E/CN.4/2004/18/Add.1 page 3 ideological spectrum. The ghetto mentality has replaced the initially progressive, unitary ideology of the Guyanese nation’s founding fathers, Cheddi Jagan and Forbes Burnham, as the ultimate instrument of power, and it is this departure and the political practices to which it has given rise that are at the origin of the vicious cycle of ethnic polarization. Notwithstanding their undeniable historical contribution to the liberation and construction of the Guyanese nation - and indeed of the Caribbean as a whole - the founding fathers failed to the extent that they were unable, in the long run, to lay the foundations of a united, egalitarian and democratic nation. The exploitation of ethnicity, nurtured and at times favoured by the leaden ideologies of the cold war and by imperialist and regional strategies, has literally grown into a predatory political culture whose ultimate goal is simply the conquest and retention of power. In this context, political and social violence, with its ethnic associations, has been a major factor in social, as well as emotional and mental, insecurity. The ethnic polarization of the main institutions of law and order - the police and the army - contributes in no small measure to the worsening of the climate of insecurity that hangs so heavily over every community. The Guyanese of all communities, whose everyday security, social stability, emotional balance and economic development have been thoroughly sapped, are keenly aware that they are now in the position of emblematic victims of the political practices carried out in their name. In the course of his meetings, then, the Special Rapporteur has found that every level of Guyanese society is permeated by a profound moral, emotional and political fatigue, arising out of the individual and collective impact of ethnic polarization. At the same time, however, he notes with much hope that his visit exactly coincided with the establishment of a new political climate that is likely to make a sharp break with this destructive cycle. The Guyanese authorities - notably the President and opposition leaders, including the leader of the main opposition party - have told him of their political will to break with this legacy by introducing consensual political reforms and lay the foundations for democratic cooperation between Government and opposition and thus, at long last, make the Guyanese people’s survival, well-being and coexistence the focus of political activity. A joint communiqué signed by President Jagdeo and opposition leader Mr. Corbin on 6 May 2003 is, in this context, a solemn reflection of the necessary political commitment at the highest political levels to ensure democracy, peace and development in Guyana. With regard to Trinidad and Tobago, the Special Rapporteur considers that although, like Guyana, it has inherited a similar multi-ethnic population and a society divided by conflict among communities and racial discrimination, it is facing less ethnic polarization. Following his visit to Trinidad and Tobago, the Special Rapporteur confirms the crucial role of interreligious dialogue in situations where ethnic tension and ghetto mentalities spring from the intermingling of race, culture and religion. Indeed, the main religious and traditional spiritual leaders of this country recognized very early on the perils of ethnic polarization and fought back by publicizing their own exchanges and the similarity of their spiritual messages, by meeting personally, attending each other’s religious ceremonies and making joint statements on the major social questions affecting the country. What these religious leaders have done, in effect, is to provide a remarkable object lesson in living together by practising “religion” in the original sense of the word - binding together, not tearing apart. Consequently, despite historical, demographic and, in certain respects, political similarities between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, the latter enjoys a particular multicultural vitality in individual contacts and religious practices. The political class, regardless of party, bears the basic responsibility