MF calls for creation of ‘ministry for minorities’
SHAMEEN Thakur Rajbansi has retained her position as the leader of the Minority Front after the party’s national conference in Durban yesterday.
Thakur Rajbansi said the party would be angling for the introduction of a ministry for minorities in government in its new five-year term.
Thakur Rajbansi was re-elected leader at the MF’S first conference since the death of its founding leader Amichand Rajbansi in December 2011, saying the party was very well, fit, strong and alive ahead of next year’s general elections.
The newly elected national executive committee is made up of ethekwini Municipality councillor Jonathan Annipen, who was elected secretary-general, and Viresh Bhana as treasurer- general.
Sunkalvathy Rajbally, Priyanka Nunkumar and Vimmi Ramdaas Bachu make up the rest of the NEC as ordinary members.
Rajbansi said the amendments made to their constitution were born from lessons of the past few years that were ridden with internal squabbles and court battles for the leadership of the party.
“The ministry for minorities was a very key thing and the commission for minorities was also a key thing because we know that with a maturing democracy it will become a reality one day,” Rajbansi said.
She said challenges faced by minorities could be handled by structures such as a ministry for minorities and a commission for minorities being institutionalised by government.
“The challenges can be handled by government if we have a structure for minorities and we have a structured approach to how minorities are embraced and looked after in a growing democracy.
“Minority rights are universal rights and the success of any democracy depends on how it takes care of the minorities, therefore it became one of the objectives of our party that we must have these two things (a ministry for minorities and a commission for minorities),” Rajbansi said.
She said many progressive democracies had these structures, which also captured accurate data on minorities, and the implementation of such structures would help minority communities give government direction and influence policy decisionmaking.