The “racial undercurrents inflamed by platform rhetoric” during the build-up to the last general election have not yet died down, says criminologist Prof Ramesh Deosaran.
In fact, that racial tension will become even more “vitriolic” as we head towards the next general election, Deosaran said yesterday.
Deosaran made the statements in response to the death of 45-year-old Harynarine Bansie which police said was the result of an argument that started because of a racial slur about Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley.
Race relations in this country have long existed in two worlds, Deosaran said.
“One world, struggling to keep things together with exuberant optimism, comprises pretty ‘all ah we is one’ speeches, self-praises and lavish displays of political correctness. This is the virtual reality world, often concealed by inevitable hypocrisies,” Deosaran said.
The other world is the “more realistic one,” he said.
“This other world mainly operates underground here, social-media style for example, and filled with angry, latent prejudices which erupt at the slightest provocation.”
Deosaran said the society must have improved understanding and a better conscience in race relations.
“Unfortunately, the signs are there. The society is becoming more severely competitive with various social groups feeling justifiably relatively deprived, and as public sector resources get diminished within our ethnically divided political system, racial antagonisms will likely escalate,” Deosaran said.
“For too long too, excessive political patronage has helped contribute to deep-seated grievances on several sides. Legal agencies like the Equal Opportunity Commission or even the courts bring very limited relief.”
Deosaran said race relations exist in a “vacuum” in this country and there is “no appropriate school curriculum to educate the minds of our young people about the nature and civic dangers of racial prejudice.”
He said, “In spite of its tragic implications, if there is one helpful note from this Bansie murder, it tells us that the country should not wait to consider race relations only when a ‘racial’ incident happens. The Government and the country’s civic organisations must get serious. Big dangers lie ahead.”