Norton’s statement on Red House issue must be lauded

Dear Editor,
I recall when various communities (religious, trade unions, ethnic, youth etc) were invited to a conference at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC) last year on April 26, 2016, as part of the rebirth of the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), the then Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton made a presentation which was impressive as a humanist and one with vision for humanity.
Following the opening ceremony, the Minister had parliamentary responsibility to be the counsel for the cluster of the Islamic Group. In this session, yet again the words he used and the energy that he exuded demonstrated a knack for social communication and national integrative skills.
In our cluster, I had mentioned that if I was nominated once more (since I was nominated in and I was the original nominee in early 2016), I would pursue an agenda of meeting and speaking with persons from the most remote areas, reaching out to people of all different ethnicities and religions. Subsequent to my statement, one particular Muslim member on behalf of a large Islamic Organisation (not the CIOG) stated that “Hindus have Hindus attending to Hindus, Christians have Christians attending to Christians, and we must have Muslims attending to Muslims.” In a state of shock, I let the individual know that when it comes to the ERC, clusters and preferences must cease to exist as it is a constitutional body which must represent the rights of all Guyanese. The gentleman continued to argue his point assiduously. The now Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton intervened and stated very emphatically but eloquently that my points were correct and that a Commissioner to the ERC when elected by a cluster should and must represent all factions in society. The voice of the Minister touched my heart as it did with many others, and I saw a deep care in him for this nation and I could see in his eyes a unique devotion for unity in Guyana.
On January 9, 2017, in a meeting with Minister Norton, he indicated his preference for one on one planned meetings. In my opinion, this was a good move to meet with the elected nominees in such a manner which showed his personality and also his familiarisation as a practitioner in medicine. He relayed to me that by doing this, he could see and understand those who are genuine cohesionists apart from those that are opportunists. I complimented him for seeing persons via one on one scheduled meetings, as it was a good start and confirmed his humility as he was seeking advice on how to proceed.
Since his transfer to the Social Cohesion Ministry, Minister Norton has affirmed that this is not his field of expertise as he would have been in the medical field all his professional life. However, with my recent experience and from what I would have known before, he has been practicing social cohesion all along. Further, his statement on the Government’s actions to confiscate the lease on Red House must be lauded. It is obvious that such a comment coming from someone, especially a senior official of the governing party, will attract criticism and also, many will seek to embarrass him both privately and publicly. For this move, the Minister must be acknowledged. It takes guts to be a Social Cohesion Minister as it takes guts to make such statements.
I believe that there is too much hate that it being peddled by the political powerhouses in this country. Once an activity or group of people (governmental or non-governmental) are involved in socially cohesive activities, yours truly and my partner and colleague, General Secretary of the Universal Peace Federation Guyana, Reverend Ronald McGarrell promise to work to create communities of unity right away; as the community can lead to unity as a work in progress. I call on the Government, the Opposition, those with political adherences, the Private Sector, civil society and all my brothers and sisters belonging to this blessed land; to please remember, Guyana first, ambition and power later.

Yours sincerely,
Hajji Roshan Khan
Universal Peace
Federation-Guyana
Chairman