Dear Editor,

What is this I have been reading that Mr. Prakash Gossai, a Pandit living in the USA, is to return to Guyana to serve as President Jagdeo’s advisor on religion and ethnicity. From the outset, let me say I have no problems with the President seeking religious and ethnic advice. This is necessary because religion gives us our sense of right and wrong and in a multiethnic society we need to learn tolerance and respect for others. My concerns here lie in the fact that President Jagdeo sees the need to identify only a Hindu and has not seen the need to identify a Muslim, Christian, or other faiths to advise him on religion and ethnicity.

Not because the largest religious and ethnic group in Guyana is Hindu does this mean that there is no space for the views of Muslims, Christians and other faiths. These religious groups have opinions too, Mr. President, and they will want you to hear them in order to make Guyana a better place. These groups have advice on how persons can see and respect others as brothers and sisters; curtail and eradicate corruption, crime, drug running and other social ills. Muslims, Christians and others have advice on how we can learn tolerance and engage in practices of equality as our God requires. Mr. President, these groups serve a God who insists on good behaviour and the equality of mankind, but do you want to hear our views? Another thought Mr. President, will only Hindu tax dollars pay Pandit Gossai and how do you hope to differentiate it?

The Ethnic Relations Commission has members of the religious community that could have offered advice on religion and ethnicity, Mr. President. I hope you have not forgotten this constitutional body that was set up by your government. Why the need now to have the religious input and advice from only one religious group at the exclusion of others.

Yours faithfully,

Mohamed Yusuf

Editor’s note

It has been clarified that Pandit Gossai will not be an adviser on religion.