THE PPP and the PPP/C Government has always committed to consultation with the masses on issues of development. Indeed, the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan, the Party’s Founder Leader, did often exhort Party members and supporters; and moreso Party Leaders that people, including the ordinary people, have views on issues which must be heard and considered. In the process, he stressed, partnerships are often developed between individuals, groups of people and communities and decisions are made that factor in local views.
The period 1964 to 1992 of our country’s political history, must certainly go down as a period of dictatorship in which individual and collective views and opinions were stymied and suppressed and attempts to circumvent the political barriers met with harsh consequences; fatal or near fatal in many instances. This was the era of Party paramountcy of the Peoples National Congress.
The return of the People’s Progressive Party to the political helm in October 1992 through the democratic process saw a contemporaneous return to community consultations. And, in fact, the PPP/C Government and the Guyanese people who welcomed it viewed this return to community consultation as being integral to the return of good Governance and local democracy.
Visiting Kaburi Village last Wednesday, August 25th, along with several others; for consultation with the people on access road options to the Amaila Hydroelectricity Project was for me another opportunity to be a part of a democratic process at work.
This was the third such community consultation with the Kaburi people and was premised on several factors, viz:
a) The range of issues and potential impact that helps one to make correct decisions can change between one consultation and the next
b) Impacts can never be completely accurately predicted
c) Consultation is a continual process of discussion, deliberation and decision taking with the ultimate goal of examining alternative choices and, as often happens, reaching consensus on the ultimate choice among options.

The Kaburi Consultation

* Kaburi is a Titled Amerindian Village which received its Grant of Title in 2006 and had its Village Lands surveyed in 2008. It is situated on the Right Bank of the Mazaruni River, Right Bank of the Kaburi River. The Village population of 292 persons of mostly the Patamona and Akawaio tribes earn their livelihood by farming, hunting, fishing and traditional mining. The Village is managed by an elected Village Council as provided for in the 2006 Amerindian Act. Its Toshao Christopher Edwards is also an elected member of the Executive Body of the National Toshaos Council.

* The Kaburi consultation of August 25th aimed at updating residents on developments relative to the Amaila Hydroelectricity Project. More particularly, the consultation allowed residents to understand the advantages and disadvantages of access road options and provided opportunity for them to seek clarity, offer comments and suggestions and express any concern/s they may have in regard to these matters.
* Many residents had contemplated that the access road to the Reservoir would pass through their Village thus providing opportunities for more employment and increased earnings for the Villagers. They had deduced that ‘no road meant no jobs and no money’.
To the contrary, the results of reviews and closer examination based on new information and more in depth analysis of updated available information; moreso in relation to environmental works done, had determined that other possibilities need to be explored.
* Additional work by Engineers, Environmentalists etc. since the May 2010 meeting had determined, inter alia, that were the existing road through the Village to be used as the access road; it would have to be widened between 20 to 30 metres. This in turn would require relocation of the homes and business places of several residents; many of whom would have lived on those spots for several decades,
* Increased truck and other vehicular traffic estimated around 100 per day, would not only cause significant increases in dust and noise levels; but pose a traffic hazard to residents, especially the children, many of whom it could be said, could not begin to visualize the impacts described above.
* The Community Consultation thus allowed residents to understand the advantages and disadvantages of various access road options. It also provided opportunity for them to ask questions and offer suggestions

Other options
* This sharing of information and ideas which the Consultation facilitated, allowed for an examination and assessment of alternative choices, their risks and advantages and the arriving at decisions that factored in local views.
* Residents concurred that while the people’s wishes are important considerations in decision making; they are not the only considerations. Thus, they examined other benefits and opportunities that could accrue to them from the Project with the ultimate objective of minimizing impact and maximizing benefits to the almost 300 Villagers.
* Opportunities for (a) employment (b) skills training-moreso, in operating heavy duty machinery/vehicles (c) increasing farm production and farm sales to take advantage of the anticipated larger market that is expected to be available to the Kaburi farmers (d) improving craft skills and expanding craft production / sales (e) attracting and developing tourism were all examined and viewed as worthy of further examination and in depth study (f) providing electricity to households by way of solar panels and (g) effecting repairs or replacement to the non functioning Water Pumps….
* While the bypass road is expected to fall north of the Village; residents’ desire that the existing public road that passed through their Village be rehabilitated was viewed as a request with much merit.

In my opinion, residents’ initial preference for the use of the public road through the Village is now less of an issue following the information provided to them on the risks/impact. But they do look forward to being able to access some if not all of the benefits outline above. And these would not be unreasonable requests.

Community consultations such as those at Kaburi and the recently held Cabinet Retreat in Region 5 certainly allow for the building of a relationship between the people and their leaders. The PPP and the PPP/C Government is committed to a continuation of this process.