– presents solar panel to community
Residents of Micobie, Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) were given the opportunity to raise issues with Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai during a recent visit to the area. The Minister was at the time on an outreach to the community to discuss issues of importance with residents.
Minister Sukhai presented a complete solar panel unit to the community. Residents are expected to meet with the village council and discuss where the panel will be placed so as to benefit the entire community.
Prior to the community meeting, the Minister met with the Toshao and councillors to discuss several issues including accountability and transparency. The Minister was informed that the council does not have regularly scheduled meetings since all of the members are not always there.
Minister Sukhai advised that the council have a statutory meeting and set a time and date every month when the members would be required to attend the meeting. This way, the Minister pointed out, members would be aware of the time and date and will make an effort to ensure that they are present since many of them have their farms in outlying areas.

Councillors had notified the Minister that some of the funds under the past council were unaccounted for and that outstanding loans were yet to be repaid. Minister Sukhai advised that the council validate their resources and accounts, then an agreement be made with the former Toshao for the outstanding funds and items. This way, she said, the council would be able to settle its accounts.
Issues were raised of residents not being satisfied with the resolution of some matters within the community, and the council was advised to meet as a body to discuss these matters and collectively formulate a proper solution.
Minister Sukhai informed the community that she was not satisfied with the pace of construction of the guest house and urged that work be hastened. She pointed out that the meeting was held also so that the Ministry can check on the estimates for the construction of the village office which are yet to be submitted.
The Minister cautioned that if the council takes too long to submit the necessary documents, then the money will be returned to the treasury, and it takes a long time for the funds re-allocated. She urged that the required estimates be submitted early so that the funds can be disbursed to start the construction.
The $1.2M, which is a grant, is awaiting the estimate for disbursement and Minister Sukhai pointed out that if the office costs more, then the community will have to do its part to complete it.
The Amerindian Affairs Minister informed residents that $1M has been provided to the village council for a poultry production project and urged that residents support the project since they collectively agreed to have the project done.
Meanwhile, the certificate of title and plan to the community, which has already been demarcated, was presented to the community. Minister Sukhai also presented footballs and circle tennis gear to the youths of the community.

Highlighting the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), Minister Sukhai told residents that Government respects the rights of the Amerindian people and did not include their forests and land in the Strategy, but that they have the right to opt in. She pointed out that based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Norway, Guyana will be receiving US $30M annually of which US $5M has been allocated this year to continue the land demarcation process.
Minister Sukhai stated that demarcation is an issue which Government has progressively been addressing since 1992. She stated that when Government took office, there were 74 titled villages, and today that number has increased to 97. At that time, none of these villages were surveyed; but today, 70 villages, including Micobie, have been surveyed.
Noting that the process is an expensive one, the Minister stated that this has resulted in the sloth in the process, but the US $5M will speed up the process and Government will start with the 16 communities which have accepted. Five of the 27 remaining communities to be demarcated have refused demarcation.
Underlining the importance of mining to the economy, Minister Sukhai pointed out that Government has no intention of closing the sector as some may have told the community. She noted that with the contribution of the mining sector to the economy, there have never been any discussions to close the sector down; instead Government is seeking to ensure responsible and sustainable mining so that the negative impacts of mining are minimised and controlled. (GINA)