Letitia James’s position may be factual, but she should provide evidence

Nov 08, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

In the 2^nd November Stabroek News edition under the caption ‘New York Attorney General concerned at complaints of racism, discrimination here’ it was reported that Ms. James will draw the attention of the Biden administration to the issue of discrimination against Afro-Guyanese in Guyana. However, this learned lawyer and Attorney General of New York, USA failed at furnishing any sort of evidence to substantiate her claims.

While her allegations may be entirely factual, it is comical that such a powerful and influential figure would make broad statements of discrimination and racism occurring in a foreign land against an ethnic group, in a generalised fashion without providing specific details or any sort of information as to how she arrived at her conclusion. What exactly will she report to her fellow attorneys-general and the Biden administration?

As the Attorney General of New York, Ms. James must have a number of competent underlings at hand to do her bidding, she should utilise these people to research the issue of racism in Guyana from all angles, the country itself and its history particularly the political side, the personalities behind the allegations made to her and whether these allegations can be substantiated especially specific cases with real characters and circumstances. And as the Attorney General of New York, which is home to many different ethnic groups, Ms. James should reach out to the Indo-Guyanese American population and ask about their concerns including their experience with discrimination in Guyana.

Furthermore, in order to present a stronger case to the Biden administration, Ms. James should visit Guyana and reach out to a wider range of people, Guyana is after all multicultural and multi-ethnic. I am sure persons from other ethnic groups have their complaints, including the Indigenous peoples. And still fresh in the minds of many are the ‘peaceful protests for justice’ which descended into criminal acts against primarily Indo-Guyanese in Mon Repos and Berbice. Also, Ms. James should observe for herself and view statistical information on the ethnic composition of state agencies/public institutions.

As a Guyanese living in Guyana, I am very aware of how racially polarised our society is and how pervasive is racism and other forms of discrimination. People from all ethnic groups have their grievances; specific instances where they felt discriminated against, and they can show evidence of this. In fact, as an Indo-Guyanese female, I publicly wrote about being discriminated against by the Government of Guyana through the Public Service Ministry and I faced discrimination on the job as a public servant. I can prove this through real evidence that I possess.

Editor, I do not seek to dismiss or mock the concerns of the Attorney General of New York regarding racism and other forms of discrimination against Afro-Guyanese in Guyana. These allegations may all be factual however, what I find irksome are the broad statements ‘supported by’ a lack of evidence in the form of details being issued from the mouth of such a learned and powerful woman of legal training who has reached magnificent heights.

Yours faithfully,

Narissa Deokarran

Discover more from Kaieteur News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Latest News