Dear Editor,
In relation to the United Nations Independent Expert’s Report on minorities in Guyana (SN 22.3.09), the Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana (TAAMOG) wishes to state the following:
Both Afro and Indo-Guyanese cannot classify themselves as ethnic minorities, since their population figures are far way greater than the other ethnic minorities in Guyana who are the Amerindians, Portuguese and Chinese. The high population figures or the numerical strength of both Afro and Indo-Guyanese place them in the dominant sector of our society with significant powers because of their occupancy in the political power structures of our country. They can be referenced to as the dominant racial groups in Guyana.
The United Nations Human Rights Bodies interpretation of minorities can therefore apply within Guyana’s context on the basis of the population figures of the ethnic groups.
The Gay McDougall Report on Minorities therefore did not reflect the views and aspirations of the ethnic minorities in Guyana, particularly the indigenous ethnic minority which the UN Human Rights bodies exhaustively focused their attention on since the 1970s which resulted in the establishment of a Permanent Forum as part of the United Nations system and the historic passing of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples by the UN General Assembly in 2007.
The Gay McDougall Report departed from its intent and purposes which took a political direction by capturing the views of the political opposition. The Gay McDougall Report did not mention the ethnic minority representative organisations consulted as the basis of the report.
The Gay McDougall Report was therefore more a disservice to the United Nations Human Rights bodies and the ethnic minorities in Guyana.
TAAMOG agrees with the position taken by the Government of Guyana in relation to the Gay McDougall Independent Report on Minorities in Guyana.
TAAMOG is of the opinion that the report is an unprofessional one and should be withdrawn since it does not reflect the view and aspirations of the ethnic minorities in Guyana.
Yours faithfully,
Peter Persaud
President TAAMOG
Editor’s note
Ms McDougall said in her introduction: “Since matters relating to indigenous peoples fall within the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples, they will not be covered in this report.”
The independent expert also stated that her evaluation of minority issues was “based on the 1992 Declaration on Minorities and other relevant international standards, from which she has identified four broad areas of concern relating to minorities globally. These are: (a) the protection of a minority’s survival, through combating violence against them and preventing genocide; (b) the protection and promotion of the cultural identity of minority groups and the right of national, ethnic, religious or linguistic groups to enjoy their collective identity and to reject forced assimilation; (c) the guarantee of the rights to non-discrimination and equality, including ending structural or systemic discrimination and the promotion of affirmative action when required; and (d) the guarantee of the right to effective participation of members of minorities in public life, especially with regard to decisions that affect them… In Guyana, the independent expert focused her attention on the relations between, and comparative situations of Afro-Guyanese and Indo-Guyanese.”
Therefore, Mr. Moderator, this so called “indepndent expert” as you referred to her should have clealy spelled this out including removing reference to Minorities i the Title in her routinist and intellectually challenged report (you din know she wrote down all the basics on the plane coming to Guyana: “Indians in power like in Fiji, oh yes Idi Amen expelled tem, exploiting black people, blacks in South Africa, UN got many members with black majorities, I go look good to stand up for the poor suffereing minorities, etc, etc,)
This is a good point Mr. Persaud.
Of course all the reports that are done by external agencies are wrong:
- Ms. McDougall was wrong.
- The US State department report on corruption was wrong
- Heritage Foundation /Wall Street Journal on economic freedom was wrong
- The report on Corruption in Government was wrong done by transparency international.
- The US state department report on Guyana’s economy being propped up by drug trafficking was wrong.
- OxFAm report on water accumulation was wrong.
What else reddy, which odda report wrong?
Mr. Persaud ! Portuguese is a nationality. Also, you are out in left field with your basic criticism of the report. What a joke.
Persaud is absolutely correct. I notice that the moderator/Sn editors are quick to pounce and respond to anything that appears to support the govt. I am not saying don’t make corrections, but at the very least be fair.
The report which I read, clearly is biased and it is clear that the only ethnic group that was consulted/interviewed were blacks. Why not speak to Indians also? I am sure that many Indians would have said that the govt. bends over too far to please the Afro Guyanese. I also have a serious problem when the so called GHRA and others who were interviewed by this lady, are well known fronts for the PNC and/or at the very least their sole existence/agenda is to oppose the PPP regardless.
I do blame the Govt. for not doing a better job of having their side of the story heard in NY. They desperately need better PR.
Indians the last time I checked are not minorities. That is another report to be done.
How all these reports are wrong though? Shouldn’t we wonder why all these reports are wrong? My goodness this is ridiculous that all these dumb people come to Guyana to do reports and the funny thing is it seems they only become dumb once they land in Guyana.
Apparently these same people do reports around the world and they are hailed for their skills and thus sent to do reports elsewhere but only in Guyana they seem to drink some kind of water at the airport and they then get stupidy and criticize the poor Guyana government.
This is just simply not fair, it is wrong for these people to get stupidy when they land in Guyana.
Stabroek always on the defensive when it comes to something anti govt, what happened to mixed people(DOUGLA) they are about 15%of them in Guyana, why McDougal forget about them, I think she did not interview anybody except the opposition and that was her aim to write a report favorable to them.
15% dougla. I think you need to check that number.
JSB I came to my conclusion that there is 15%mixed race in Guyana because they are mixed with all other races, being there is no census for the past ten yrs and taking migration into consideration I would put the ratio at Indians 40% Blacks 30%, Chinese 5%,Amerindians 8%, whites 2% Mixed 15%, they are a significant segment of our population and should not be ignored.
Allyuh ansa waan question.
Yuh betta off than yuh was unda de PNC rule?
Rememba Guyline. Yuh had to line up all day fuh wan pint ail and den yuh had to use cassava bread or rice flohwa.
So if yuh betta aff na complain.
…cassava bread is amerindian dish…melt some butter on it, and nyam it!….
Guyana is worse off under PPP and PNC rule, there is no difference my man. That is the truth.
PNC = PPP.
Rahaman here is my quesiton compare what things the PPP have made better since PNC days what are the differentiators between the PPP and PNC, I am curious.
B. Samaroo – you gat to be joking. It is you don’t know the truth. Who’s been fooling you? Obviously you too young to remember the late 70’s and the whole 80’s.
Police used to stop hire car (we did not have mini bus then)and force the driver to buy a PNC (New Nation) paper. People had to cook with coconut oil (I am not joking)… curry, fish, cassava ball (aloo/potato was banned so people started making cassava ball) everything was cooked with coconut oil. To graduate from UG,one had to do a stint in the National Service.. in the bush. The PNC prevented Mirror, Catholic Standard and all other news paper from importing newsprint paper or a printing press. The only exception was New Nation and Chronicle (if you think the paper is pro govt. now, ask people what it was like under the PNC). It was under the PNC the sewall etc. started to collapse, that vendors started to open shop on the pave in front of long standing stores. It was under the PNC that we went from the bread-basket of the Caribbean to the begging bowl. PNC banned flour, split peas and they scrapped the train. Imagine you can’t eat roti or dal. Imagine you could not buy a tin of sardine or a packet of smarties, because the PNC banned them. The PNC opened Knowledge Sharing Institutes (KSI)…no they were not schools or colleges (you all stop laughing), these were places where one could go to buy scarce items like RATIONS.. you know things like cheese, flour, salt, oil. And you were only allowed to buy a certain amount. To get a job with the govt, you better had a PNC party card. It was under the PNC that the middle class left Guyana. Yes all them Putagee and Chinee Guyanese in Canada left under the PNC rule. Yes, people still leaving, but the damage done under the PNC sad to say, will take decades more to repair.
and one more thing… under the PNC we NEVER had a free and fair election. I witnesssed GDF taking pre packed PNC votes from Exita house in Meten Meer Zorg to be counted. Burnham was like Sadaam Hussain – he won over 90% all the time. And please don’t tell me that ‘92 was free and fair. Yes, PPP won, but by and large there were still some rigging to favour the PNC.
This is from one of my other postings the same applies here
According to the communist manifesto which the PPP embraces no one should be elected so what is your point? Since when the PPP or the PNC are interested in democracy? and freedom?
Ask Gordon Moseley how free he is feeling.
Ask the folks in Linden who can’t get their own television station or get other GY channels extended to them how free they feel.
Ask CN Sharma how free he feels.
Ask the AFC how free they feel with their 6 Seats won fair and square in linden still not handed to them.
Ask Guysucko workers who bailed from GAWU how free they feel.
Ask our six billion NIS Dollars how free they feel, errr well they are really free at this point wrong example.
and Again PhenC and Pee Pee Peeed on all one and the same……pure cackishness
Are you people lauding the same government that can’t maintain the Capital. It is a disgrace to see the East Bank and its surroundings. The only path from the airport. Look at ingress and egress from Georgetown. That is another disgrace. Guyana never use to flood to the point of major damage of property. Tell those same government officials to have a conscience. It is embarrassing. NO PROGRESS it is time for PROGRESS This is a new century. Put all this ethnic crap aside and build the country. Elevate the people again. All of the people not just one race.
You people confusing me hard head. She is an minority expert, but didn’t really come to Guyana to do a report on minorities?
She came to do a report instead on Indo and Afro Guyanese right? And only did a report on Afro Guyanese?
The UN should have sent Ms McDougall to Rwanda to do a minority report and it might have prevented about one million Tutsi and some Hutus from being slaughtered.
Kya? Tum? what the heck are you talking about?
…ane, the rwanda genocide was PLANNED, wasn’t spontaneous…all the reports in the world couldn’t have stopped it…only a strong UN military intervention could have stopped it…but that never happened…
You want to know what I am talking about? I am talking about the UN sitting back an doing nothing when the Canadian general were begging and pleading with them to do something, anything, to stop the genocide in Rwanda. They couldn’t be bothered though. So hundred of thousands of defenceless people were slaughtered. And what did America do? nothing because they didn’t know “it” was happening. Of course they didn’t know. OJ Simpson’s trial were more important.
And lets talk about the UN Peacekeepers who went to the Congo to protect the innocent, but were raping women, molesting children and making child pornography? Have you ever seen the picture with the litte girl, not more than five years old, who was being molested? Her big beautiful eyes full of tears and pain.
Go and complain to harper what are you complaining about that here for?
Send ban ki moon an email………
A strong UN military intervention could have stopped it. Dalliare was asking and asking for that intervention but the useless UN did nothing until it was too late.
Baloney. The ethnic minorities in Guyana have not given any views. Where are all the views? This is a big lie.