I AM an Amerindian resident of Lethem  and I have received some sad news about the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) which I would like to share with the Guyana Chronicle. The NRDDB is a body formed to promote the development of the North Rupununi communities which was doing well before the 2011 elections.
After the 2011 elections, the NRDDB seems to be in a state of coma or stagnation to the detriment of the continued development prospects of Annai’s Amerindian communities.
I was informed by a few residents of the North Rupununi who would normally travel to Lethem to conduct business, that the sad state of the NRDDB is because of Sydney Allicock’s presence on the NRDDB who is usurping and manipulating the powers of the Board’s officials and its business by giving the impression that he is the spokesman for the NRDDB when he is not authorised to do so.
The residents also informed me that since Mr. Sydney Allicock is a Member of Parliament for the APNU political party and has adopted a frontline position in the NRDDB, public and international donor agencies may be hesitant to provide the support which the NRDDB needs at this time. The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs also needs to be alerted on the present sad situation of the NRDDB and when it is dealing with this body it must engage the elected officials and not Sydney Allicock.
The residents were also of the view that in the interest of Development for the Annai District communities, Mr. Allicock must resign entirely from the NRDDB.