APAD slams Afro-Guyanese vilification by Guyana’s Opposition at UN Forum

…as Labour Minister highlights development priority of Govt for all Guyanese

Representative of the Association of People of African Descent in Guyana (APAD), Elisha Ali on Monday spoke at the United Nations (UN) Permanent Forum on People of African Descent in New York about the continued silencing of Afro-Guyanese by those referring to them as “lick bottom” and “slave catchers.” He made this statement during the 4th Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent, themed “United for Reparatory Justice in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI).”

Ali told the Forum that such language has been particularly directed at Guyanese of African descent by representatives of the People’s National Congress (PNC), A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), and the Alliance For Change (AFC), with David Hinds of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) being one of the most recent figures to use the derogatory term “lick bottom Africans” in reference to Afro-Guyanese.
He noted that “as we reflect on our shared history, we are also presented with a unique opportunity to shape a future where technology works for us and not against us. But we must also recognise that some of our greatest challenges are not only external. They arise within our own communities. Today, I wish to offer a crucial recommendation to this forum. We must establish clear measures and checks and balances to prevent African organisations, particularly those representing people of African descent, from attacking or undermining fellow groups within our communities.”
Too often, he said, it is found that organisations created to advocate for rights and advancement of Afro-descendant communities become the very entities that foster division. “In Guyana, for instance, we have witnessed organisations intended to combat institutional racism that have instead perpetuated harm by silencing descendant voices within our community and disparaging other Afro-Guyanese who express their right to independent thought. They have resulted in calling those who do not share their personal ideologies like bottoms, slave catchers, and house slaves,” he told the UN forum.
He pointed out that this divisiveness undermines the collective efforts towards reparatory justice. “The struggle for equality and recognition should not be derailed by internal strife, nor should it be hijacked by gatekeepers who decide who is authentically black or who has the right to speak for our people. It is essential that organisations, both Governmental and non-Governmental, be held accountable for creating spaces that foster unity and collaboration rather than fracture and exclusion.”
He recommended that the permanent forum establish accountability mechanisms to enforce checks and balances and ensure that reparatory justice addresses both external and internal oppression. “The fight for justice must be rooted in unity. Let us hold ourselves at the same standards that we demand the world,” he said.

Development priority
Meanwhile, highlighting the main Goals for the Guyana Government, Labour Minister Joseph Hamilton has expressed in a recent Global forum that the development of Afro-Guyanese and Guyanese serves as a priority for the Guyana Government.
The Session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent is an official UN gathering that brings together Governments, civil society, experts, and representatives of African-descended communities around the world. It’s a platform created to address and advance issues affecting people of African descent globally.
Hamilton highlighted the strides being made by the Government of Guyana to support the development of Afro-Guyanese and Guyanese citizens as a whole in the country’s multi-ethnic society.
He noted that Guyana has embarked on a transformative agenda that is rapidly changing the economic and physical landscape of the country. As part of this transformation, Guyana is increasing its adoption of AI, including the establishment of a Digital Academy.
This, he explained, is deliberately paired with initiatives designed to ensure greater inclusion and participation of all citizens in accessing goods, services, and opportunities—aimed at reducing poverty, geographic disparities, ethnic insecurities, and inequality.
On the subject of education and human resource development, Hamilton noted that the Government’s Guyana Online Academy of Learning (GOAL) has awarded thousands of scholarships over the past four years, providing free access to online education.
“This is aimed at creating a modern workforce, including by facilitating access for residents of rural and remote areas,” he added.
Highlighting recent educational developments, he stated that beginning this year, free tertiary education is now being offered to all Guyanese.
He also pointed to the annual cash grant distributed to every child from nursery to secondary levels, as part of efforts to promote educational access.
Further, he reiterated the Government’s commitment to skills development, noting that Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) is offered free of cost at all technical institutes—enhancing the employability and skillsets of the population.
Regarding the right to housing and shelter, Minister Hamilton spotlighted Guyana’s massive national housing programme, which has distributed over 44,000 house lots in the last four years, benefiting more than 200,000 people.
“Notably, 43 per cent of the recipients are women. No ethnic group is excluded. In addition, several subsidies are provided for low-income households, including mortgage relief at low interest rates,” he shared.
Meanwhile Minister Hamilton relayed that AI holds immense potential to bridge the digital divide and foster equitable development.
“Chair, as we intensify our efforts, we are well aware that artificial intelligence has the potential to significantly aid development. But the digital gap between developed and developing countries must be narrowed. Guyana will therefore continue to advocate for digital justice. Let us continue to advance the fight for reparatory justice, and AI must be part of that conversation,” he stated.
Offering his perspective at the Forum, the Minister emphasised that the platform presents an opportunity to elevate the cause of reparatory justice globally.
“Chairperson, this session of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent allows us to advance the cause of reparatory justice in the age of artificial intelligence, while at the same time share our experiences at the national level,” he said.