1. This is the last report on the Political Dialogue for 1999. It covers the period from 14 June 1999 to the present.
2. You will recall that I have issued Press Statements in relation to the work of the Dialogue on 14 June 1999 and on 3 September 1999. My previous Statements have indicated that the Dialogue resumed on 14 June 1999 consequent on the intervention of the Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku when the Parties agreed to resume their Dialogue on the basis of equality and mutual respect. In this context, they agreed that the remarks that the parties were not equal and the subsequent breakdown of the Dialogue were regrettable and ought not to have occurred. They further agreed for the future to avoid behaviour and language that is capable of undermining the constructive nature of the Dialogue. They also agreed that the Political Dialogue between the parties which is to proceed on the basis of agreed agenda should not be confused with Dialogue between Government and Opposition.
3. Those Press Statements also indicated that the Parties had agreed on a Consolidated Agenda containing items for discussion between the Parties. The priority items set down for discussion at the resumed Dialogue were Land and House Lots Distribution by the People’s National Congress (PNC) and the Elections Commission by the Peoples Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/Civic). No progress has been made on these matters for the reasons advanced by the Parties. These reasons are set out in detail in my Press Statement issued on 3 September 1999.
4. In the absence of agreement on resolving the issue of Land and House Lots Distribution and with a view to continuing the work of the Dialogue the Parties have agreed on 7 September 1999 to begin discussion on Race Relations. The PNC enquired if the issue of racial discrimination and victimisation in the distribution and allocation of land and house lots arose during discussion on Race Relations whether the PPP/Civic will be prepared to deal with it. The PPP/Civic responded that it is willing to discuss all aspects of Race Relations.
5. On 9 November 1999, the Parties began substantive discussion on proposals for establishing an Ethnic Relations Commission. The discussions are based principally on the following documents presented by the Parties –
- White Paper on Race Relations presented by the PPP/Civic on 9 November 1999
- The Ethnic Relations Commission presented by the PPP/Civic on 16 November 1999
- Ethnic Relations Commission – Purpose and Terms of Reference presented by the PNC on 19 November 1999
6. The recommendations contained in the Report of the Constitution Reform Commission and in the Report of the Special Select Committee to the National Assembly also formed a major part of the discussions.
7. The Parties have agreed to discuss the establishment of an Ethnic Relations Commission instead of a Race Relations Commission because it is perceived that Ethnic Relations is more all- encompassing than Race Relations.
8. At the request of the Parties the Facilitator prepared Draft Preliminary Proposals for an Ethnic Relations Commission in an effort to establish as much common ground as possible between the separate proposals presented by the Parties. The Parties considered the Facilitator’s draft proposals and after much discussion and alterations have agreed in principle on a number of proposals for an Ethnic Relations Commission.
9. The Parties have agreed to refer these proposals to the Executive Committees of their respective parties for approval.
10. In response to the PNC’s request for a document containing the PPP/Civic’s policy on Land and House Lots Distribution the PPP/Civic submitted a document on Housing which had been laid at the Sixth Parliament. This document was presented to the Dialogue by the PPP/Civic on 9 November 1999. In the context of the agreement between the Parties dated 7 October 1999 on the modalities for dealing with issues of victimisation and discrimination the PNC on 7 December 1999 tabled a case of victimisation and discrimination in the document entitled Discrimination in Award of Contract by Central Tender Board – Tuschen Water Supply Project. It was agreed that Mr. Joseph and Mr. Ramotar being the persons duly authorised by their respective Parties to make binding decisions on issues of victimisation and discrimination would deal with the matter. The authorised persons will report on the results of their efforts to the Dialogue.
11. On 17 September 1999, the PPP/Civic requested that the item Ministers and Opposition Spokespersons be added to the Agenda. The PPP/Civic suggests that agreement on this would remove much of the burden from the Dialogue and help to broaden contacts between the parties. The PNC is of the view that this proposal should be dealt with in the context of Parliamentary Reform. There was no objection to the item being added to the Agenda, and it was accordingly added.
12. Since the Dialogue recommenced the PPP/Civic has changed its Dialogue Team which is now led by Mr. Donald Ramotar, the General Secretary of the PPP. The other members are Ms. Philomena Sahoye-Shury, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Regional and Local Government and Dr. Bheri Ramsaran of the Georgetown Hospital.
13. The PNC has retained its Dialogue Team comprising Mr. Lance Carberry, MP as its Leader, Mr. Raphael Trotman, MP and Mr. Lloyd Joseph, Attorney-at-Law.
14. You will recall that the Prime Minister of Saint Lucia, Dr. the Honourable Kenny D. Anthony visited Guyana on 22 and 23 October 1999. Prime Minister Anthony has been assigned responsibility by the Conference of Heads of Government to monitor the implementation of the Herdmanston Accord and Saint Lucia Statement. This assignment is in pursuance of the commitment of the Heads of Government to support the process of political normalisation in Guyana. Prime Minister Anthony visited Guyana and met with the Parties and others for the purpose of updating himself on the progress of the Constitutional Reform process and the Political Dialogue mandated by the Herdmanston Accord. This enabled him to make a first hand report to the Seventh Special Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community which took place on 26 and 27 October 1999 at Trinidad and Tobago. At this Meeting, the Conference among other things agreed to extend the tenure of the Facilitator to 31 December 1999 with the option to review.
