Concerns about ethnic underrepresentation shouldn’t be dismissed with mere conjectures

Apr 10, 2023 Letters

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Dear Editor,

Kaieteur News – With reference to the letter, ‘Superficial analysis of ethnicity in a country like Guyana is little more than propaganda’ published on 31st March in the Stabroek News, I believe the writer sought to trivialise the concerns of others about the underrepresentation of Indian Guyanese in state agencies and institutions by claiming that ethnic groups are not ‘pure’ and therefore there isn’t exclusion. This assertion is rather groundless. For instance, can one defend racial homogeneity in a state institution in a multi-ethnic country, by claiming that the individuals may have ancestors of another ethnic group, thereby making them bi or multi-racial although they themselves identify as a particular ethnicity? If this were true then all allegations of exclusion and racial discrimination whether it is against Africans, Indians, Whites or Chinese would be without merit, and there wouldn’t be such things as unique cultures and traditions of distinct ethnic groups since they aren’t ‘distinct’. Is this a sound argument?

The fact remains that race and ethnicity have tremendously shaped Guyana’s history and society, as well as that of other countries. Mr. Frederick Collins asked, ‘Who is an ethnic African or an ethnic Indian?’ I believe it’s whoever identifies as such. Who has the right to deny someone their identity, heritage, traditions and culture? Ethnicity is not just about the way we look but our unique history and way of life. Can the writer dare tell someone who identifies as an African Guyanese that he/she is not or to an Indian Guyanese or Indigenous Guyanese?

According to the 2012 Census approximately 39% of Guyanese identify as Indian Guyanese and 29% as African Guyanese. Most of the ethnic strife in Guyana has been between these two groups. There are many legitimate stories of racism, discrimination and oppression. There are many persons with tales of injustices and grievances and if these persons feel genuinely aggrieved and believe that they can prove that they’ve been wronged, who has the right to try to discredit their stories with the utterly ridiculous notion, that because they are supposedly not ‘ethnically pure’ their complaints are without merit? It is insulting to suggest such a thing. Also, just because someone has friends, family members or ancestors from a different ethnic group doesn’t give them a free pass to spout racist remarks or condone racism.

History is filled with many stories of oppression and persecution of particular ethnic groups by others simply on the basis of ethnicity, religion, caste etc, for instance Apartheid in South Africa and persecution of the Dalits, Jews, Yazidis and Uighurs.

During several protests or so-called marches for justice, Indian Guyanese have predominately been attacked by persons of another ethnic group and there are newspaper articles, television reports, photographs and videos to support this. Why? During the protest in Berbice and looting at the Mon Repos Market where persons of East Indian descent were attacked did the attackers ever stop to ask those persons if they are ‘pure Indians’ or have a parent, relative or ancestor of a different ethnic group? There is a documented history of attacks, oppression and exclusion against Indian Guyanese especially during protests, 1960s riots, general elections and during the Burnham era which resulted in increased emigration of Indian Guyanese from Guyana. In addition, African Guyanese have their own legitimate grievances which they can substantiate.

The writer mentioned that an African woman ‘made herself appear more Indian’ when she went to apply for a house lot, how does one do that? Can an African Guyanese make himself or herself appear Chinese, White, Amerindian or Indian and vice versa? The fact is that the vast majority of employees in state agencies including the Ministry of Housing are African Guyanese. Are these employees biased to persons of their own ethnic group, and if allocation is unfair then it should be proven with statistical information. The writer also mentions that during the crime wave Indian bandits were cutting their hair low to appear African. Why would they do this and what was the ethnic composition of bandits arrested during the crime wave and the ethnic composition of victims? Does the statistics from the police support this assertion?

A story about ‘Africans’ dressed in Indian wear during Diwali celebration in a workplace which was called out for having few Indian employees was also highlighted by the writer. He asserted that the ‘Africans’ had Indian blood therefore the workplace was not manned by mainly African Guyanese. This could be fiction or non-fiction but again the writer shows his insensitivity and lack of consideration for the real concerns of others and those employees by trying to erase or obscure the identity of the ‘African’ employees, did they identify as Indian, African or Mixed race (another ethnic group in Guyana)? Can one say that the people who normally attend mandirs in Guyana are ethnically diverse because they may have African ancestors although they appear Indian and identity as such? Also, Guyana isn’t caught up in the cultural appropriation gimmick and there is the tendency in schools and workplaces for children and adults to dress up in the cultural attire of other ethnic groups on ‘Culture Day’ and holidays, this is mainly done out of respect and solidarity. If I dress up in Chinese wear one shouldn’t automatically assume I have Chinese heritage.

Editor, I don’t believe that the concerns and opinions of others on contentious topics such as race, ethnicity, discrimination and exclusion regarding specific persons, institutions and situations should be discredited with vague assertions, lack of statistical information or evidence especially when one is not a concerned party or representative. For instance, has UG responded to allegations in the press about not hiring ‘enough’ Indian Guyanese teaching personnel?

A fair examination of the issues of ethnic conflicts, marginalisation, discrimination, racism and ethnic composition in the private and public sectors should encompass what is documented and not just conjectures, our history especially during and after colonialism; attacks against Indian Guyanese and African Guyanese, the frequency, causes and perpetrators; documented instances of discrimination against these particular ethnic groups during the PPPC and PNC or APNU era; and the reasons for present day ethnic conflicts. Why are employees in state agencies and public instructions mostly African Guyanese, how did this happen? Why is the GPF and GDF mostly composed of African Guyanese and were they ever different? Why is the business class, private sector mostly composed of Indian, Chinese and Portuguese Guyanese?  Is there discrimination against Indian Guyanese in the public sector or when they apply for jobs?  Are there barriers preventing African Guyanese from opening businesses and can this be proven? Do Indian Guyanese receive incentives/preferential treatment simply because of their ethnicity when they decide to open businesses, and can this be proven? What about the preference for certain professions and the fact that children tend to follow in the footsteps of their parents? Is it wrong for parents to pass down their businesses to their children or a child choosing to become a nurse because her mother whom she greatly admires is a nurse? There are so many factors to consider and questions to ask when dealing with the ethnic problem as a whole but what is not complicated or cumbersome to deal with are the concerns of individuals who should be allowed a voice and not simply dismissed with conjectures.

Yours faithfully,
Narissa Deokarran

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• Concerns about ethnic underrepresentation, Diwali celebration, Guyana, Guyanese

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