– Not be the source that encourages division
SUPPORT groups are essentially bodies that provide help for pockets in the population that share, more often than not, a burdensome characteristic, and it is no different for Amerindian support groups that seek to advance the interests of Amerindians in Guyana. Chair of the National Toshaos Council (NTC), Mrs. Yvonne Pearson, told the Sunday Chronicle that these organisations must bring people closer together and encourage cooperation.
“If we all have the same vision, if these organisations have the Amerindian people at heart, then we will be better able to work together. We will be able to speak with one voice and advance development,” she said.
Pearson noted that Guyana is democratic and people are free to gather.
However, she noted that Toshaos in the different communities must be on their guard on who they allow into their communities to influence their people.
“The village councils have to give the okay for groups to come in and hold workshops and so. The Toshaos have to be bold enough to stand up for what is right and not be swayed easily,” Pearson urged.
On this note, she addressed the controversy being created by the Amerindian People’s Association (APA) over Guyana’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).
She said, “The APA is creating conflict and barriers. They are not bringing the Amerindian people together…organisations need to wake up to the reality of what is and see that the bottom line is development for the Amerindian people.”
The NTC Chair observed that Amerindians stand to benefit most of all from the LCDS and are not being robbed as some are claiming.
APA representatives were recently reported in Wakapau, Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) hosting a ‘workshop’ at which they claim that under the LCDS, their lands will be taken away.
“If you look at the LCDS you would see the reality,” she said.
Pearson added that the NTC will soon be embarking on sessions in different communities to clear the misconceptions being advanced by the APA.
Mr. Ashton Simon, head of the National Amerindian Development Foundation (NADF), said the APA advances division and has caused the development process to be stagnated.
“As organisations we need to look to the future of the Amerindian people. The APA does not do that,” he charged.
Simon added that organisations need to be “inclusive” and look at development in totality: health, education and infrastructure.
“Organisations must promote cooperation, not division among the Amerindian people,” he said.
He argued that the APA’s mandate is decided by its funding agencies.
“At the end of the day development is what we want and we should be focused on collaboration,” Simon said.
Founder of another Amerindian interest group, Mr. Peter Persaud, of The Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana (TAAMOG), said, “Organisations must impact development.”
He added that organisations need to see the broader picture and position themselves to address the real issues to be able to effect change and advance development.
“I was something of an extremist too, but after you take stock of things you realise that you cannot get anywhere without a positive mindset and an extremist attitude. At the end of the day, we have to work with different partners, including the government, to promote Amerindian development,” Persaud said.
He added that the Amerindian population is an estimated 70,000 and leaders of support groups must ensure that what they engage in represents fully the interests of the Amerindian people.
Persaud pointed out that the current administration is making strides to involve Amerindians in the national development process and this is not something that can be ignored.
“Opposition cannot be advanced only for the sake of opposition. In this way there will be no resolution and no progress,” he posited.
The Sunday Chronicle attempted to contact the APA for comment on its role in advancing the interests of the Amerindian people but was told no one was available for comment.
The Amerindian Act
In addition to these support groups, the interests of the Amerindian people are protected under the Amerindian Act.
The act primarily sets up the procedures to settle land claims and, more importantly, transfers power from the government to Amerindian communities and village councils.
The act provides Amerindians with the right to: life, liberty, protection against slavery and forced labour, protection from inhumane treatment, freedom of expression, freedom of conscience, freedom of movement, freedom from discrimination, to be protected under the law, and protection of their culture.
The Amerindian Act provides for:
* Grants to communal land: Unlike the old act, the new act includes a process for granting land. For instance, a community can apply for land once they can prove that they have been living there for at least 25 years and the minister must commence an investigation and make a decision within six months.
* Leases: The Amerindian Affairs Minister is now not required to approve leasing of titled Amerindian land, as opposed to the first act where the minister was required to approve it. In the new act, the communities are only required to seek the advice of the minister.
* Intellectual Property Rights: With respect to the use of scientific research, the researcher will, among other things, have to submit to the village council a copy of any publication containing material derived from the research.
* Environmental Protection: The Amerindian Act supports the need for the communities to use their natural resources in a way that lends support to the concept of sustainability: Impact assessments will have to be completed in accordance with the Environmental Protection Act.
* Mining and Forestry: Amerindians will have a legal right to traditional mining with the consent of the village council and they must comply with the relevant legislation. With regard to forestry, the village council plays an integral role in determining who is allowed to use their land and on what terms.
* Governance: The village council is empowered to establish rules for their communities and set fines within the legal confines of the law. Notably, the money received due to the non-adherence of the rules, goes into the village council’s account, not the government’s.
According to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, more than half of the recommendations reflected in the act are based on consultations with the communities.
These inclusions were as a result of recommendations from the communities and other stakeholders. The process lasted two years and is an unprecedented one in this part of the hemisphere.