Parliament approves $216.6M for Amerindian Affairs Ministry
THE Committee of Supply of the National Assembly, on Thursday evening, approved the expenditure of $216.6M in the 2012 National Budget for the Amerindian Affairs Ministry, after the Opposition thoroughly questioned subject Minister Pauline Sukhai on the estimates. Among other things, the Minister was asked, by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Member of Parliament (MO) Sydney Allicock, to provide a list of the top five senior administrative staff in her Ministry and their emoluments and she gave the particulars for four.
She disclosed that the Permanent Secretary gets $480,816 monthly, the Project Coordinator $264,152; the Principal Regional Development Officer $161,534 and the Management Development Officer $158,854.
Under the line item Maintenance of other Infrastructure, Minister Sukhai explained that the expenditure caters for the maintenance of the water- trestle and reservoir at the Amerindian Residence in Princes Street and the facilities in its perimeter, such as the guard hut and bridge. Included, too, is the tiling of the floor of the benab in the Sophia Exhibition Complex, also in Georgetown.
Asked by Africo Selman, also of APNU, for the number of students benefitting from training and scholarship for which $76,600M is set aside, Sukhai said 331 are on scholarships at the national level and 168 overseas.
AFC MP Trevor Williams questioned the rationale for the decrease in budgetary allocation for national and other events and Sukhai said the activities catered for include Amerindian Heritage Month, Mashramani, Upper Mazaruni Sports Week, Rupununi Expo, Moruca Expo and any others that engage the participation of the indigenous people.
Another AFC MP, Valerie Gorrido-Lowe wanted to know about the increased expenditure for electricity, $11.848M, to which Sukhai explained that it is for the Amerindian Hostel, the Head Office and the Dormitory, which was commissioned last year.

REQUESTED
Allicock requested to know about the $40M under the line item – Other Transport, Travel and Postage, and Sukhai said the Ministry provides for travel by its officials to monitor projects, such as the National Secure Livelihood Project, the Presidential Grant, and to conduct training or monitoring of the Ministry’s work in the hinterland.
In addition, it will also take care of the village elections and flights for students from the dormitories and the return of patients who are referred from the various hinterland villages to Georgetown for tertiary level medical attention.
A breakdown of the number of vehicles allotted to the Ministry was also supplied to APNU MP Desmond Trotman, by Minister Sukhai, who said seven are currently operating.
She also accounted for the rise in allocations for electricity, fuel, travel expenses for Ministry staff and dietary provisions which cater for the patients at the Amerindian Hostel and students at the Hinterland Dormitory.
Covered under the budgetary provisions for the Amerindian Affairs Ministry, as well, is funding for Amerindian development projects and programmes which Sukhai undertook to provide in writing to Allicock.
The purchase of boats and engines for areas such as Crashwater in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo), furniture and equipment and the enhancement of the drainage system at the Hinterland Student Dormitory at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, are among the other expenditures.
Unconstitutional
Garrido-Lowe asked what percentage of Amerindians is currently employed at the subject Ministry, but Speaker Raphael Trotman, presiding as Chairman of the Committee of Supply, disallowed the question. He said it is unconstitutional to provide such an answer.
”Under our legislation, we are not required to be measuring staff by race. It goes against what is needed at the national level, also based on equal opportunity legislation,” Trotman stated.
He said there are bodies, such as the Ethnic Relations Commission, to ensure that persons are not barred from employment because of their race.
AFC MP  Moses Nagamootoo then interjected and sought to convince the Chairman that the answer should be provided, but, Trotman maintained his ruling that the question would not be allowed.
Over $165M has been budgeted under the Amerindian Development Fund for community programmes, issuance of land titles to 13 villages and the National Secure Livelihood Programme.
Additionally, under the Guyana Redd Investment Fund (GRIF), funding will be provided to support the socio-economic development of Amerindian communities through the implementation of their community development plans.
Through the Hinterland Electrification Programme, 1,729 solar panel systems were distributed to households and public institutions in Amerindian communities in 2011. However, the 2012 budget proposes a continuation of the distribution process targeting over 8,000 panels, Sukhai informed.
She said an allocation of $94M has been also made for the construction of a power supply distribution network at Matthews Ridge and the acquisition of solar panels, transformers and generators for areas such as Lethem, Moruca, Barabina, Waramadong, Kato, Aishalton, Wakapou, Caria Caria, Low Wood and Rockstone.