…as they continue to play important roles in development, says President Jagdeo
THE indigenous peoples of Guyana have access to even more opportunities today, under the PPP/C Administration, and they continue to play important roles in the development of the country as a whole. President Bharrat Jagdeo made this observation last evening at the launch of Amerindian Heritage Month 2011, under the theme, ‘Our Culture, Our Heritage, and Our Life: A Fusion of Indigenous Diversity’.
Acknowledging how interest in Amerindian Heritage Month has grown since it started with Dr. Cheddi Jagan, the President said, “I have seen how it has grown in numbers and diversity, that people of every race and every religion now come and share this wonderful culture… and I have faith that this wonderful culture will not only survive, but will grow from strength to strength.”
He noted that over the years, great strides have been made in terms of developing the Amerindian communities across the country.
He said, “We have established five Rights Commissions, because we thought that everybody needs protection and the fundamental rights clause of our Constitution affords protection for all; we thought that some groups needed even greater protection and they needed special provisions to enforce declarative rights in the constitution, but they must have effective means of exercising those rights.”
In recognition of the equal importance of Amerindian rights, the Indigenous People’s Commission was established, through which indigenous people’s circumstances could be examined in every aspect, Jagdeo added.
According to the Head of State, the month long celebrations is just the “tip of the iceberg”, as important groundwork had already been laid during the year.
“We  recently emerged from the national Toshao’s Council Meeting, where we sat  for five  days with  the leaders  of government and many agencies , working  with them on their plans for the development  of their people ; that work is often not seen or heralded but is very important,” he said.
He noted that when the Amerindian leaders met, they led the process to create a National Development Strategy for each village, to transform the village, which was fully supported by the government and for which works have been initiated.
According to President Jagdeo, a significant part of the funds earned from the Low Carbon Development Strategy  and REDD+  mechanism was earmarked for the Amerindian communities.
He said, “Two years ago, we promised to give each home in each village a solar panel, and we are on the verge of receiving all of those, maybe within a next month or two, and every one of the 11,000 homes in the Amerindian communities will have electricity through solar panel.”
In addition to this, government is spending about $2B connecting Region 8 with Region 9 .
The president said that contracts have already been awarded and works have started so that all of the goods produced in Region Eight can be taken to the City by truck, as opposed to airlift.
As to the impact of this , Jagdeo said, “We are reducing the cost of living, but opening up huge  opportunities  in Region 8, Parmakatoi , Monkey  Mountain, Kato, and maybe we can go back to producing potatoes and onions there, and we are doing the same in Region 1 in the three sub districts .”
Commenting on the state of healthcare in the hinterland, President Jagdeo said that this sector is expanding as young doctors returning to Guyana are being deployed to the interior to offer their services.
As to the literacy drive, he explained that  the government continues to place  great emphasis on this aspect of development in the hinterland communities.
“Right now we are building more dormitories, expanding secondary education and the Learning Channel should have hit every single Amerindian community; within a month or two, the young kids for the first time can look to a life beyond primary education, they can look to a life of being any person they want to be because of opportunities provided by this government, from scholarships, the almost 500 in Georgetown, and close to 100 abroad,” Jagdeo emphasized.
On the issue of the demarcation of Amerindian Lands, the president urged the community members to be patient and assured them that the PPP/C will continue to work with them so that this promise too can be realized.
In closing, he pointed out that as the country moves forward during this election year, he has great faith that the PPP/C will emerge victorious.
“I know the PPP/C  candidate , Donald Ramotar, too, had formative  years in Amerindian community, and  has to continue a PPP time-honoured agenda; but he will do so with empathy, because he understands the struggles of Amerindian people  and their hopes and dreams,” President Jagdeo said.
In her address, Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai, explained that the 16th Annual Amerindian Heritage Month celebration is intended to highlight the diversity of the peoples, and she recognized too that this year, the country is also celebrating the International Year of People of African Descent.
She reiterated that the PPP/ C continues to advocate for the rights of all peoples of Guyana , including the Amerindian communities, evident in the many programmes designed to improve the quality of life of the indigenous peoples.
Both President Jagdeo and Sukhai paid tribute to the life and work of the late Dr. Desrey Fox, who, they said, left a void with her passing.
Then Toshao Hildebrand James, of Aishalton , this year’s Heritage Village, invited everyone to come to his community to be part of celebrations, an experience he said they would not regret.
He described his village as one of the fastest developing villages which have much to offer their visitors.
At the launch, the audience was treated to songs and cultural dances from groups from various Amerindian communities, and representatives from Amerindian organisations based in Georgetown brought their greetings for the month-long celebrations.