Replace the Ethnic Relations Commission with a diversity commission

Dear Editor,
I noticed that the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) is asking for $220.8 million in the budget. This has been a totally useless Commission, not partially useless, but totally useless, and it should be scrapped immediately.
I suggest it be replaced with a Diversity/Affirmative Action Commission (using some Affirmative Action features of the US system). The Opposition should be okay with this, because they believe in power sharing, and this is the kind of power sharing we need.

Pictures of the new Ministers visiting their ministries, in which was revealed that the overwhelming majority of employees are of one ethnicity, are quite troubling. The new Minister of Public Service saying the awarding of scholarships was overwhelmingly for one ethnicity is cause for concern. This did not bother the PNC, because their “New Declaration of Sophia” promulgated by Volda, was, “The only friends I got is PNC, so the only people I could give work to is PNC. And, right now, I looking for a doctor who can talk Spanish or Portuguese, and ah want one that is PNC.”

I may have missed it, but I do not recall the ERC or churches denouncing this apartheid doctrine. For their previous 23 years, the PPP likewise ignored this diversity problem, (and it bit them in a place where they don’t want to be bitten), when a handful of people in one agency were willing to rig in favour of their preferred party.

I hope the PPP learned an important lesson on how important it is for the workplace to reflect our diversity in an era when “all lives matter.” This new Diversity Commission should be a number one legislative priority.

Only morons would keep the ERC and give them more money than other commissions are requesting. $220 million to do what? What thing of substance have they done? Can we get a report?
The budget requests were as follows: Ethnic Relations Commission: $220.8 million; Public and Police Service Commissions: $150.6 million; Teaching Service Commission: $117 million; Judicial Service Commission: $10 million for current estimates; Public Procurement Commission: $206.4 million; Women and Gender Equality Commission: $58.3 million; Rights of the Child Commission: $46 million; Human Rights Commission: $25.9 million; and Indigenous People’s Commission: $24.3 million.

There had been so many violent, racist statements made, and the ERC has done little by way of investigation. There were Facebook threats to harm our President, and a recent threat on our heroic Attorney General, and the ERC is still sleeping.

I was disappointed when the Ministry of the Presidency released photos, on March 7, during the rigging, showing the ERC Head hosting Mr. Granger as guest of honour at the Head’s birthday party at the Ramada. I thought this was quite insensitive, and the ERC head was either a willing pawn or was hoodwinked by the PNC to release those photos at that time. What message were they trying to send?
I ask the Guyanese nation: Do you agree the ERC must go? We can use that $220 million to build some streets in a needy village, or buy more machines to do COVID testing. There is only one machine in the whole country.

Sincerely,
Dr Jerry Jailall