Dear Editor,
The now infamous editorial of the Guyana Chronicle published on July 3 has been the subject of much commentary over the past week.
Article 154 A of the Constitution of the Republic of Guyana directly incorporates into law the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimina-tion.
Article 2 (b) of the Convention provides: “Each state party undertakes not to sponsor, defend or support racial discrimination by any person or organizations.”
Article 5 of the Conven-tion states: “In compliance with the fundamental obligations laid down in Article 2 of this convention, States undertake to prohibit and to eliminate racial discrimination in all its forms …“
The Guyana Chronicle is a state entity.
Article 4 of the Conven-tion provides: “State parties condemn all propaganda and organizations which are based on ideas and theories of superiority of one race or group of persons or ethnic origin, or which attempt to justify or promote racial hatred and discrimination in any form and undertake to adopt immediate and positive measures designed to eradicate all incitement to or acts of such discrimination…“
On July 7 we read of a rather belated and post protest apology by the Chairman of the Board for the “slippage” in the publication of the offensive editorial.
The Chairman is reported to have said, “Personally speaking I don’t tolerate those things at all.
The most I can do is apologize and hope it is accepted. I may resign and if my colleagues agree we will do so en block.”
The resignation of the Board is not a question of if, but how soon next week.
On July 11 we learnt of the apparent termination of the services of the author and the suspension of another person who was charged with the responsibility of reviewing the editorial.
A very small step in the right direction.
The real discussion which our multi-ethnic and multicultural society should now embark upon with some urgency is how do we establish a national newspaper whose purpose and functions are consistent with our obligations as a state as set out in Article 7 of the Convention which provides, “State Parties undertake to adopt immediate and effective measures, particularly in the fields of teaching, education, culture and information, with a view to combating prejudices which lead to racial discrimination and promoting understanding, tolerance and friendship among nations and racial and ethnic groups as well as propagating the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, the Universal De-claration of Human Rights, the United Nations Declara-tion on the Elimination of All forms of Racial Discrimina-tion, and this Convention.”
It is my hope that the “slippage” of the Chronicle does not escape the attention of the Attorney General and Minster of Foreign Affairs who under the treaty are obliged to report on behalf of the Republic, violations of the treaty to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Any omission on this front will only add further insult to the grave injury caused by the publication.
Perhaps not unlike the hapless West Indian team, the Board might want to consider fielding two “slips” and a gully as it seems that the editorial writer whose services were allegedly terminated by the Board on July 11 managed to publish a news article in the Chronicle yesterday, a mere three days after the alleged termination.
Guess that slippage was just a natural mystic.
Yours faithfully,
C A Nigel Hughes
