Moving ahead on the race relations front
Editorial
THERE was never much movement on previous attempts for a body to address race relations problems, largely because of the unwillingness of the main opposition People's National Congress (PNC) to work with one of the key players identified by the government for the commission. Now, however, a related bill which has the support of all political parties in Parliament is about to be passed. It's a pity that not enough elected representatives of the people attended the Thursday sitting of the National Assembly to ensure passage of the bill and approval had to be put back to next month. A lesson from what happened Thursday is that parliamentarians, perhaps, need to take the business of being at sittings more seriously. Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Mr Reepu Daman Persaud, commented, "It is unfortunate that after receiving unanimous support such an important piece of legislation could not be passed because the required number was not there." We expect the problems that surfaced at the sitting will be resolved soon enough to enable the legislation to take effect and to start the process of implementing the steps aimed at improving race relations in the country. Guyana has for too long been dogged by race -related problems. The current government, to its credit, took the necessary steps soon after it first entered office in October 1992 to allow complaints about racial discrimination to be taken to the Organisation of American States and the United Nations. As far as we are aware, in spite of persistent allegations about racial discrimination, no approach has been made to either of the organisations by any person or group. But the allegations, often fuelled for narrow political advantages, have led to underlying concerns and uncertainties over the years. These have led to, for example, the anti-government political street troubles started in Georgetown in December 1997 taking distinctive racial tones, increasing the underlying racial fears. The unanimous support from the four political parties in Parliament for measures that seek to address race relations is therefore a very welcome move forward and we join in commending those responsible for advancing the process to this stage. The Constitution (Amendment) (No 2) Bill 2000 provides for the establishment of an Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) and it has been hailed as a landmark piece of legislation in the history of the country and Parliament which can determine the future of the nation. According to Information Minister, Mr Moses Nagamootoo, also Chairman of the Oversight Committee on Constitutional Reform which worked on the legislation, "...this is an important component of the Constitution as it is now amended to create an Ethnic Relations Commission so that all citizens can now be protected by the Constitution and have a place for recourse or redress, if they are discriminated against on the basis of their race." We look forward to the early establishment of the commission which can begin to address an issue that has not been effectively dealt with before.  Follow the goings-on in Guyana
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