Dear Editor,
According to the United States Holocaust Museum, “The legal term “genocide” refers to certain acts committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial, or religious group. Genocide is an international crime, according to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948). The acts that constitute genocide fall into five categories:
- Killing members of the group
- Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group
- Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction, in whole or in part
- Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group
- Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group
Although the term “genocide” is often used, its commission is rare when compared to other serious crimes that are not defined by an intent to destroy a targeted group, such as crimes against humanity and war crimes.”
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is a part of the United Nations and has not issued a final ruling in the case brought by South Africa on the accusation of Genocide occurring in Gaza. As a candidate seeking to lead the United Nations, it is important that the position of this judicial arm of the UN be taken into consideration. Because of the definitive position taken by our nation’s candidate before the issuing of a final ruling, bias against Israel and its allies such as the U.S. can be implied. This has unfortunately led to the rejection of our candidate and the view she presented on behalf of our President.
Being the leader of the UN requires strong diplomatic relationships and strong unbiased leadership. Balancing perspectives in very complex issues is important and allows for the prevention of conflicts and the resolution of ongoing conflicts. It is also important that personal religious beliefs do not compromise the required neutrality and impartiality that must exist in the leader of the UN before a final judgment is rendered by the ICJ. This is a must have for leading such a large and complex organization. The current structure of the United Nations caters for this complexity, and it is important that the organization within the UN with responsibility for determining which position the leader of the UN must support based on the facts presented in this case be allowed to make such a determination. Any indication of a predetermined position will be rejected by key members holding an opposing view and will be seen as premature. Unfortunately, the opportunity to remove this perception of bias was not capitalized on and our nation’s opportunity to lead a united world towards global peace has been significantly diminished. Going forward we must strengthen our Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation’s diplomatic capabilities if as a nation we continue to strive for a stronger presence in the global leadership structure.
Sincerely,
Mr. Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana
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