INAPPROPRIATE COMMENTS

Dec 10, 2018 Editorial

The Minister of Public Health who is at the center of a political storm has some explaining to do in regards to her statement that:”The only friends I got is PNC so the only people I gon give wuk to is PNC and right now I looking for a doctor who can talk Spanish or Portuguese and ah want one that is PNC.”
Minister Lawrence made the statement following a sound thrashing by the PPP in the Local Government Elections (LGE) in which the PNC acquired only 34 percent of the votes cast, though voter turnout was low.
It is a reckless, irresponsible and discriminatory statement which does not bode well for the PNC and the government. Not only is the statement counterproductive, but it flies in the face of national unity which is the task of the Ministry of Social Cohesion.
Ms. Lawrence’s statement could erode the trust that the people had for the government, especially Indo-Guyanese and Amerindians, and has made them more suspicious of the PNC and its Afro-Guyanese support base.
If the Minister was attempting to reassure and mobilize PNC supporters to vote in the 2020 general elections, then there is a better way of doing so. The Minister’s statement is not a new revelation. What Ms. Lawrence said was no different from what is being practiced by the last government and by countries of the Caribbean and those around the world.
She may have assumed that the PNC Region Four District Conference where she made the statement as the General Secretary of the party on November 25th was a private affair only for members. But even if that was the case, is the Minister that naïve not to know that smart phones exist? However, Dr. Luncheon made similar remarks that Afro-Guyanese were not qualified to be ambassadors.
As a Minister of the government, Ms.Lawrence should know that it is illegal to discriminate against anyone, be it jobs or the awarding of contracts or give preferential treatment to someone. Her remarks cannot be helpful to the PNC or the government and it does not give comfort to the people who felt that the era of tribal politics was a thing of the past.
Except for the leader of the AFC and Minister of Natural Resources Rafael Trotman, the rest of the cabinet has remained silent on the issue.
However, Opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo has condemned the statement and said that Ms. Lawrence could be charged for violating the country’s labor laws which decree that no one should be discriminated on the basis of their gender, sexual orientation, race or religion.
The PNC has already publicly acknowledged that its defeat at the recently-held LGEwas in part due to the fact that it had lost contact with some of its supporters and others had become disgruntled by the low quality of services they have received.
But as a Minister, Ms. Lawrence was appointed to govern in the interest of all and not only her fellow party members or supporters.
The Minister has finally acknowledged that what she said was wrong and has apologized, which is a first step. But it should be told that while in office for 28 and 23 years respectively, neither the PNC nor the PPP leadership has fully addressed the racial division in the country.
Which is why in the wake of the PNC defeat at the LGE, the Minister had to resort to blunt such divisive remarks in order to appease her supporters. She should have been scolded because people should not be given employment or awarded contracts based on party affiliation, but on their qualifications and ability.
It seems that meritocracy is no longer a criteria for employment. In the final analysis, it is unwise for any minister or elected officials to make racially charged statements in our multi-racial country. Her rebellious and imprudent remarks have damaged the credibility of the party and the government and could result in grave consequences for both.

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