PRESIDENT Bharrat Jagdeo has emphasised that the various Constitutional Commissions that will be established through the agreements signed between himself and Leader of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNC/R), Mr. Robert Corbin, have tremendous powers.

“These are very important Commissions. The Ethnic Relations Commission has powers of sanction which is important, but the Commission also has powers to promote good ethnic relations through programmes to get people to understand our culture,” explained President Jagdeo.

In a special interview conducted by Dwayne Fowler of GTV 11 last Friday at State House, the President said, “Although we have brought different cultures from different places, we are all Guyanese and people have to learn a little bit of all our cultures. People have to learn the cultures of each group, because it is part of our culture now.”

Some of the Commissions that will be established include the Indigenous Peoples, Ethnic Relations, Rights of the Child, Disciplinary Services, Human Rights and the Procurement Commission.

President Jagdeo explained that the Commissions are very important. “All of these things, hopefully, will give people more comfort that they are treated equally as Guyanese. These Commissions will significantly enhance the enforcement mechanisms for the bodies of rights that we already have,” the Head of State pointed out.

He explained that the Indigenous Peoples Commission will bring an end to the issues raised by the indigenous people and historically Government has tried to address some of those problems. It was noted that their lands were identified in the 1960s but they never received titles.

The President said, “We are in the process of demarcating some of the land and giving titles to the Amerindians, but they have also asked for additional land. So, I think we can accelerate that process. We can also accelerate the body of rights for the indigenous people to ensure they are treated equally in Guyana.”

He emphasised that the Rights of the Child Commission is very important. “I am very disturbed by many of the problems that I see in our society and around the Caribbean. But, I am not so much concerned about the Caribbean, I am concerned about our children, especially matters relating to incest and the abuse of children. It is a really serious problem among some groups, so we have to ensure that the rights of our children are not only established but that they are enforced,” said the President.

The Head of State said that hopefully the Constitutional Commission of the Rights of the Child would go a far way towards consolidating all the Legislation protecting children and then institute strong enforcement mechanisms. He is hopeful that the Commission will also monitor those mechanisms enforced through the Constitutional Commission that will have cooperation from all the parties in Parliament.

“There is also the Ethnic Relations Commission. This is very, very important for our country. Traditionally there has been this problem and it has been exacerbated by politics, because our people at the grassroot level, I think, want to live and work together to create a better life for their children,” said President Jagdeo.

He explained that after decades of stereotyping and negative politics, ethnic tension is obvious sometimes. “In many ways people still feel insecure because of that whether people feel that they are being discriminated for jobs and access to benefits or because they look a particular way” the Head of State noted.

It was noted that the Ethnic Relations Commission will give people who perceive that they have been discriminated against an independent body where they can take their case and have it investigated.

“What is good about this also is that it will undercut the television and media houses that really push these issues, because now all we have to say is, if you had a real issue don’t just talk about it; just take it to the Ethnic Relations Commission for redress,” said the President.

He added, “It will require people to come up with much more factual situations than just use propaganda to stir up hatred among our people. It will cut all the rhetoric and really deal with the problem.”

The President pointed out that the Procurement Commission is also of great importance. “There has been lots of complaints that the Government is corrupt, although there has been little evidence. You have corruption in many civil service agencies but it has reduced tremendously from a decade ago,” said President Jagdeo.

He added, “I can’t promise that there would never be corruption because I don’t know that the people would steal around the country, but we can deal with it if there is corruption. Often we are told that the Government covers it up so I am very glad that we have the Integrity Commission and now the Procurement Commission.”

The Head of State noted that these Commissions could now investigate these matters. He said this would take away people’s rhetorical platform. He added that many people shout corruption when they have personal issues, while others shout corruption for political reasons.

“The Human Rights Commission is very vital and those who claim that there are extra-judicial killings among the Police can go to the Human Rights Commission. If they feel their Human Rights are violated or any other violation of Human rights, they can also go to the Commission,” said the President.

He pointed out that the Disciplinary Forces Commission would look at the functioning of the Guyana Defence Force and the Guyana Police Force. He explained that this Commission will also examine the ethnic composition of the Forces because there have been claims that because of the recruitment branches, particular groups have been kept out.

President Jagdeo said the signing of the communiqué was historic in a sense that the two political parties have reached agreements. He noted that no other Caribbean Community (CARICOM) country has similar Parliamentary arrangements particularly with the Opposition having such a strong voice in Parliament.

“It was historic in the sense that we have the new Constitutions and now it is historic that we have reached agreement for the implementation of the several measures that were identified, not just to enhance inclusivity and to give a greater voice to the Opposition but also to address many of the key concerns of our people. So in that sense it was historic,” said President Jagdeo.