In a stunning display of hypocrisy and betrayal, Minister Oneidge Walrond and the PPP government have been caught in a web of deceit regarding their supposed support for people of African descent in Guyana. While professing commitment to improving the conditions of Afro-Guyanese, recent actions have starkly contradicted their rhetoric, revealing a pattern of neglect, discrimination, and exploitation.
Minister Walrond’s grandiose statements at the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent in Geneva, Switzerland, reek of deceit. She proudly proclaimed Guyana’s support for a second International Decade for People of African Descent, yet her government’s actions speak louder than words. The defunding of the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G) is a damning indictment of their true priorities.
Since its inception in 2017, IDPADA-G has been a vital organization dedicated to addressing the needs of Afro-Guyanese in line with the United Nations’ International Decade for People of African Descent. However, the government’s decision to withhold funding has forced IDPADA-G to send home staff and scramble to maintain its operations without financial support. This abrupt cessation of funding underscores the callous disregard for the well-being of Afro-Guyanese communities.
Minister Walrond’s rhetoric about improving the quality of life for all Guyanese rings hollow in the face of such blatant neglect. The withholding of government contracts from African people, underpayment of the predominantly African public servant workforce, and confiscation of ancestral lands further exacerbate the systemic injustices faced by Afro-Guyanese.
Moreover, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo’s baseless accusations of financial mismanagement against IDPADA-G only serve to reflect his own extreme racial bias. Despite the organization’s transparent financial reporting and diligent utilization of funds for community development initiatives, Jagdeo’s unfounded claims perpetuate a false narrative of incompetence and corruption.
The PPP government’s refusal to provide additional funding for grants to Afro-Guyanese, coupled with Minister Walrond’s empty promises of support, epitomizes the height of hypocrisy. While CARICOM espouses principles of reparations for the descendants of enslaved Africans, Guyana’s actions betray a fundamental lack of commitment to rectifying historical injustices.
It is reprehensible that Minister Walrond was put in the position of having to mislead the committee in Geneva, knowing full well the government’s duplicity. The PPP government’s disingenuous posturing as champions of Afro-Guyanese rights stands in stark contrast to their actions on the ground, where communities continue to suffer from neglect and exploitation.