“Social cohesion” is all the rage these days. In Europe, such plans are crafted for homogenous populations dealing with new immigrant minorities. This is hardly the situation in Guyana where the racial/political divide goes back to the arrival of Indian indentured labourers 178 years ago, to our divisive colonial politics, and to the ensuing race politics that started in the 1950s, and exploded into violence in the 1960s, a violence that still threatens because the social, cultural and political causes are yet to be dealt with. Hence, the lack of social cohesion.
In a previous column, I explored the lack of political will on either side of the divide to change anything for the better, and stated that Guyana is saddled with lazy, short-sighted politicians who are deathly afraid of a nation of peoples who will actually be united enough to see past race and vote intelligently on issues. Should this ever happen, they will all be summarily rejected. They need the divide.
A cohesive society is built on several basic elements, these being primarily trust, respect, transparency and accountability, justice, economic progress, and national security. To get there, Guyana simply has to enforce current laws, conventions and recommendations, and practise a healthy measure of fair-mindedness in our governance.
This is yet to happen and the David Granger Government in one year has managed to create deeper and wider racial divisions in Guyana than has happened in over 20 years. Everywhere, everybody is vexed: the business community, the labour sector, the young unemployed, fired public servants, Georgetown’s citizens, metal recyclers, street vendors, and the public at large.
If this Government is serious about building social cohesion, it must start with President David Granger himself who must forgo his hauteur and unilateral decision-making for democratic processes that are fair, transparent and consultative of the people.
A vibrant economy is fundamental for job creation, job security and national progress, and since Government is bereft of ideas of how to proceed with economic development – both public and private – there is urgent need to establish an Economic Advisory Committee that will comprise our successful business and manufacturing leaders.
All Guyanese businesses, no matter their political persuasions, must be represented. Government’s overt partisanship of “jobs for the boys” as is evident in its public service is non-cohesive, non-representative, and contrary to national interests.
The recent Golden Jubilee celebration was another such overt racial/partisan exercise where the favoured African-Guyanese population were the main participants. Such government actions make its talk about social cohesion purely hypocritical.
Social cohesion means putting into practice the tenets of the Guyana Constitution and the UN Human Rights Charter where all Guyanese share a common belonging to country, and have an inclusive sense of their Guyanese citizenship which acknowledges and guarantees their identities of religion, culture, ethnicity, gender, etc.
Given that these are guaranteed constitutional and human rights, it is abhorrent that Indian-Guyanese in particular have to continue to explain and justify our presence as if we are indeed outsiders whose ethnicity and cultural values are somehow contrary to national interests.
Mutual respect for all of Guyana’s peoples must start in schools and communities with lessons in well-researched social and political history which highlight the contributions that each group has made to the country’s development.
The media has an important role to play in this regard especially in instances where “unity” and “racial harmony” are presented by certain sections as racial intermarriage and miscegenation, and as the solution to the country’s racial divide.
Granger himself never addresses this single most pressing issue in any of his statements on social cohesion and has been heard to infer publicly that the solution to the divide is the “mixing” of the races.
Marriage must remain a sacred personal choice and not ever become a Government policy that pushes a “race mingling” agenda as was attempted under the Burnham dictatorship.
On the vital issue of national security, there are two reports that are languishing and gathering dust: The International Council of Jurists and Disciplined Forces Commission both recommended that Guyana’s armed forces must reflect the country’s diversity if there is to be security from all threats, including internal political violence, but no government has yet moved to correct the blatant racial imbalance in our army and police.
The overarching document that will craft the way forward for a Guyana of inclusive and fully participatory government of, for and by its peoples is the much-needed reformed constitution.
This is where real social cohesion will begin. The APNU/AFC Coalition did promise such reform. We must hold them to their promise.
