Delays in the release of the locked-away forest carbon earnings and attempts by a vengeful and callous opposition in the National Assembly have not deterred the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration from its pursuit since 1992 to develop  livelihoods of Guyana’s indigenous peoples. President Donald Ramotar, in his first address, since taking office, to elected Amerindian leaders from 120 communities who converged on the Guyana International Conference Centre (GICC) for another round of a four-day dialogue at the National Toshaos Council (NTC) meeting, assured participants of his Administration continuing this development process.
The NTC, which allows village leaders to capitalise on development in Amerindian communities, has allowed  the leaders to hold meetings with government officials with regard to the further development of their villages.
At the behest of President Ramotar, the Minister of Finance, Dr Ashni Singh, has been mandated to sign off on the Guyana Government’s behalf on a disbursement agreement for the flow of the Guyana REDD + Investment (GRIF) funds, facilitating  the implementation of the Amerindian Development Fund Agreement with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The funds are long overdue and the waiting process has delayed land titling in several communities that have filed applications. It has also left many queries , according to Minister of Amerindian, Affairs Pauline Sukhai.
The impasse led to a resolution that was ratified by all Toshaos at last year’s NTC meeting, reiterating unanimous support for the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and imploring the governments of Guyana and Norway to exercise jurisdiction for disbursement of the GRIF fund.
To date, 96 land titles have been granted and the government intends to expedite processing of the remaining communities through another pact with the UNDP for land titling and demarcation, that will see the implementation and completion within three years, according to President Ramotar.
A sum of $1.5B will cover the cost of implementation for the 41 applications that have been processed for the extension of lands and other villages where demarcation has been approved.
The agreement with UNDP will also see villages benefiting from $360M to fund the implementation of community development plans, designed at the village level, to transform the village economies from current levels to greater viability and sustainability, according to President Ramotar.
The government had intended to dedicate $18.3B of the anticipated funds to some aspects of Amerindian community development, such as land titling, as part of the LCDS; but when laid before the parliament, it was rejected by the opposition political parties using their one-seat majority.
President Ramotar assured the leaders that the government intends to approach with resilience the majority of projects earmarked for development.
The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs covered the cost incurred for travel, accommodation and other logistics for the Toshaos in time for the conference, although some were delayed and forced to move away from their usual travel route after being denied passage through Linden, where protestors are continuing their siege over government’s proposed electricity tariff hike and the recent clash with police.
The protest that began on July 18 is taking its toll on frontier communities in Regions 7, 8, 9, and 10 that depend on passage through Linden.
Within the last week, vehicles transporting fuel and other supplies to hinterland communities were vandalised at Linden and daily reports are surfacing of truck drivers and other motorists being held at ransom.
“We mustn’t be held at ransom for their cause… we have our challenges like land issues but we don’t intend to block roads just for our rights to be recognised… when we passed through Mabura the shops were closed and there was nothing for us to buy, the place was completely dark,”   Toshao of Nappi Region 9, Guy Fredericks, who was among those who went through the ordeal at Linden, told the media .
Concerned over the worsening state of affairs in the bauxite town, President Ramotar bemoaned the impediments that commuters and other citizens who inevitably depend on the road have to endure.
“I have asked, and I’m trying to get it done as fast as I can, the security forces to help, so that people can have unimpeded access through the community so that they can carry on with their lives and their business,” President Ramotar said.
Protestors in the town, backed by the opposition forces and the leadership of the Region 10 Administration are continuing to hold their ground and taking positions which many say are unjustifiable, while the government is still counting on a phased implementation of the new tariff  in the region.
“We still are prepared to go in a very gradual way in order to put the community together with the rest of the country. I know that some people have been arguing that the economic situation in the community needs to be improved,  but that’s an argument that can be applied to any part of our country; and if the people of St Ignatius in the Rupununi have to pay for electricity, it’s only fair that all of us pay our fair share,” President Ramotar said.
Very soon the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs will unveil plans for Amerindian Heritage Month, held annually in September.
The government is welcoming the input of bright ideas in the endeavour and is also pursuing the course of preservation of various aspects of the indigenous peoples’ culture, such as language.
Among the areas that will be addressed during the conference are governance and legislative issues, administrative and resource management and the ‘opt – in’ mechanism for the LCDS.
Toshaos will be sworn in as rural constables and justices of the peace.