Professor John La Guerre takes office Monday as Chairman of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC). The Trinidad and Tobago government was ordered to establish the commission following a ruling in October 2007 by the Privy Council. The EOC legislation was passed during the Panday administration.Four other commissioners - Dr. Eastlyn Mc Kenzie (Vice-Chairman), Beverly Beckles, Stephanie Daly and Dr. Hamid Ghany - will also take the oath of office, which President Max Richards will administer.
An EOC tribunal, which is the enforcement arm, is yet to be appointed. The tribunal would have the power to impose fines, make awards and other action that it might wish to take and both units are expected to work closely together.
La Guerre, who is one of the country's most respected academics and political commentators has always spoken out against discrimination in Trinidad and Tobago, which he says usually takes subtle forms. His view is that with the best efforts it is difficult to eliminate.
The Professor Emeritus at UWI, St Augustine expects to be busy because the establishment of the commission would raise hopes that people's concerns would be finally addressed.
But La Guerre notes that the EOC is also a conciliatory body aimed at resolving conflicts without the intervention of the courts. He believes that one of the critical issues that he would have to address initially is one of educating the public about not only what the EOC can and cannot do, but also about the nature and causes of prejudice and discrimination.
La Guerre is well suited for that. He headed the Departments of Behavioural Sciences and Government at the St Augustine campus and has written commentaries and academic papers on the subject for decades.
La Guerre puts great passion in his work and he is expected to do so in this assignment.
He expects some of the first cases that would come before the commission would include aggrieved workers, people who feel banks and financial institutions have been unfair to them, and others who thing they have experienced discrimination in the distribution of government housing.
People have been complaining about state discrimination for years but until now they have had no recourse to address the matter other than expensive litigation in the overcrowded courts.
La Guerre has always been interested in the problem of racial discrimination in Trinidad and Tobago because of the nature of the society and the various strata of influence.
His wife, Dr Ann Marie Bissessar, a political science lecturer at the Faculty of Social Sciences at St Augustine, believes President Richards could not have chosen a better person to chair the commission.
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