From KN
Apr 22, 2019
DEAR EDITOR,
As an advocate for racial /ethnic diversity and inclusion, I must call out the rampant racial / ethnic discriminatory practices by the APNU/PNC/AFC Government. It is obvious that Government relies on discrimination as a political strategy to hold onto power.
To this end, Government has almost completely eliminated racial / ethnic diversity from the public service by hiring Afro-Guyanese, almost exclusively. Today, over 90 percent of permanent secretaries and over 85 percent of department heads are Afro-Guyanese, in spite that Afro-Guyanese make up approximately only one third of the Guyanese population. This unfair situation even energized Ms. Volda Lawrence to boldly announce that she will hire only members of the PNC. We all know that members of the PNC are predominantly Afro-Guyanese. In the face of such reality, Government needs to be reminded that Guyana is a multi-ethnic society and such unfair racial practices are uncivilized and unacceptable.
Government has even tilted the delicate balance at GECOM in its favour by undemocratic-ally installing the GECOM Chairman, Mr. James Patterson who is also an Afro-Guyanese. Mr. Patterson has since eliminated racial/ ethnic diversity at GECOM and his actions are widely seen as unfair political manoeuvres to compromise free and fair elections in Guyana. The world must know that this Government has no respect for the rule of law or anything else.
Further, Mr. Patterson has infamously denied Mr. Vishnu Persaud, an Indo-Guyanese employment as the Deputy Chief Elections Officer (DCEO) at GECOM. And Mr. Patterson unfairly awarded this very job to an Afro-Guyanese who is less qualified than Mr. Persaud. An investigation into this matter by the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) confirmed that Mr. Vishnu Persaud was the most qualified candidate. This leaves us with the distressing reality that Guyana will never move forward under such narrow minded people and this is strong evidence that Mr. Patterson is unfit to serve, particularly at GECOM and he needs to be removed immediately.
Government has even transferred thousands of dirt poor and hardworking Indo-Guyanese sugar workers from income earners to the breadline by closing the sugar estates. The Guyana Sugar Corporation Commission of Inquiry (GUYSUCO â COI) warned Government about the devastating economic impact this will have on the livelihoods of thousands of Guyanese but Government ignored this recommendation to simply punish mainly Indo-Guyanese.
Editor, please click this link and you will learn of the heartbreaking economic impact of the unemployed sugar workers and their families: https://www.facebook.com/EdLiv...zE3NjY2ODU4MjU0MTA1/
Further, Government has been silent on the crime situation, which largely affects Indo-Guyanese. We see on a daily basis how Indo-Guyanese are largely brutalized and murdered in their homes for their own sweat. Government needs to come clean on the crime reality. Government also needs to refrain from using the crime situation for political gains. Our lives are important.
And naturally, under an atmosphere of pervasive racial/ethnic intolerance, the illogical rulings by two Afro-Guyanese judges at the Court of Appeals on the No Confidence Motion (NCM) to reinstate the largely Afro-Guyanese backed Government into power is widely interpreted to be influenced by racial prejudice and politics in our courts. This kind of interpretation by Guyanese is understandable because Guyana is currently submerged under a racially hostile environment to enable Government to retain power.
Editor, this ruling is hard to swallow because since independence 33 votes have always been used as a majority in our parliament and if the framers of our constitution wanted 34 votes for a majority, they would have explicitly stated so and to simply make up an explanation in courts to justify 34 votes is dead wrong. This should never happen. Under these circumstances, no one will have confidence in our courts.
To make matters worse, government also victimizes those who speak out on its discriminatory practices through abuse of power. This is my personal experience. In October of last year, members of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) even traumatized my family for a lengthy period of time in our home without any reason. Ever since, we have been demanding answers from the CID but its response has been vague. My family barely scrapes a living and there is nothing in our lives, which can conceivably attract the CID to our home and so I am very suspicious that this may be political retaliation to suppress my voice.
Also, the Government controlled Guyana Chronicle even published a libelous letter aiming to punish me and to suppress my voice as an activist. I will never accept such abuse and I will legally challenge the Guyana Chronicle.
Government even framed itself as a champion of social cohesion but its actions reveals otherwise. I am convinced that social cohesion is used as a smoke screen to conceal the unfair racial/ethnic practices by this Government. And, also we can all remember how Government rode to power on a platform of unity and this turned out to be one of the biggest lies on the 2015 campaign trail. Guyanese must also know that this Government has no record to run on for a re-election campaign and so it will compromise the election process by eliminating racial /ethnic diversity in key institutions like GECOM in hopes of achieving favourable election results it does not deserve.
Government needs to know that it is my right to call out its discriminatory practices and I urge others to do the same for the sake of humanity. The world must know that this Government violates our human rights and our lives are unprotected in this country. To this end, I am calling on the human rights organizations and the diplomatic community and others to respond to our pains by intervening in some way.
Sincerely,
Annie Baliram
