Opposition spokesman on Legal Affairs, Senior Counsel Roysdale Forde, has welcomed the formation of an “Institute for action against discrimination” in Guyana.
Addressing the launch of the organization on Saturday, Mr. Forde noted that the significance of the organization “lies not only in its stated intentions, that is, to act on discrimination against Guyanese, but also in the fact that it is established here in Guyana, by Guyanese who believe that we can and should be doing better for our people and for the development of our country.”
Senior Counsel Forde presented a gift of a coconut tree to Lloraine Hamilton as part of a self-sufficiency drive, following his address at the launch of the “Institute for action against discrimination” in Guyana.
He observed that “ the times we live in often pose risks to individual rights to express freely opinions and even to communicate their pains….and that the twists and turns in language allow for political linguistic gymnasts to distort the best of intentions, the words you use to deny you self-expression, and even seek to prosecute you.”
“This comes at a time when there is an increasing number of Guyanese abroad intensifying the lobby for good governance back in their homeland. It is not unusual to hear comments at times that the struggle for change in Guyana is more in the diaspora than at home, which we know is as a result of the fear that people feel to let their thoughts be known,” Forde lamented.
He called on Guyanese as “a people whose ancestors fought against slavery and were freed from the exploitation of an indentureship system; who came together against colonial forces to improve conditions of work and to be granted independence, to demonstrate the willpower of their ancestors from Africa, India, Portugal, China, other parts of the world and of our First Peoples..in our fight for social, economic and political justice.”
He observed that many Guyanese today, “are afraid that we will lose our jobs, our tokens, we are afraid that we will not receive contracts and be able to ply our trade, we are afraid our children will be victims of police harassment and extra judicial killings.”
“We are afraid of everyone with a cell phone, for the spies and seekers of political favour will stop at nothing to get themselves aligned. These are behaviours similar to those that occurred under Nazi Germany. These are behaviours that will worsen if unstopped and have frightening consequences to victims of such,” Mr Forde lamented.
He congratulated the formation of the Institute for action against discrimination. “You are seeking to do what the western world does, what all countries, all peoples with conscience do. You are seeking to strengthen, to build capacity and empower for societal change. You are a symbol of what development means in progressive societies and I stand ready and willing to defend your rights and legal actions ensuing from this endeavour,” he said.
