The minimum that should be accepted from Minister of Youth, Sports and Culture, Charles Ramson Jr. on the racial incident is a public apology. This is the view of the Institute For Action Against Discrimination (IFAAD), reacting to a racial encounter directed against sculptor and Burrowes School of Arts Administrator, Ivor Thom, that had the involvement of the minister.
Earlier this month racial insults were hurled at Thom by a man who refused to comply with his directive that the space he (the man) intended to park was reserved for staff and students of the arts school.
The man reportedly complained to Minister Ramson, who summoned Thom, an African Guyanese, and upbraided him. Disheartened by the lack of support from the ministry, Thom resigned.
However, outcries from the students who wrote a letter to the press, media coverage, and condemnation of the government’s handling of the matter, forced intervention by Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo.
The vice president, at his press conference last Thursday, said he spoke with the minister and told him the matter was badly handled, and the minister agreed. Earlier last week Thom rescinded his resignation and is back on the job, reportedly at the urging of the vice president.
IFAAD Vice Chairman Pt Ubraj Narine told Village Voice News, Jagdeo’s comment that he dealt with the minister is not enough.
“Racial insults or attacks against fellow Guyanese, coming from a parliamentarian and government official, is unacceptable,” Narine said.
Going further, the vice chairman stated if we should accept what Jagdeo said, then it is expected the minister will issue a public apology. The Minister is not a minor and Jagdeo cannot speak for him; he must speak for himself, Narine pronounced. “How do we know that he is sorry and the vice president is not making up the story,” he questioned.
The vice chairman is contending leaders in society “must set an example of respect and equality and demonstrate regard for the principles of diversity that are fundamental to our community.”
IFAAD condemns racist remarks and those who make or tolerate them because these remarks are not only inappropriate but also damaging to the values of inclusivity and respect that our society strives to uphold, the vice chairman emphasised.
He explained that “Behaviours of intolerance undermine the integrity of public office and foster an environment of discrimination, and if ministers of government can get away with practicing racial intolerance, next it would be religious intolerance.”
According to the vice chairman, the president and ministers must set a higher standard. “They are paid by the people and must be respectful to the people,” he intoned.
The institute, he said, remains committed to advocating for respect and equitable treatment for all Guyanese and will continue to closely monitor behaviors like Minister Ramson and others who stoke the flames of intolerance and discrimination.
