Over LCDS…
A GROUP of some 40 Amerindians yesterday staged a picketing exercise, led by the National Toshaos Council (NTC), in front of Regency Suites Hotel, on Hadfield Street, Georgetown, against the Amerindian People’s Association (APA).
The picketers charged that the APA is hindering development and reiterated their support for the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). At the time, when the APA was hosting a workshop to sensitise Amerindians on climate change, the protesters had placards saying, among other things, ‘APA is misleading the Amerindians’, ‘APA does not represent all Amerindians’ and ‘Amerindians Support the LCDS, it will bring betterment.’
Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Ms. Pauline Sukhai, who was part of the demonstration, said to the media, in an invited comment, that the pickets were led by the NTC and, being a executive member of the Council, she was requested to join.
“And the picket, mainly, as you will see, the placards are in protest of the APA continued manoeuvre to ensure that Amerindians do not get development and we are also expressing the discomfort we have with them engaging the struggles of the Amerindians in a misconceived way in the international arena,” she stated.
Sukhai said, for example, the APA has written the aid agency of Norway, indicating that the World Bank has rejected the Amerindian Act.
“And we want to clearly say that Guyana is a sovereign country. Amerindians are Guyanese and Amerindians spent three years of hard work and consultation to craft and design an act which they feel provides them with guarantees as it relates to their rights in many ways,” she added.
Sukhai said the rights include governance, authority to govern their own communities and to land.
She said also: “We do not respect any international opinion that rejects our Amerindian Act, so APA needs to probably apologise to the World Bank for rejecting our Act when Amerindian leaders and Village Councils have worked so hard and are operating their development under the Amerindian Act.”
Sukhai said there have, indeed, been many gains with the implementation of the Act.
“For example, the Act legislates that the land issue is legislatively enacted and that we have a legal procedure in addressing Amerindian lands, a legal procedure in directing how lands will be titled, how lands will be demarcated and it even extends to Amerindian villages requesting and applying for extensions, which the Government has legislated, again, that we are willing under the Act and mandates the Government to provide extension to Amerindians,” she stated.
Sukhai said the success, so far, is that, within the last ten years, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government has demarcated 70 of the 97 titled villages and, of 27 remaining, 16 have accepted, so far.
Big gain
“It is a continuous programme and we have 16 more on that programme to address. So that is a big gain for indigenous people and our Amerindian people across the world,” the Minister declared.
She continued: “Another thing is that they have said that our legislation is inadequate. But I want to say that any legislation, over time, will need to be amended at sometime, because it is a testing life and there might be changes and developments that will require legislation, not only in Amerindian areas, to be amended.”
Sukhai contended that Guyana is the second country in the global community that has an Indigenous Act, with the other country being Indonesia.
“The World Bank specialist on indigenous issues, I think it was last year, pronounced that Guyana had the second best indigenous legislation in the world. What else can we ask of this Government, what else can the NTC demonstrate to the public where indigenous issues stand?” she asked.
Chairman of the NTC, Ms. Yvonne Pearson said: “Personally, I support the LCDS and I am speaking as a toshao and as a leader of my community.
“I know that the Amerindian people support the LCDS, because it is a great vision and there are benefits for our people and we do hope that the APA can come to realise that,” she said.
Continuing, Pearson said: “We know that there were many struggles. I am not ashamed to say that I was part of the APA. But I think I have learnt enough that I can make good decisions and I am proud to make this decision to stand up for the indigenous peoples of this country.”
She maintained: “We support the LCDS and we would like to send this message to the APA. We are the elected leaders, elected by our people and we would want to work with APA. We wish that they can understand the benefits of the LCDS and we wish that they can think and think wisely and stop hindering development for the people.
“Coming out of their last workshop, a few weeks ago, there were so many things that they said that are unjust and that are untrue, including writing the Norwegian Government.
“We think that is overstepping and so, today, that is why we are saying they would like to hinder development and we would like to see development move on. We, the Amerindian peoples of Guyana support the LCDS and we are out here to say and to send that message.”
In a comment about the demonstration, President of the APA, Mr. Tony James said: “We have never said anything about the LCDS being put on a halt, or to stop it entirely. What we have said is put it on hold for the time and deal with issues that we think are very, very relevant and one of the burning issues is the outstanding land issue”.
He said all the association has done, thus far is air its concerns and, as citizens of the country and indigenous people, it has a right to do so.