ATROCITIES IN THE ETHNIC RELATIONS COMMISSION!

In light of the recent article, “Commissioners disassociate themselves from ERC letter,” published in the February 10th, 2021 edition in the various print Medias, I wish to further highlight some disturbing issues within the Ethnic Relations Commission that can lead to serious catastrophe. All of which contradicts with its mission and purpose to serve and unite the Guyanese people.

Do not get me wrong, I, the undersigned, truly believe in the wisdom and philosophy that created the ERC. I sincerely thank the initiative of Former President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and Late President Mr. Hugh Desmond Hoyte for having created this idea and allowed it to evolve over the years. The philosophy of breaking down walls and building bridges is what the ERC is all about. It is certainly something that I intensely believe in. So much so that I have always been proud to be included in this esteemed institution which achieved much when it was reconstituted in February 22nd, 2018.

However, in recent times, I cannot help but express my utter displeasure with what the ERC has become. In my view, since the “no-confidence” motion and leading up to the March 2020 elections, along with the political master minders in place, the principles and philosophies that the ERC should uphold have rapidly deteriorated. It is known that some within the ERC were and are clandestinely working with political operatives from the opposition to control the commission. Because of this, the ERC has lost its way and has not managed to find a way back to its original mandated purposes.

For me, when I was appointed a commissioner within the ERC, serving Guyana was a moment of great opportunity bequeathed by Almighty God and the Islamic faith. However, in its current state, I am of the opinion, like most Guyanese, that the ERC has been a total letdown to the Guyanese nation and is not deserving of the funds they receive. In my opinion, they have accomplished very little. I believe what was done was insignificant and extremely limited to what could have been achieved. I was even amazed when the Chairman sought to make himself important by pushing the “National Conversation” coming to the end of our term to make it look as though the ERC is doing something. However, much like the so-called “diagnostic team,” it is too little too late. While the “National Conversation” was a great initiative, the recognition must be given to none other than Commissioner Neaz Subhan for being the brains behind it, him along with bits of input from others.

At this juncture, in the current state of the ERC, I am of strong belief that we should resign ‘en bloc’ and let the government via parliament put in place a proper patriotic Commission. I say this because I initially had high hopes and immense feelings of motivation to serve, but on a closer look, I saw egotistic, religious and ethnic prejudices and manipulations by some appointees who are only interested in name, position, money, and who, put their faith in areas where they are not concerned, all for just allowances. Some commissioners, even though they are more than well compensated and earned exceptionally high remuneration in about any and every conceivable thing imaginable, are still not satisfied. Some also wanted a risk allowance to fly on a plane. They wanted risk allowance to go in the jungle. They wanted high-quality boots which I declined, as the boots were provided at the virtual end of our term. As with the Christmas bonuses, some commissioners decided to grant themselves two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000). However, they received one hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) even though the government had advised that all statutory bodies should receive twenty five thousand dollars ($25,000) as a Christmas bonus. Further, all of the ERC staff were given one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) each. I, Commissioner Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan, declined to accept this abuse of taxpayers’ dollars. This to me is utterly wrong and a waste of money on tax payers. On several occasions, I expressed my displeasure to them in writing. Because of these malpractices and others too numerous to mention within the ERC, my heart broke. Do not get me wrong, I still believe in the philosophy of the ERC, albeit under proper administration, like what we had under a former Chairman, Bishop Juan Edghill. I would also like to respectfully add that in the future, commissioners should not be sworn in and left to drown in the ocean, but should attend three days of preparatory training as an induction training. I even suggested this to the diagnostic team.

Recently, we have also seen His Excellency the President, Dr. Irfaan Ali pronouncing his displeasure with the ERC for being in “hiding” following the March, 2020 elections. I concur with His Excellency the President and I think we, as the ERC, led by the Chairman, General Bishop Reverend Doctor John Oswald Smith, needs to apologize to the nation for pussyfooting during and after the recount of the March, 2020 elections. Also, the ERC needs to apologize for not being brave enough to condemn the murders, rapes, “feel-up” of Indian women, and the beatings, lootings, choppings, burning of persons, homes, businesses, and vehicles; theft of paddy and personal items. People were also being blocked from traveling in the West Coast Berbice to and from Georgetown by a particular political group of Guyanese who were obviously instigated by Mr. Harmon, former President David Granger, and some within the AFC.

The ERC had the opportunity to prove its relevance in Guyana for the large amounts of money that were given for the sake of goodwill, harmony, and peace. It would have been a great credit to the ERC to step out and meet the people in the heat of these moments, as it would have solidified their relevance in Guyana. However, despite being an ERC Commissioner myself, it was a great disappointment to note that the Chairman, of what was supposed to be a powerful constitutional body, was as quiet as a door mouse and in my view, functioned as an ornamental appointee of the nation. Rather than taking the lead to stand for what is right: for unity, democracy, and peace, he went, as the President rightfully put it, into “hiding” and hauled much of what seemed to be some opportunistic and cowardly commissioners in the corner doing nothing. I wish to take the opportunity to give credit to retired Brigadier and Chief of Staff, Mr. Norman McLean, a true Human Resource Specialist, for having arranged a special convoy of police and military, accompanied by the Commissioner of Police and the Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defense Force. What broke the heart of many of us as Commissioners was the fact that the Chairman decided against it, without a meeting or even a round robin of Commissioners for their opinions. Instead, he canceled the trip, much to the amazement of the decent Commissioners. It is alleged that he might have had political directive from the now leader of the opposition and others. I would also like to state that some of us, the rational Commissioners, had moved a motion to take a stand on the recount and that we respect and recognized the presence and pronouncement of CARICOM. However, our motion was dismissed. In my view, the Chairman did not deal professionally with the motion. In another case, the Legal Officer had informed that the former President Mr. Granger and Mr. Harmon be summoned by the Commission to denounce their statements, but once again, the Chairman and his group within the ERC refused. Another area of concern is that recently, we discovered that an operative in the investigation department was meddling with the minutes and found lying, rude and disrespectful to certain Commissioners, all because they did not vote for him to become Chief.

We also have one commissioner who behaves as a saint, pulling wool over people’s eyes so that he/she can be re-appointed as a commissioner. At the same time undermining others to achieve their sinister motives. Despite these few negativistic commissioners who are known to be anti-government, I would like to recognize that we have a few good, professional, and righteous commissioners who are bereft of bias, and who have the heart and compunction to stand for what is just and right for Guyana and the Guyanese people. However, it was quite painful to note that by “hiding” while the former government was openly doing wrong and unpleasantly and unapologetically bringing Guyana to International embarrassment and humiliation as they tried to fraudulently steal the election, the ERC Chairman and his group within the ERC would cause themselves to become toothless poodles of the former government (APNU+AFC). With the Chairman at the helm, the ERC became mum, knowing full well that the elections were lost to the then opposition (PPP/C) at that time.
Having been the only one inside the ERC to openly stand up to these wrongdoings and injustices, I was targeted by the fact that through the instruction of the political powerhouses mentioned above, press releases were published against me to embarrass and break me. However, as the All-Powerful Creator would have it, it only strengthened and motivated me and instead exposed them. The entire ERC, under the helm of the Chairman boycotted the recount, and while my brave colleague and a true patriot of this country, Commissioner Neaz Subhan was hospitalized by COVID-19, I was the ERC’s sole rep (one other commissioner attended a few of the original countings). At the end of the recount, I used the opportunity to laud the ERC which at that time seemed nonexistent. After being urged by all other Observer groups, including CARICOM, to say something on behalf of the ERC, the Chairman saw it fit to publicly humiliate me. He did this after taking orders to disagree with me and to do so by issuing instructions that a release be issued to the effect that I, Commissioner Hajji Roshan Khan cannot speak for the commission. Strange enough, as soon as I finished making the statement which was broadcasted live, one known clandestine operative and current anti-government personality immediately sent a WhatsApp message to tell me that appears I have become the Chairman. This individual makes it appear that commissioners do not have a right to speak or comment on an issue of national importance. I did not compromise the ERC, I basically tried to extol the ERC which as I said above was behaving as if it was a toothless poodle, and as the President rightfully said, went into “hiding.” One particular reporter asked me if the ERC agrees with the recount figure. And, I answered that this is not a thing that I could pronounce on, they could make contact with the Chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission. Amazingly, before the press release condemning me, the Chairman never spoke to me about the words I used. Incidentally, I must state that I know for a fact the ERC lost much credibility for that release issued against me.

With the many ERC failures, I believe that the Creator, Lord God of the worlds, had a clear reason why at this period in Guyanese history, a man like me had to be in the ERC. I say this because it is known that many Muslims and leaders in general, often like to take the diplomatic stance and/or known to often remain silent and take whatever is thrown at them. In this light, I believe that the ERC needed an Islamic personality of my caliber: one who is fearless, tough, but compassionate, and who looks out for humanity. In the religion of Islam, we are told: “O believers! Stand firm for justice as witnesses for Allah even if it is against yourselves, your parents, or close relatives. Be they rich or poor, Allah is best to ensure their interests. So do not let your desires cause you to deviate ˹from justice˺. If you distort the testimony or refuse to give it, then ˹know that˺ Allah is certainly All-Aware of what you do.” (Quran 4:135)

What many people tend to forget, also, is that I wear a lot of hats, one of which is a Security Consultant and Operative cap. As my contact number is open to all people, I received dozens and dozens of calls every day on the mayhem and slaughter of a particular people in the West Coast Berbice and East Coast corridor. As a security operative, many were reaching out to me and seeking my help on whether to bring out bush guns and whip out cutlasses after the aftermath of the brutal killings of Isaiah Henry, Joel Henry, and Haresh Singh. However, my advice to them was to “not be aggressors…protect your minorities…”

I respectfully asked the ERC to compare my words in which I advised the people who were being beaten, mauled and killed in a particular community “to form protection groups, equipped with batons and sticks for self-defense only. Be firm and clever but never be the aggressors, and to protect the minorities in your communities” to compare my words with the words of Mr. Harmon’s and that of Mr. Granger’s who said: “this response is a correct response, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise,” and “We have to establish some self-defense in our society to protect our children, protect our women, our young people. Unless we protect ourselves, nobody is going to protect us” respectively.

When Mr. Harmon was trying to denigrate and destroy me in the media and out of the media using his satellites and acolytes in Guyana and around the world, I challenged him at my expense to a public debate on his and Mr. Granger’s words vs. mine. I suggested a political conversation on Critic or any other media attached to it, but he never replied. To this day, in a public debate at my expense, I still challenge him to face me off.

Further, I even asked the Chairman of the ERC, those who supported him, and even those who sent a press release, where was my bias when I called for the protection of the minorities of citizens who were being battered, raped, hammered and robbed? I would also like to know why the ERC did not issue a press release and even conducted inquiries into personalities who were instigating, albeit smartly, such as Christopher Jones and Sherrod Duncan? I would also like to ask Mr. Harmon who went to produce a press release to save his own skin for the unpleasant words he used to support the slaughtering of some Indo Guyanese which has disaffected their families and produced a life time of pain. I asked him to decipher his words vs. mine. Incidentally, the Chairman’s press release came just a few minutes after Mr. Hermon criticized me and attempted to take the emphasis of his back. These actions made it seem that the Chairman of the ERC is a puppet of the opposition party. To many, I used terms that were more compassionate and caring for the people who were being targeted. I also asked this to the Chairman of the ERC, who as it is alleged on political instruction, published the release without even a discussion with me. This showed a total lack of disregard for me. As a General Bishop and Chairman of the ERC, he was most unprofessional, to my opinion. As such, I ask him to refute my words here today in which I state: he failed as the Chairman of the ERC and failed this nation by allowing it to become a marionette of hateful political master minders. I also ask this of the small group within the ERC that shares the same dangerous ulterior sentiments.

At this juncture, I must say that I am always proud of my fellow Guyanese. I always have faith in my people because I know that for hundreds of years, to create this great country; we lived, worked, and even revolted together for freedom. My advice to my fellow brothers and sisters in Guyana is this: continue to live in utter goodwill, love, and seek to rise above those political master minders with evil compunctions in their hearts. Let us all strive to live as one human family under God and as One People, One Nation, with One Destiny.

Sincerely,
Commissioner Hajji Dr. Roshan Khan Snr.
Islamic Constituent