Education Minister Dr Henry Jeffrey is calling on political parties represented in the National Assembly to create a partnership of diversity, otherwise all efforts in education, will be worthless.

He made the remarks in his budget presentation on Wednesday in view of the absence of MPs from the PNC REFORM (PNC/R) and the WPA faction of the GAP/WPA alliance, for the third day, in the debate on the 2002 budget. Debate ended Wednesday and the consideration of estimates started yesterday.

ROAR Member of Parliament, Ravi Dev, he said, was correct when he said that "we should look deeper into our problems" but he felt he was wrong in his approach, which, he felt could "easily lead to institutionalised racism in our society." He did not elaborate on Dev's approach.

"A recognition that division exists is qualitatively different from its institutionalisation," he said, adding that "we must create a partnership of diversity; otherwise all our efforts in education, whatever, will be worthless."

Speaking of the dialogue process between President Bharrat Jagdeo and PNC/R Leader Desmond Hoyte, he said there was the feeling on all sides that it had brought discourse, some action, peace and a level of development following the 2001 general elections.

In view of the absence of the PNC/R in the debate, Dr Jeffrey said if the party's position was that "little of the processes initiated" by the dialogue has been substantially concluded then it was correct.

In suspending the dialogue, he said, the PNC/R was making too little of the great deal of work that has been done and "perhaps more importantly, it hides its real motive."

Dr Jeffrey feels that the real motive of the PNC/R's present protest, in relation to the appointment of members to parliamentary committees, was to pressure the PPP/Civic to succumb to its unreasonable demand.

Given the size of the PPP/Civic representation in the National Assembly, he said, it appears unreasonable to demand that about a dozen of their (ministerial) representatives "be not represented on the parliamentary committees."

While the attempt to put pressure was normal in negotiations, he said that "if our intention is to attract people to do business here, we must be more balanced in our actions." In 1997, he said, notwithstanding what the many observers said, in the interest of peace the PPP/Civic gave up two years of its term. Again after the 2001 general elections, the party agreed and has been working conscientiously on the process of dialogue. He added that "we simply, cannot at each stage, buckle under pressure."

Jagdeo, he said, outlined the work done in the committees established as a result of the dialogue but conclusions have not yet occurred because of constitutional requirements and the time it takes the bureaucracy to work.

In a few cases, he added, matters had to be referred to parliamentary commissions, such as the National Security Commission and the Foreign Affairs Commission which are not currently in place. This can hardly be referred to as foot-dragging, he said, noting that the Teaching Service Commission, which was important to the education sector, has not yet been appointed.