The Guyana Trades Union Congress in recognition of the United Nations International Year for People of African Descent this today delivered a letter to President Bharat Jagdeo, signed by Lincoln Lewis, General Secretary. The letter outlines 25 issues that are deserving of his administration urgent attention and which continue to negatively impact on the African community by virtue of the government’s action or inaction. The Congress embraces the view and aspiration of UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonovic, that “The International Year must become a milestone in the ongoing campaign to advance the rights of people of African descent and it deserves to be accompanied by activities that fire the imagination, enhance our understanding of the situation of people of African descent and are a catalyst for real and positive change in the daily lives of the millions of Afro-descendents around the world.”

This is not a year for fun and frolicking; it is a year for seriousness and achievements!

According to the UN Release, “the General Assembly proclaimed the Year in December 2009 in a resolution citing the need to strengthen national actions and regional and international cooperation to ensure that people of African descent fully enjoy economic, cultural, social, civil and political rights, to advance their integration into all political, economic, social and cultural aspects of society, and to promote a greater knowledge of and respect for their diverse heritage and culture.”

Cognizant of the UN’s intent to honouring the year as one of achievements; matters that are of importance to this community and of which many have been vocal on for years, seeking attention and solution through government by virtue of its role in the society, it is expected that this year will deliver tangible results to African Guyanese. The Congress is fully aware of the government’s actions over the years to deny and ignore the existence of problems and concerns of the African community, dictate what the community must have, withhold from the community even as others are given, refuse to activate and respect the laws on matters that affect the community, and trample on the rights of this group, which are all actions contrary to the UN proclamation.

For too long in this society race has been used as a divider, rather than unifier, with politicians, racists and agent provocateurs playing group against each other for self serving gains to justify and/or perpetuate the marginalization of the other(s) to the detriment of forging a nation of One People One Nation One Destiny which sets us to achieve the singleness of purpose in building a nation-state, respecting of the diversity of its peoples and cultures under a common constitution/laws, towards the development of all.  The fact that these aspirations elude the nation in its 45^th year of independence and moreso Africans who struggled and broke the yoke of chattel slavery 172 years ago, is not a matter to be treated lightly.

Racist politics remains the root of the divisiveness in Guyana and nurtured by this regime to the nation’s undoing. The country cannot continue to go down a pathway that has proven destructive and not conducive to peace and stability as this does not serve our national interest. The perception, propaganda and myths that Africans are society’s deviants; should be feared; unfit for leadership; have done nothing noteworthy for themselves, others and Guyana; incapable of articulating their positions and determining their realities and therefore deserving of treatment that violate their rights and freedoms and the attending contempt for the constitution/ laws that guarantee these protections are thoughts and behaviours that hindered rather than enhance social relations and development. The time is therefore opportune for us to have frank and open discourse on racism as a hindrance to Guyana’s development. We can no longer be afraid to identify it, speak of it, and fight it wherever it exists and we must not allow those who dare to honestly confront it to be labeled by it. A lopsided discourse must not continue to prevail which allows comfort in discussing race when one specific group is perceived as the victim of racist attacks and any attempt to identify or discuss racist practices and policies against another specific group are viewed as intolerable, inconsequential and destructive to peace, stability and development. It is time for frank and open discussion as equals.

Race matters in our society, given its multiracial composition. Efforts should therefore be made to forge an environment where all are treated with dignity and as equals which inevitability bode well for personal and national development as seen in progressive multiracial societies where the challenges of race relations are not denied, ignored or swept under the carpet. Guyana can benefit from best practices through similar honest public discourse, giving expression to the aggrieved and perpetuators on both sides of the divide, and instituting structures such as anti-discrimination laws and policies. To our credit we have a Constitution that protects the right to identity and freedom from discrimination on the ground of race, Human Rights Commission (HRC) and Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC); all of which are intended to eliminate discrimination, yet we see the constitutional provision being discarded, the ERC becoming a political football muzzling the very tenets it was established to safeguard, and the non-existence of the HRC.

The 25 issues presented to President Jagdeo are not new to his administration and in many instances the violations have been executed under his watch. This year offers his administration the opportunity to right the wrongs and secure a legacy of engaging in meaningful acts to end racism in Guyana.

It must be made clear that this is not an event where sympathy, alms or favour is sought and none is expecting. Africans are demanding their rights be respected in keeping with international conventions and charters, UN Declarations of Human Rights, international laws and the Constitution. The community has engaged in personal sacrifices towards their advancement and has made their contributions to the formation and development of modern Guyana, individually and in collaboration with other groups and would like same to be honestly recorded, respected and acknowledged. Today, as the community strives for greater advancement it is expected that the government, in keeping with its role and obligation to society, will create the enabling environment for the achievements of the UN goals. As citizens of this world, it is opportune to reiterate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which affirms, “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” To this end Guyana as signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the Jagdeo’s administration as the manager of the state’s business, is expected to work meaningfully towards the realization of the UN Secretary General’s call to eradicate racism once and for all.