The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) plans to meet the African Cultural Development Association, the Guyana Indian Heritage Association and the Amerindian Peoples’ Association as part of its work programme.

It has also asked the Indian Arrival Committee to provide further information about its complaint related to the controversial book written by Dr Kean Gibson.

Meanwhile, ERC Chair-man Bishop Juan Edghill says that his commission is working towards having its secretariat up and running before the end of the year. It has also drawn up a work programme covering the period November 2003 - June 2004 and its draft rules to guide its operations.

The National Assembly has to approve the commission’s rules as well as the funds it would need to implement its work programme until it receives its budgetary allocation next year. Edghill says the commission is interfacing with the relevant agencies with regard to both issues and has also written to the Office of the President about the funding for its activities.

Speaking with Stabroek News, he said the current members of the commission had been working with energy and enthusiasm to ensure that the issues they are addressing are not prolonged.

Two task forces, one of which looked at the work programme and the other the human resources needs and capital and current budgets, compiled the documents, which the commission approved.

Commenting on the proposal for the staffing of the Secretariat, Edghill said it was based on such areas as legal, education and public relations, investigations and research and planning.

Edghill said the relevant task force was continuing its work with the focus on drawing up job descriptions and job specifications.

However, he was unwilling to give any details about the amount of the funding the commission was seeking to carry out its work programme in the short term.

He said that the commission has also been having discussions with the United Nations Development Programme about the Social Cohesion Project and has had discussions with Chuks Ihekaibeya, the focal point of the Commonwealth Secretariat in Guyana about the Commonwealth experience in this area. Ihekaibeya has provided several documents on the issue but is yet to fulfil an undertaking to make a presentation to the commission.

He added that the commission had sought and received the assistance of Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Cecil Dhurjon, in arriving at a uniform interpretation of the legislation that established it. Also, he said, Dhurjon has advised that the commission could meet without the members that represent the Rights Commissions. These commissions are the Indigenous People’s, the Rights of the Child, the Women and Gender Equality and the Human Rights.

The voting members of the commission are Bishop Edghill, nominated by the Christian community, deputy chairman, Norman McLean, nominated by the private business sector, Dr Frank Anthony, nominated by the youth organisations, Shahabuddeen McDoom, nominated by the Moslem community, Andrew Garnett, nominated by the labour movement, Cheryl Sampson nominated by the women’s organisations and Pt Ramkissoon Maraj, nominated by the Hindu community.

Their alternates are Pastor Roy Thakurdyal, John Willems, Dr Rajendra Singh, Rafeek Khan, Carvil Duncan, Leila Austin and Radha Krishna Sharma.

Edghill says that the commission has written to President Bharrat Jagdeo, Leader of the Opposition Robert Corbin and the chairman of the Appointive Committee of the National Assembly urging the early establishment of the four rights commissions so that the members could be appointed.

Edghill said the commission had not been formally notified about accommodation to house the secretariat but had read in Stabroek News that the BIDCO building in Queenstown had been identified and from other sources that it was the BIDCO Building on Main Street. The BIDCO building on Main Street houses the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

Edghill said that no payments had been made to the members of the commission but that nonetheless they had been working tirelessly to get the commission up and running. President Jagdeo and Corbin have agreed that members of the Rights Commission would be remunerated at the same level as the members of the constitutional commissions.

Edghill added that all the decisions of the commission had been reached by consensus and it was an indication of the good relations between its members who were keen to keep the divisions of the wider society out of its work.