Kwame McCoy helping to coordinate ERC nomination process
McCoy is also part of the Guyana Youth Development Association which proposed his name.
Subhan is a prominent member of the Indian Arrival Committee.
The ERC life expired in August 2007 but the status quo was allowed to continue by former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
There have been challenges in the past on the impartiality of the ERC. Its former Chairman, Juan Edghill, is now a Minister in the Government.
According to Parliament, several entities participated in a meeting on April 30, at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, regarding the sensitization of entities in selecting and electing their nominees.
Among the other nominees were
Hindu Religion –
Swami Aksharananda of the Cornelia Ida Hindu Temple;
Islamic Religion –
Derrick Rahat of the Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana and
from the Christian Religion –
Onya Sam of the Guyana Missionary Baptists.
The proposed nominees from the private sector bodies were Treina Butts,
Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana
while Dale Beresford
from the Guyana Local Government Officers’ Union (GLGOU)
will represent the labour bodies.
The other names included,
for the women, well known activist,
Karen De Souza of Red Thread Women’s Development Project;
Amerindian Bodies – Michael McGarrell and
African Bodies -Rickie Park of the Pan African Movement.
Prior to 2007, the former Government had failed to get two-thirds Parliamentary majority required by the Constitution to approve a motion proposing a list of 162 entities to consult with a new consensual mechanism for consultations.
The ERC is a Constitutional body established as an undertaking by the Herdmanston Accord and by Constitutional Amendment Act of 2000 and assented to by the President on August 11, 2000.
ERC functions include
providing equality of opportunity
between persons of different ethnic groups and promoting harmony;
promoting the elimination of
all forms of discrimination on the basis of ethnicity;
discouraging and prohibiting
persons, institutions, political parties and associates
from indulging in, advocating or promoting
discriminatory practices on the ground of ethnicity;
promoting educational and training programmes
and research projects which provide for and
encourage ethnic peace and harmony;
and promoting arbitration, conciliation, mediation
and like forms of dispute resolution in order
to secure ethnic harmony and peace
among other critical functions.