HGP Nightly News – The Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) says it spent 2025 on near-constant watch, recording 717 matters pulled from traditional media, election campaign coverage, and the nonstop churn of social media, as the agency monitored content it views as capable of fuelling ethnic and religious friction.
In a release issued Monday, the Commission reported that 356 of the matters were simply mentions of the ERC and were circulated for information. But the bulk of the workload, it said, demanded intervention: 303 matters triggered cautionary statements intended to discourage divisive messaging, while 58 were serious enough to be pushed forward to the Investigative Unit or an Investigative Sub-Committee for deeper examination.
The ERC said the most common issues were racial slurs, racially prejudicial or insensitive remarks, racially hateful statements, and religiously intolerant content, pointing to what it described as the continuing need for fast detection and timely response. Behind the scenes, the Commission said its Investigative Unit continued clearing older cases while trying to keep pace with new complaints.
Matters dating back to 2022 and 2023 were reported as largely resolved or nearing completion, while the 2024 caseload reached a 64% resolution rate, with 28 of 44 cases closed or completed. For 2025, the Unit received 98 complaints, and 53 remained active at various stages, including investigation, review, legal assessment, and statutory determination.
The ERC said activity intensified in December, with 25 cases closed and 12 completed, while others were transferred, referred, withdrawn, or scheduled for conciliation. At the same time, the Commission highlighted its public outreach campaign, presenting it as the other side of its mandate: not just responding to conflict, but trying to prevent it.
The ERC said its Public Education and Awareness Unit ran its Annual Nationwide Christmas Toy Distribution Exercise from December 1 to December 23, reaching all 10 administrative regions, with special focus on rural, riverain, and hinterland communities.
Toys, it said, went to nursery and primary school children, children in institutional care, and children living with disabilities, with the final distribution in Region Four at the Amerindian Hostel, Eiripan, and the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities. The Commission also pointed to major public events and education exercises it said were aimed at reinforcing unity.
It reported hosting Unity Festival 2025 on December 14 at the National Park in Georgetown, featuring music, dance, and drama performances centred on national unity and cultural heritage. It also said that on December 8, it facilitated a Religious Exchange Exercise for students of Stella Maris Primary School’s Harmony Club, exposing participants to Islam, Christianity, and Hinduism under the guidance of ERC Chairman Shaikh Moeenul Hack and Commissioners Reverend Rodwell Porter and Pandit Krishn Sharma.
The ERC added that it partnered with the NGO You Sponsor My Education to support anti-bullying initiatives focused on tolerance and peaceful coexistence.With the numbers laid bare, the ERC is signalling that 2025 was not a quiet year.
Between hundreds of flagged matters, dozens escalated for investigation, and active complaints moving through the system, the Commission says it is pressing ahead with monitoring, casework, and public engagement as it pushes into the year ahead.
