PPP, PNC agree terms of reference for race relations commission
The country's two major political parties have agreed on the terms of reference for the functioning of an ethnic relations commission as recommended by the Constitution Reform Commission (CRC) in the dialogue process. Speaking briefly on the telephone CARICOM Facilitator Maurice King told Stabroek News yesterday that the PPP/Civic and the PNC were to take the agreed terms of reference to their respective central executive committees for approval. Today they are to look at other CRC recommendations pertaining to the establishment of the ethnic relations commission. The objective of the ethnic relations commission is to confront and resolve issues of racial division. According to leader of the PNC team to the dialogue talks, Lance Carberry, the discussion is aimed at expanding the recommendations. Carberry noted that while the recommendations were more or less bare the parties are now "trying to put some flesh to the report of the Constitutional Reform Commission". The CRC, he said, did not spell out the list of duties or terms of reference for the commission. The meetings right now, he said, are aimed at advancing the recommendations of the CRC and those contained in the report of the parliamentary special select committee dealing with the CRC's report. Some of the terms of reference for certain subjects have not been agreed to but nevertheless those agreed to will be taken to the parties' central executive committees for approval and "having done that we will continue with the others," he said. Efforts to contact the members of the PPP/Civic dialogue team yesterday were futile. Talks between the two parties continue on Tuesdays and Fridays. (Miranda La Rose)
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