‘No more negroes’
…State agencies instructed to stop using ‘Negro’ and ‘East Indian’ in ethnic description
Kaieteur News – The Guyana Police Force (GPF) and other State agencies are no longer permitted to use terms such as ‘Negro’ and ‘East Indian’ when referring to or describing ethnic groups in Guyana.
On Friday, Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira in a statement disclosed that Cabinet has decided to change the Identification and Health Epidemiological Terminology used for several ethnic groups in Guyana.
The government’s decision comes days after attorney Nigel Hughes wrote the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) on the Guyana Police Force (GPF) describing his client, Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Executive Member, Kidackie Amsterdam as a ‘Negro’.
Amsterdam has been charged under the cybercrime laws over alleged threats made on his talk show against the President and other government officials by a caller on his programme.
In the letter addressed to the ERC’s Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Gomin Camacho, Hughes explained that the term “negro” had its roots in colonialism and slavery, where it was used to dehumanize and subjugate people of African descent.
“Its usage today is not only outdated but also perpetuates a legacy of racism and exclusion,” Hughes declared.
As such, the lawyer called on the ERC to issue a directive to the Police Force, advising that the law enforcement agency to “cease the use of the term ‘Negro’” and any other derogatory language when referring to individuals of African descent.
“This directive should be disseminated widely within the Force to ensure compliance at all levels,” the lawyer said.
Meanwhile, Teixeira in her statement said that the Cabinet recognising that many Guyanese find the terms “Negro” and “East Indian” offensive, decided on June 6, 2024, that the terms used by the Guyana Police Force including Immigration, and the Health Sector as forms of identification and epidemiological references to ethnic descriptions are inappropriate.
Instead, the Minister advised that the terms that will now be used are Guyanese of African descent, Guyanese of Indian descent, Guyanese Amerindian, Guyanese of mixed ancestry, Guyanese of Portuguese descent and Guyanese of Chinese descent.
Further, Teixeira said all relevant State entities are instructed to implement the Cabinet’s decision and update their operational manuals and rules accordingly.
