AFC arms US fact-finding mission with evidence of ethnic, political discrimination

Nov 18, 2023 News

Kaieteur News – Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Khemraj Ramjattan at a press conference on Friday told reporters that the party has furnished a US fact- finding delegation with information on racial and political discrimination in Guyana.

Ramjattan said the visiting team, headed by Dr. Dee Dawkins-Haigler, met with the party at its headquarters on Thursday.

“This fact-finding team was presented with a number of documents by the AFC’s Leader with evidence to support allegations of ethnic and political discrimination by the PPP Government in the areas of contract awarding, arbitrary termination of public servants’ contracts, appointments of senior posts at the State level, and the distribution of State resources,” Ramjattan said.

He noted that the documents presented by the party to the team also showed that the “PPP’s discriminatory practices were not of recent vintage” and included a paper by Freddie Kissoon entitled, ‘Ethnic Power and Ideological Racism.’

Other documents included the McDougall Report, another entitled ‘Economy and Justice in Guyana’ by prominent attorney, Nigel Hughes, IDPADA-G’s responses to the United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African descent.

In addition, the party presented documents by Opposition Members of Parliament Juretha Fernandes and Ricky Ramsaroop revealing imbalances and inequity in budgetary allocations at the Regional Democratic levels.

In addition, the US team was informed of government’s unaccountability and non-transparency since 2021 when, “it has sought to hide information as to who have been the recipients of the Covid Relief, the Fisherman’s Relief, the second severance payment to sugar workers, and the Flood Relief.”

Ramjattan said that there is reason to believe that Afro-Guyanese as well as political opponents of the government are discriminated against in the relief programs, since the government is reluctant to make the names, addresses and amounts given to each respective recipient public.

The MP accused the government of destroying the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) by the alteration of its quorum.

He said this information was received with surprise by the visiting team, especially when told that this new development has seen over 20 PAC sittings being cancelled.

The Opposition party made it known to the US team that, “other guard rails of democracy have been broken and this all reflects a developing elective despotism of the PPP Government.”

According to the AFC leader, the visiting team has indicated that they will keep in contact with the party’s leader to acquire additional information and clarity on issues here.

The AFC leader said it informed the delegation that its leadership is willing to share whatever information is requested of them and the party expressed their gratitude for the team’s visit to Guyana.

Alliance For Change (AFC), Ethnic, Evidence, Khemraj Ramjattan, political discrimination, US fact-finding mission

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AFC arms US fact-finding mission with evidence of ethnic, political discrimination

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