Responding to public pressure Govt says Police will drop “negro” identifier

The Government has announced the word “negro” will no longer be used arising from a Cabinet decision on Thursday, June 6, 2024. This decision came amidst outcries arising from the arrest and charge of host of the ‘Buxton Morning,’ Kidackie Amsterdam.

Amsterdam’s attorney, Nigel Hughes objected to the Police racial identification of his client as “negro.” Hughes in a letter to the Ethnic Relations Commission stated the term “negro” had its roots in colonialism and slavery, where it was used to dehumanize and subjugate people of African descent. “Its usage today is not only outdated but also perpetuates a legacy of racism and exclusion,” he declared.

That sparked a series of national conversation demanding acknowledgement of African Guyanese perception of the name, and the bitter historical association.

Initially, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlal S.C rejected the demand, stating the identifier was used for more than a century by the Police. Guyana Trades Union Congress General Secretary Lincoln Lewis, appearing on the Mark Benschop “Straight Up” show to discuss the issue said “The PPP has no right to impose the term ‘Negro’  on African Guyanese,” calling for respect and recognition of the community’s chosen identity.

What prompted the People’s Progressive Party’s government about turn is unclear.

In a statement issued by Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Governance, Gail Teixeira M.P. she admitted the ethnic identification categories, such as “negro,” was inherited from British colonial times. “These terms, while not enshrined in law, have been used as an identification tool since the colonial era and after independence.”

Government, forced to recognise Guyanese disquiet terms like “negro” and “east Indian” are offensive decided the terms used by the Guyana Police Force, including Immigration, and the health sector as forms of identification and epidemiological references to ethnic descriptions will now read as follows:

• Guyanese of African descent

•Guyanese of Indian descent

•Guyanese Amerindian

• Guyanese of mixed ancestry

• Guyanese of Portuguese descent

• Guyanese of Chinese descent

According to the government the relevant entities were instructed to implement the Cabinet’s decision and update their operational manuals and rules accordingly.