This formal swearing of the Commissioners of the Ethnic Relations Commission is a significant step for us as a people and a country. It confirms our willingness to confront the old challenges of achieving harmonious ethnic and race relations in our society.

Today, we inaugurate a golden opportunity to promote and foster better and more harmonious ethnic relations in the interest of all our peoples and our future.

Our fore parents, in their epic struggles, recognised the importance of cohesiveness among the different groups, as a necessary precondition for progress. They were unrelenting in pursuit of this goal and have left us a foundation upon which to build. Unfortunately, the desired level of progress in fostering better ethnic and race relations has eluded us for many years.

The problem of ethnic and race relations has been engendered by suspicions and feelings of insecurity.

In the past, there have been legal measures in place to forestall and mitigate issues of race and ethnic conflicts, but none to cure the ill and rid us of this scourge. The absence of a credible mechanism dedicated to addressing the issue of ethnic relations has not been helpful in tackling this challenge.

All sections of society, indeed all Guyanese agree that unless we urgently, collectively, and innovatively resolve the issues of ethnic and race relations in this country, the full potential of this nation will not be realised.

Parties in the constitutional reform process formulated and agreed to the Constitutional Amendment that created the Ethnic Relations Commission as a Constitutional Body, entrusting that body with tasks, obligations, powers and responsibilities.

Before us today, are the members and alternates nominated by Parliament as representatives of the religious communities, organised labour, children, youths and women in Guyana.

As a stand alone Constitutional Body, this Commission will be the sounding board of Guyana society, seeking to do all things possible to establish and promote better ethnic relations in Guyana.

With a mandate and powers to investigate, and an obligation to report, this Commission will be an important element in our efforts in addressing issues concerning ethnicity in Guyana.

Not only does this body have the powers to investigate and administer sanctions when necessary, more importantly, a key task will be utilising its formidable legal and moral authority for the promotion of better ethnic and relations.

Ethnic Relations have an important place in the activities of those in the political and religious communities, which actually consist of, workers, women, children, youths and indigenous people.

This Ethnic Relations Commission holds forth a great promise and, in the context of the simultaneous operation of the Rights Commission, comes close to ensuring that our society would be more cohesive as social bonds are strengthened by the focus and attention of those Constitution Bodies. However, laws and institutions are no substitute for the goodwill and kindness that dwell in the hearts of all our people.