By Ryhaan Shah
While Guyana is desperately trying to erase racial differences to support the ill-conceived idea that this will create racial unity and harmony, the United States is considering adding a category to its official list of race groups in order to make sure that every citizen’s identity is respected and that there is equality and justice for every American.
The new racial category being proposed by the White House Office of Management and Budget would be assigned to citizens from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) who feel that they are not properly represented by any of the categories in census data and other official records. They are currently considered “white”; a classification which they say does not reflect their ethnicity and heritage. The Arab American Institute has advocated for this change for over 30 years citing that the exclusion has made MENA groups virtually invisible.
The new classification would result in the proper compiling of data on MENA groups especially with regards to discrimination against them, whether it is in housing, employment, schools, etc. This would help right wrongs and produce better policies to ensure that they receive equal treatment under the law. The proposal to create the MENA racial category points up the importance that the US Government gives to their citizens’ respective race, culture and heritage – a policy that exists in Guyana only in name.
Since independence, there has been a decided effort by the two race-based parties, the PPP and PNC, to erase the differences between the racial/ethnic groups and to create “oneness”. This advantages both parties which continue to claim that they represent all Guyanese.
The optics, of course, prove this a lie but if they can get every Guyanese citizen to stop seeing racial differences and to stop identifying themselves with ethnic/racial prefixes – Indian Guyanese, African Guyanese, etc. – they will manage to get away with the lie which negates any effort on their part to find solutions to the racial divide, the divide that is the main contributor to Guyana’s continuing underdevelopment.
To their credit, the parties have succeeded in large measure with their propaganda. Some Guyanese vigorously defend it while some are confused on the issue of identity. Most will tell you that they believe that sameness equals unity and that difference translates into divisiveness no matter all the examples of largely homogenous populations – ie, people who look alike – in India, Africa and the Middle East that are mired in tribal or religious conflict.
Most media houses promote the political parties’ agenda and while ethnic and cultural groups are tolerated, their representation is largely confined to cultural and religious compartments. Their displays of staged exotica allow politicians to praise the nation’s diversity even as they push “oneness” as the ideal. A forked tongue is an essential tool in local politics.
Ethnic cleavage does not have to be Guyana’s future but to get to a unified national position would require open and honest dialogue that would allow the nation as a whole to come to terms with the truths of our history – both pre- and post-independence – that have led to the ever-widening racial divide.
The USA, Canada and European countries are mainly homogenous and actively pursue policies of inclusion and cohesion for minorities in order to build stable and progressive societies. Guyana with its six minority groups present different challenges and the social cohesion framework, borrowed from Europe, is nothing but a costly and time-wasting distraction that serves as a cover for the Granger Government as it pursues what appears to be a racist policy that targets Indian Guyanese businesses and public servants.
Positive change will follow naturally when there is rigorous constitutional reform that acknowledges the racial/political divide and institutes laws and regulations that will create a fair, just and equitable political arrangement whether it is a shared Government or a coalition in which all the peoples of Guyana will be represented.
In the US, there are critics who fear that the new MENA racial classification, if approved, could lead to these groups being monitored and targeted especially given the Islamophobia that currently obtains and that many might not check the new box on census forms for fear of retribution especially if Donald Trump wins the presidency. However, most MENA groups welcome the move towards inclusion. Most see it as an example of America enriching its fabric of diversity. Their official inclusion, they feel, speaks to what it means to be American.
And, so, America continues to progress and Guyana, with its push for “oneness”, continues to check the box for failure.
