“Guyana has faced significant challenges in achieving economic and political stability, but the most pressing issue in Guyana today is political victimisation through economic marginalisation,” said Mr. Ricky Ramsaroop, Member of Parliament (MP). Speaking at the recent launch of the Institute for Action Against Discrimination (IAAD), the MP said this is a public issue, which requires one to know the country’s history, parliament, and political systems.
The roots of political victimisation in Guyana started for centuries, he said. He addressed the issues of slavery and agriculture and highlighted that colonialism still occurs to date, even though Guyana gained its independence in 1966.
“Today we see blatant acts of political victimisation and economic marginalisation, for example, what they did to His Worship the Mayor. As a result of these practices, many Guyanese citizens find themselves marginalised from the country’s political economic system and those who oppose the ruling party are often subjected to harassment, intimidation, and even violence, this includes members of ethnic & religious minorities as well as those who advocate for democratic reform and human rights.”
Today political victimisation continues to be a major issue in Guyana, the current Government led by Irfaan Ali, uses state funds to oppress the opposition, declared the MP. Further, he mentioned the A Partnership of National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) is superior and has a better track record than the People’s Progressive Party and supported his argument by the comparative governance of the two where the former was more inclusive and transparent.
Ramsaroop touched on democracy, police brutality, and extrajudicial killings and noted that he is thrilled with the launch of IAAD as it will help to challenge the government on various issues.
He further spoke on how the government discriminates when awarding Government contracts and gender equality.
Sustainable Development activist, Dr. Simpson Da Silva spoke on human rights and the various United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and its 2030 Agenda. He too addressed human rights violations in Guyana. “The AfroGuyanese, IndoGuyanese, European Guyanese, Chinese Guyanese, Amerindian Guyanese, and Mixed Race Guyanese, we have human rights and no one should mess with our rights.”
He noted that we are seeing snippets of slavery today. “Not because I speak for my rights, means I must be violated… I am human, I have human rights.
In making the case for people to get involved in their development, DaSilva referenced the lyrics of Bob Marley, ‘Get Up Stand Up’ song, noting that Guyanese have to stand up for our rights. Further, he said that all villages across Guyana should experience Paradise, the venue of the launch at the West Coast Berbice. He also highlighted the importance of being educated about their human rights. “It is your right,” he posited.
Impressing the importance of sustainable development, DaSilva called on leaders to return to agriculture to eat healthy. “I am calling for restoration of the kitchen garden… the school garden, through plants we can achieve all Sustainable Development Goals… We can get healthy by eating the various plants. We can be wealthy by rearing the plants and even agro processing. You cannot discriminate by involving women and children .. we need young people to learn and get involved with the SDGs…”
Let each one teach one of the 17 SDGs, he urged and encouraged the viewers to tune into his podcast/talk show.
