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.
