PPP accused of rigging Toshaos elections
Ministers of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Sydney Allicock and Valerie Garrido-Lowe during the interview
Ministers of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Sydney Allicock and Valerie Garrido-Lowe during the interview

…ministers point to “glaring evidence of political interference”

MINISTERS of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Sydney Allicock and Valerie Garrido-Lowe are calling out the Parliamentary Opposition for allegedly blatantly disregarding the Amerindian Act 2006 and interfering with the results of the just concluded National Village Council Elections.

According to a release the ministers in a joint interview on Wednesday cited the Moruca Sun-district, Region 1, Mainstay/Whayaka Region 2 and Moraikobai in Region 5 as areas opposition elements were campaigning during the said elections. Minister Allicock said in Moraikobai for example “the Toshao told us that the Regional Chairman went to help, but neither he nor his councils had any knowledge he was in the area and being the chairman he should have announced he was going to be there, but that’s the disrespect that the opposition has for the communities. According to information, they campaigned and they took persons there who they wanted to get on the list to vote but they had no ID and they were told they have to have an ID to vote and they were upset about it,” Allicock related.
The minister noted that “as a result the REO held back the results but subsequently had the swearing in but we had to write, because that is according to the law, and we stuck to the law.” The opposition was fighting to have one of its members, a former Toshao elected which will further influence the agenda of the National Toshao’s Council and upcoming conference scheduled for late July.

Speaking on the Mainstay elections Minister Garrido-Lowe refuted claims that Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Annette Furgerson campaigned while on a visit there. Minister Garrido-Lowe said while government did not in any way influence village elections “we had the opposition interfering in every way, they campaigned all over and they are not supposed to do that and they were in every region. Right here in Pakuri barefacedly, ensuring that their people were chosen and many of them were not chosen. Toshao’s whether they are PPP or not, decided that they want to go pro-development rather than party politics and they are working with us,” Garrido-Lowe said.

She said what was also brought to the forefront was the opposition telling residents not to cooperate with, nor support the Government, …but the indigenous people are thinking for themselves and they know what is required in order to foster development.”
Both ministers agreed that the Government will continue to promote unity nationwide despite opposition elements attempting to bring discord among the nation’s first people.
Meanwhile, ninety nine percent of indigenous villages across the hinterland have completed the National Village Council Elections as mandated by the Amerindian Act of 2006. Some one hundred and fifteen villages (115) and forty six satellites went to the polls from May 15 to June 15. One village located in the Mabaruma sub-district is expected to go to the polls on June 21. Thirty four Toshaos were re-elected, with one hundred and two being males, fourteen women were elected to lead their respective villages, while nine female councilors have joined the ranks. Two villages that were recognised for their traditional practices of choosing their leaders were Masakenari Village in Region Nine and Cashew Island Village in Region Six. The residents of the two villages confirmed that their current leaders are recognised as their true representatives and would not vote for another person until a successor is acknowledged by the community. All elected Toshao and senior councilors are scheduled to gather for the 2018 National Toshao’s Council Conference from July 16-20 at the Arthur Chung International Conference Center, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara.

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