Norton Reiterates No-Confidence Stance in Ethnic Relations Commission
By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News
GEORGETOWN, Guyana — Opposition Leader and presidential candidate for A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), Aubrey Norton, has again expressed his lack of confidence in the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), accusing it of selective enforcement and political bias.
Norton, speaking over the weekend, said the current ERC leadership is politically aligned and fails to deliver on its constitutional mandate.
“The person they have heading the ERC is known to be a political partisan. If you read the book on the New Building Society, you would know who we are talking about. I don’t consider the ERC of any consequence. The ERC has 22 functions to perform; it barely performs one and spends all its time going after people,” Norton stated.
The opposition leader pointed to recent incidents to support his claims, including the handling of a video-recorded apology by Jennifer Ally, who had made offensive statements against the late Adriana Young and her family. While the apology was recorded weeks ago, Norton said disagreements among commissioners stalled its release, with some believing the apology was insincere.
By contrast, Norton referenced the case of Guyanese artist Daniel Warren, popularly known as “Baby Skello,” who in June was charged with blasphemous libel over a song posted to TikTok. The High Court granted him $45,000 bail after spending several days in custody.
“In the case of Baby Skello, it is a normal victimization of the Guyana Police Force. This government was comfortable locking up young people for more than a month,” Norton said.
He further alleged that the Guyana Police Force, like the ERC, functions as a “tool of the PPP government” and warned of possible politically motivated raids targeting young Afro-Guyanese citizens.
“We are informed that the police ARE going to unleash a set of raids with the sole purpose of incarcerating young African Guyanese. I’m saying that because I’m reliably informed. It wouldn’t be the first time they do it, and it must be thwarted this time,” Norton cautioned.
Norton urged citizens to remain vigilant, asserting that such actions, if carried out, could erode democratic rights and fuel public distrust in state institutions.
