E/CN.4/2004/18/Add.1 page 15 such a development, in the last analysis, lies in the political will of all of Guyana’s leaders. The story of Guyana is, to a deeply disturbing degree, the story of political exploitation of the race factor by every political leader from every point on the 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 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. The strong impulse to emigrate among a section of the population is symptomatic of this fatigue. At the same time, however, the Special Rapporteur 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. What seems to be a significant first step in the realization of this political will was the establishment of multiparty constitutional parliamentary commissions to look for democratic, sustainable solutions to the main problems of Guyanese society. The problems to be addressed by these commissions relate to the political issues and the aspects of social life of the greatest sensitivity and importance to the people of Guyana and have a direct bearing on the question of discrimination and racism: ethnic relations, human rights, gender equality, indigenous peoples, children’s rights, public safety and constitutional reform. The basic innovation in this process is the dialectic between democratic action and the eradication of ethnic polarization. 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. G. Recommendations 41. The Special Rapporteur recommends the following measures: • A vital precondition for the eradication of ethnic polarization is political will and a firm commitment on the part of all political leaders. The ultimate test of this