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TAAMOG is of the opinion that the report is an unprofessional one and should be withdrawn since it does not reflect the view and aspirations of the ethnic minorities in Guyana.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.”