ERC probes race remarks against WPA executive member

Last Updated on Thursday, 5 September 2019, 11:39 by Writer

Desmond Trotman taking the oath of office as Elections Commissioner before President David Granger at State House on Friday, November 24, 2017.

The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) has begun investigating a report of alleged racially insensitive remarks by Working People’s Alliance (WPA) executive member, Desmond Trotman against the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Gerry Gouveia.

ERC Chief Investigator, former Deputy Police Commissioner Alvin Smith told Demerara Waves/News-Talk Radio Guyana that he has asked Trotman for a meeting.

Gouveia has said Smith has already spoken with him as part of the probe in relation to the complaint lodged by the PSC on July 31, 2019.

“The Private Sector Commission wishes to register a formal complaint to the Commission with regard to the racist content, the racial hate and the threatening racist tone of the letter and requests that your Commission conduct an immediate investigation into and take appropriate action on this matter,” Executive Director of the PSC, Joel Bhagwandin said.

The umbrella PSC noted that Trotman signed the letter as an Elections Commissioner on a WPA letterhead.

The PSC said Mr. Gouveia was at all times acting quite properly and responsibly as PSC Chairman in an exchange of correspondence with the Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission, Keith Lowenfield.