically states that a person’s race is certainly not one of them.
The Prime Minister was at the time responding to questions based on information of the ethnic balance of various State boards. The data was garnered following weeks of research and consultation by this newspaper.
The response follows allegations of strategic racial and political discriminatory practices leveled against the Government by Executive Members of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).
Last month, leader of the Parliamentary Opposition (PPP/C), Bharrat Jagdeo accused the APNU-AFC government of maliciously targeting Indo-Guyanese.
His comments were supported by Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira who further accused the APNU-AFC government of practicing “systemic racial and political discrimination.”
To support her argument, Teixeira provided statistical data on the composition of State Boards, appointments of Ambassadors, Honorary Advisors and Presidential and Ministerial Advisors since the APNU-AFC coalition came to office 14 months ago.
She said that there is no ethnic balance which permeates the Boards. She said that the Guyana Tourism Authority is probably the most racially balanced Board there is. Teixeira is of the belief that it is not surprising for persons of Indian descent and Amerindian ethnicity to feel alienated based on the dispensation recorded. She said whether the government admits it or not, cases of ethnic and political discrimination are public knowledge.
The Opposition Chief Whip highlighted what she described as glaring examples of ethnic and political discrimination.
These include the makeup of GuySuCo Board: two Indo-Guyanese out of nine members; GUYWA Board: two Indo-Guyanese, one mixed-race out of nine members; Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, three Indo-Guyanese out of seven members; Guyana Gaming Authority, one of four members is of Indian origin; Guyana Gold Board, no Indo-Guyanese sits on the Board.
Kaieteur News has since examined some sixteen State Entity Boards.

According to the information garnered, while some boards are definitely occupied by predominantly Afro-Guyanese, there are instances in which the members of boards are of various ethnic groups, and a few in which Indo-Guyanese outnumber the other ethnicities by a small number.
For example, the Guyana Rice Development Board, (GRDB) has 14 members; seven of whom are Indo -Guyanese, 1 mixed race and six of Afro–Guyanese heritage.
The Parole Board, headed by Justice (Rtd) Oslen Small has 11 members, seven of whom are Indo -Guyanese, one of mixed heritage and four, Afro–Guyanese.
On the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) various ethnic groups are represented. That board comprises two Indo-Guyanese, one Portuguese and three Afro- Guyanese.
The Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) has six members, three of whom are Indo – Guyanese, two mixed race and three, Afro -Guyanese.
Bank of Guyana Board, (BOG) comprises three Afro-Guyanese and three Indo-Guyanese. The Guyana Power and Light, (GPL) Board comprises three Afro Guyanese and Two Indo– Guyanese. On the Property Holding Inc./National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited Board there are two Indo- Guyanese, one Chinese and two Afro-Guyanese.
Several of the remaining State Boards proved to be occupied by predominately Afro-Guyanese. These include National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, (NPTAB) which has six afro-Guyanese and one Indo-Guyanese, National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited, (NICIL) Board comprises four Afro-Guyanese and one Indo – Guyanese. The Guyana Water Incorporated, (GWI) Board has five Afro-Guyanese; one mixed: two Indo-Guyanese; the Mahaica, Mahaicony, Abary-Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) has nine Afro-Guyanese and one Indo-Guyanese.
The Guyana Livestock Development Association (GLDA) has five Indo-Guyanese and nine Afro- Guyanese.
Commenting on the composition of the boards, Prime Minister Nagamootoo noted that there a number of factors “besides race” to be taken into consideration when examining the makeup of the State Boards. He firmly denies that the APNU/AFC administration practices any form of racial and political discrimination.
According to him, the State Board undergoes a selection process under their subject Minister. He said that once the board is approved, the list is presented to cabinet for further approval.
As such Nagamootoo is adamant that the composition of State Boards should not be subject to a mere arithmetical and ethnic analysis.
He asserted “the selection of board members is a process that is about professionalism, character and other factors rather than a person‘s ethnicity.”
Additionally, the Prime Minster said that “the Opposition has been given an opportunity to nominate a representative to sit on a number of these boards, but they have not.”
He said that the PPP had more than a year to add to the ethnic balance of the boards, “but they would rather sit back and complain about the ethnic and political composition of the boards.”
The Prime Minister noted too that the previous administration had strategically manipulated the system in their favour.
“There are a number of key boards which were completely controlled by the PPP/C. NICIL, the Guyana Lottery Board, GuySuCo were all under the PPP/C control. There were even Ministers who sat on Boards under the PPP.”
“The University of Guyana for one was highly politicized,” Nagamootoo added. He stressed that it is the agenda of the APNU- AFC coalition to change the patent political character characteristics of the Board.
“That’s our only agenda.”
The Prime Minister stated that this agenda can be evident in the management of many Government Boards, particularly in the area of the State Media.

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