Chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), Bishop Juan Edghill has again emphasized that he has some serious concerns about the Gay McDougall Report on Minority issues since it was unbalanced and unfair.
According to Edghill, often Guyana’s image about race relations is damaged internationally by the things irresponsible Guyanese say and he referred to the McDougal Report where local sources are quoted, while the ERC which has done extensive consultations was not quoted.
The ERC chairman was speaking recently during a discussion with regional officials and councillors of Region Five and he appealed that persons should be wary of the things that are written and said about Guyana, some of which tarnish the country’s image, the Government Information Agency (GINA) stated in a release.
And emphasizing that he was not speaking on behalf of the government, Edghill noted that the ERC, a constitutionally formed body, was not even on McDougall’s schedule as an organisation to speak with.
When the UN Minority Expert arrived in Guyana the ERC gave her reports pertaining to economic opportunities, land distribution, scholarships and the awarding of contracts and later a meeting with held with the expert, the release said.
However, Edghill said, in the McDougal report there was no reflection of anything stated in the ERC reports.
The ERC Chairman also questioned the Minority Report which said Afro-Guyanese trade unions existed when this was not the case and that the Critchlow Labour College was established to educate Afro-Guyanese but in the institution’s manifesto there is no mention of this.
Edghill expressed his disappointment that the report has become an official document that was given to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR). He noted that Guyana’s Ambassador to Brussels, Patrick Gomes, who attended the Human Rights Commission in Geneva, was only given three minutes to rebut the report which was inadequate, the release said.
The ERC chairman called on persons to be responsible when they speak about Guyana, even when making political points since they could be quoted.
The PPP has a penchant for disregarding rulings that don’t go in their favor. One only has to recall the image of Janet Jagan tossing the High Court’s ruling on her presidency over her head on live TV in a sign of contempt.
That was a clear precedent she sat for her supporters and predecessors- cherry pick only the reports that favor the party and demonize others that don’t.
This janet jagan tossing the high court summons is such a red herring. Who cares where she tossed it and what she did wid it.
De woman dead ahready let it rest.
Gees, talk about harping on age old crap that means absolutely nothing.
Mr Edghill where was your condemnation of Vishnu Bisram’s recent letter on the similarity of slavery and the indentured systems? Your silence must be taken as concurrence with its content.
“he appealed that persons should be wary of the things that are written and said about Guyana, some of which tarnish the country’s image”
The quote above from Edghill’s comment is alarming. If the things written and said are true but could tarnish the country’s image one should be cautious about saying it. Pre 1992, when the PNC regime ruled supreme various Guyanese organisations in Canada, USA and the UK vigourously disseminated information that tarnished Guyana’s image. Those people had the right to do it then and those doing it now have the right to do so now. It’s called Freedom of Speech and Freedom of Expression.
I never thought I would see the day when a member of the clergy would become an appendage of the government in power. On the question of Indo and African unions, perception becomes reality. GAWU is an Indian union and Warde leads an African union. That’s the way it’s seen by the major ethnic groups. The PPP and the PNC are respectively Indian and African political parties. To deny this fact is to engage in a semantic exercise unworthy of a man of the cloth. We live in a real world and you should stop splitting hairs.At least 35% of the Guyanese population concur with the McDougal Report. They are the ones feeling the brunt of marginalization and victimization of this government.
Yesh Gwan Over the Edgehill MacDougal wrang.
The Brits are wrong, Heritage foundation wrang, Transparency international wrang, The US State Department WRang, the DEA wrong, everbady wrang only you and the PPP right.
Everybady ow everybady out to get lil juggy and his musical band, ow the injustice that these foreigners met out to us.
Look during the water accumulationing period OXfam come all the way hey and dem lie pun we ow, ow what we gun do wid all dese people who criticizing we and calling we lazy and incompetent. Ow mi laaauddooo
The McDougall woman came to Guyana, running around sucking genip with the so called Human Rights body giving her the guided tour and interviewing a select few. She apparently had a mindset , being brought up in US culture , about minority Afros (whose causes are legitimate) and transferred them artifically to Guyana. Poor scholarship and resaerch plus the attitude problem..
She had to submit a report with soem recommenaions about “abuse of minoruty rights” so she could get paid as a consultant and put it in he portfolio for future jobs.Folks , you got to know how this type of business works.
Wha sense would it make for her to submit the true reality of the Guyanese situation with something like “No problems in Guyana. Indos and Afros and others living well together despite racial ensions as in other countries including the US” ? She would be out of the consultancy business. End of story.
Bishop Edgehill should be commended for his continued principled stand on this matter. It will further debunk the attempts by opportunist anti-patriotic elements to use the good name of the United Nations for narrow, self serving interests….
What would have been your comment Reddy if she had said the same thing during Burnham’s reign?
Stop smoking whatever it is you’re smoking. It is making you see ‘visions’ of harmony that never even existed post the introduction of ‘appan jhaat’
well said bora well said.
ERC…Get over it! You can’t handle the truth…plus it hurts.
I thought we was done with this gay mcdougal report.
distraction strategy from the spat over the guvament laziness on the security monies matter.
You gotta see thru dem shenanigans dis amen.
Did the government of Guyana and the good Bishop did the same when the Guyanese family in North America went on Oprah Winfrey shows about six years ago or the report on racial killing by a so call young British journalist few years ago?
No.The PPP are quite happy to accept reports when it says that indians are the victims or racial injustice not the other way around
I know by now Oprah will have heard more about Guyana,and I can bet she is sorry she had anything to do with those people,and had them on her show!
If cuba will run like Guyana and Haiti when democracy comes then i can see why they want nothing to do with that….
uneducated + Hungry = death squad soldier
Just a few words for the good Bishop.The country’s image is extensively tarnished.This is not because people are spreading false rumours.Roger Khan for instance made some “damaging” statements.Several A K 47’s were stolen from the G.D.F.Miners were slaughtered at Lindo Creek.The Crime situation is spiralling out of control.All of this,and more are kkown by Guyanese,living in the U.K.,U.S.A.Canada,and the Caribbean.Are you going to blame anyone for tarnishing Guyana’s image?.If so you should know where to start.Don’t think that Politics,and Religion,are a good mix.
The Bishop must know that it is difficult to please “Caesar” and God in the same breath. Watching out for the flock and speaking out against discrimination takes a lot of moral courage in an atmosphere that produced Roger Khan and others of his ilk. You will be judged anyway so be true to your calling and do ignore the attractions the administration has on offer.