OVER a four-day period recently, the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs took its community outreach programme to the Deep South, Rupununi, Region 9, where a team led by Permanent Secretary, Nigel Dharamlall, and included Regional Vice Chairman, Douglas Casimero, and Community Development Officer, Ken Faria and others, travelled to several villages where they engaged residents in discussions with regard to mining, land extension and other concerns.

The team visited and held meetings with residents of Aishalton, Karaudaranau, Maruranau and Awarewaunau.
The ministry is the biggest partner in Amerindian development, and over the years, it has been reaching out to communities, heeding their concerns and making representation on their behalf at the national level.
As a result, Dharamlall said that there has been a tremendous transformation as it relates to Amerindian development, and the vision of the government is to ensure that Amerindians live a comfortable life. There are of course challenges, he said, because of the current political situation that is hindering development, especially as it relates to Amerindians.

Mining
Maruranau residents said they were surprised over the recently held mining lottery in Lethem, as they were not informed by the relevant agencies or leaders. They opined that the lottery will hinder their plans to embark on their tourism strategy by means of the Community Development Project (CDP). On April 26, several residents protested against the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission’s lottery in Lethem, alleging that that they weren’t invited to any consultation or assessments by the commission as stated in the Amerindian Act.
The lottery, which was held in all six mining areas and was intended to regularise mining, was however cancelled by Natural Resources and the Environment Minister, Robert Persaud.
Karaudaranau mostly depends on mining to generate income, and its hardware store, which was built through the presidential grant, has miners as their largest supporters. The residents said this will have a negative impact on them because GGMC put a halt to mining in Marudi.
Meanwhile, Aishalton residents highlighted that the land that was identified for the lottery was not appropriate for mining, rather, for farming, and that most of the Amerindians could not meet the requirements to apply for the lottery.
According to the residents, the miners are contaminating the water which makes it unhealthy for the residents to use. They are also asking for a closer partnership between the village and Romanex mining company that was granted the Marudi concession.
The permanent secretary said that the ministry is in complete agreement with the cancellation of the lottery. However, he said that the ministry is totally against illegal mining, and supports the protection of the forest.
He warned residents not to be misguided by anyone, because government has decided that Amerindians will have priority in the next lottery.
He also promised that the ministry will engage the mining company so as to have them meet with the residents of Aishalton.

Land
Residents of Aishalton, Maruranau and Awarewaunau are asking for land extension to engage in eco-tourism, agriculture, cattle rearing and fishing. They said that they have applied for their extension and are awaiting a response from the council or the ministry.
About 40 Amerindian communities applied for land extension, and Dharamlall explained that while there has been progress on the extension, it is a process that has to be followed and an investigation carried out.
He said that the request has been documented at the ministry and is being brought up for consideration. However, he added that he would like to see Aishalton’s land issue resolved by the end of this year.

Flooding
Flooding during the rainy season that has resulted in roads and bridges being damaged was highlighted. While there have been efforts to rehabilitate and build roads and bridges, the residents are of the view that contractors should contact the community before they embark on building such infrastructure.
Dharamlall suggested that residents notify the village council of any project that is being executed in their respective community and ensure they collect the bills of quantity.
With regard to the flooding, Vice Chairman Casimero said that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is currently setting up a regional disaster committee that will be responsible for developing a disaster preparedness plan in order to monitor the situation.
Casimero said that there will be a regional Toshaos conference in Lethem where the leaders will be given an opportunity to air their concerns and submit proposals to the Regional Democratic Council.
A hotline will also be established which will see the committee monitoring the situation on a daily basis, especially during the May/June rainy season.

Other issues
Residents of Karaudaranau requested fuel and oil for the tractor to facilitate self – help on the roads, and assistance to build a walkway for students to get to school when it rains. The Toshao is also requesting transportation to travel to Lethem to uplift old age pensions for beneficiaries.
The permanent secretary said that the ministry will assist them with the fuel, and also promised that it will look at the transportation issue later this year. He urged them to submit an estimate to the ministry to build the walkway.
Aishalton residents are asking for the ministry to provide technical support with regard to explaining the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and what it entails, and for assistance to repaint their primary school.
Dharamlall committed to having a technical team visit the community by the end of the year, and the Ministry will also provide the paint to the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) to repaint the school.
Meanwhile, Awarewaunau is asking for assistance to complete their hot meal kitchen and Dharamlall said that the ministry will look at how it can assist in this regard.
He also used the opportunity to enlighten the residents on the 2013 budget, explaining that several projects that were slated to be executed this year have been hampered by the parliamentary Opposition’s cuts to projects such as the LCDS, land titling and demarcation, computer hubs for villages and the second phase of the solar panel distribution.