REPRESENTATIVES of the various groups and civil society are coming out in condemnation of the combined opposition’s callous targeting of transformational programmes that were catered for in the 2013 national budget.

Chairman, National Toshaos Council (NTC) Derrick John, Executive Member Aubrey Samuel, and President of The Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana (TAAMOG), Peter Persaud, all condemned the opposition for slashing the funding for initiatives under the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), and the transport sector under the Ministry of Public Works, which will affect the Amerindian people as well.
The sum of $19B was slashed from the allocation of $20B provided for LCDS initiatives that encompassed the Guyana Redd + Investment Fund (GRIF) projects, including the Amaila Falls Hydro, the Amerindian Development Fund, Amerindian Land Demarcation, and the Small Business and Micro Enterprise, all very important projects.
The opposition’s cut in the transport sector will negatively affect the rehabilitation of airstrips in Matthews Ridge, Imbaimadai and Kamarang, and the maintenance of 43 airstrips in Regions 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9, and the $80M to procure an Automated Dependent Surveillance Broadcast to bring precision and reliability of satellite-based surveillance to Guyana’s national airspace.

Scattered dreams
NTC Chairman John said that the LCDS cut has  served to only shatter the dreams of the communities to become self-sufficient, following the implementation of their Community Development Plans (CDPs) that are to be funded under the ADF.
“When we look at $19B cut from the finance sector, these were monies that were allocated to LCDS, and our CDPs hang heavily on this, we depend on this, to see the implementation of our CDPs, and there is a lot of input that we have put together in getting these plans together, and we have submitted it with high expectations. Now that is gone, it is our dreams scattered. Our vision is in limbo,” John stated.
“The entire Amerindian populace really is disappointed, because we look at these projects…these are some things that would boost our economy, and today with all of these efforts, with all of these expectations, we are not seeing a bright future, we are seeing a dark future,” he lamented.
Disappointing also is that the cut would affect land titling, an issue that is dear to the heart of many Amerindians, John said.
“We have always been pleading to the Government that we want ownership of our land, and our voices were heard and they realise the importance of having our land titled and demarcated…this year we looked forward to having those 12 communities that are ready for titling and the 19 other communities that should be demarcated this year, it is no more a reality,” he pointed out.

Selfish interest
The NTC Chairman described as immature the opposition’s action and questioned how those in the opposition of Amerindian lineage can move in a direction that is detrimental to their own people.
“We have Amerindian representatives from the opposition benches in Parliament, who sit in Parliament. If they are our true representatives of the Amerindians, why are they so silent? If they truly have Amerindians’ interest at heart, why would they support such a cut, knowing the impact that they would have on Amerindian people, their brothers and sisters, their own people that they claim to represent…I see this as immature action, it is not putting the interest in front, it is more a selfish motive…looking at these developments in Parliament, we are totally disappointed and we condemn it. We are calling on the opposition to withdraw these decisions that they have made, and truly represent the people of Guyana,” he said.
Executive Member Toshao Aubrey Samuel also expressed his disappointment. “From the inception we have been supporting the LCDS projects, and it has reached to this stage, where it would have been rolled out, and now all is gone. The LCDS programme has been cut. What is going to happen to those communities that submitted their CDPs? he asked.

Deliberate act
Meanwhile, Peter Persaud said that the cut to the LCDS budgetary allocation is not based on merit or sound rationalisation, but instead was a deliberate act to bring about the failure of the LCDS. He said that TAAMOG condemns the act as “being totally irresponsible, anti-national and spiteful.”
He also asked the question what would happen to the 166 communities that were set to benefit from implementation of their CDPs. “What is the parliamentary opposition saying to the Amerindian people of Guyana? They do not care for the Amerindian communities, they do not respect the Amerindian communities of this country, but yet they want their votes,” he said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai pointed out that the LCDS budget cut and the cut to the transport sector have significant negative implications for the development of Amerindians. She pointed out that Amerindian villages and hinterland communities still need significant assistance in bridging the gaps that have been inherently affecting their development.
It was pointed out that the loss of the $248M for the rehabilitation of airstrips in Matthews Ridge, Imbaimadai and Kamarang and the maintenance of 43 airstrips in Regions 1, 2, 7, 8 and 9 would only result in deterioration of these airstrips, which would have implications for flights into these areas, which in turn will affect communication, movement of people and goods, including critical health and education supplies.