Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Dec 16, 2016 Letters
Dear Editor,
In the USA, we have affirmative action programs aimed at giving advantages to Blacks and other minorities since it is recognized that historical wrongs have left them at a disadvantage. India too has its own version of affirmative action programs aimed at helping groups that are held back because of historical and present acts of discrimination perpetuated against them. Their program is directed at helping the lower castes, example the Dalits (the untouchables) who make up half of the Indian population and women.
Today the Indian government reserve 27% of government jobs for the lower castes and another 23% specifically for the Dalits. Also by way of an amendment to the constitution in 1993, one-third of all seats in local government councils are set aside for women. This is not all that they have done in India to correct historical wrongs but this should suffice.
Mr. Editor, even with all this justification for affirmative action programs, conscious of how racially and ethnically messed up Guyana is I offer the Junior Achievers program among those for consideration in previous letters recently. The program is envisaged as part of the curriculum at both primary and secondary schools and therefore all can be involved.
It is in this context that I salute the creation of the African Business Chambers. There is a belief that all it will take to encourage blacks to become involved in business is to give them production and business management skills, this belief are unfounded.
This approach has been around in Guyana at least since the 1980, its failure in the black communities to birth a significant number of successful self -employment ventures is obvious. Continuing to pursue only this approach is an act of laziness and/or a lack of understanding of history and its effects. Before I am misunderstood I certainly do not want to give the impression that giving youths productive and business management skills are not important components of the effort at fostering self- employment among youths.
For example the ex GNS pioneers who I wrote of earlier and who are already exhibiting the entrepreneurial spirit should be seen as prime targets for this type of assistance. Please see my previous letters. To say that there is no need for a Black Business Chamber is to suggest that as far as business activity in Guyana goes blacks should be satisfied merely being customers.
Or alternatively, suggesting that there are agencies/organizations already in place acting or planning to act in ways that would be truly helpful to the effort of encouraging self -employment among Blacks. Now if that is a fair interpretation of the feeling as has been expressed by some, let us situate and identify those agencies/organizations. I have already offered reasons why I think help from the PNC government in this effort was not forthcoming.
As for the PPP it also did nothing and if returned to power will do nothing meaningful to help Africans with this issue. The PPP government did nothing because it figured East Indians were a large enough majority in Guyana to keep it in power so there was no need to court Blacks. I suspect, from the behavior of Mr. Jagdeo, that the PPP is still of this belief, therefore if it returns to power there is no incentive for it to behave different. Since these two political parties are set to continue dominating Guyana’s political landscape in the foreseeable future, meaningful assistance from governments on this issue of black empowerment through ownership of business is unlikely.
The next possible player in this endeavour would be the business community. Nothing about the business community’s behavior thus far in its history suggests the type of initiatives I am suggesting would meet with its active support. Only one comment I have heard recently from the business sector about Black communities. This was a plea from one of its leaders for soldiers to join the police, assist with rural support, in patrolling communities. Indeed I think he said communities which “statistics” suggest are high crime locations. Of course this is coded language for Black communities. So it would seem to me naïve for Blacks to expect serious assistance from the business community in the matter of promoting black entrepreneurship.
So, Mr. Editor, I celebrate the creation of the African Business Chamber (ABC) since for me it represents the best hope for attention to be paid to activities that would enhance Black involvement in the business. As soon as possible I would suggest the ABC give attention to three things: (a) Finding and offering assistance to those young Blacks who are already struggling with their small business (persons already exhibiting the entrepreneurial spirit, like the ex-pioneers I mentioned). (b) Act as a pressure group to get government to give meaningful attention to the need to have a business program along the lines of the Junior Achievers program in the school system. (c) Create a list of the skills that are likely to be needed in Guyana in significant numbers over the next 10 to 15 years.
Claudius Prince
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