AMERINDIAN Affairs Minister, Ms.Pauline Sukhai declared that as a minister she will not “tolerate people pushing an agenda to separate our people and to deny others rights in this country which they too wish to enjoy.”

She made this declaration while a group of demonstrators on Friday lined the streets outside of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, protesting for the revision of the Amerindian Act 2006 and for their land rights to be upheld,
“What do we do with all the other five races? Push them in the Atlantic? We can’t! We have to deal with them… we have to ensure that they are fairly treated,” the minister stressed at a recent press conference.
Friday’s protest was the second in a week as clashes between miners and indigenous peoples deepen, following a High Court ruling in January whereby a miner was granted permission to mine on Isseneru’s Amerindian titled lands. Sukhai affirmed that the ruling was appealed by the government through its commission, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Isseneru Village Council, suggesting that the indigenous peoples should also realise that Guyana is not only a country for the native peoples, but a country of ethnic diversity. Therefore, she stated that they should respect the human rights of other ethnic groups.
Meanwhile, painted-faced protestors chanted in their native language as they cried for the minister to support them in their struggle for their lands and livelihoods. The minister, however rejected their claims, stating that her ministry and the government have ‘bent backwards,’ for them and will not renege on their commitment to protect indigenous peoples. “Isseneru cannot boldly discuss this matter with the minister because we have stood at the side of Isseneru for a long time. And if they are aggrieved over a court ruling, the government, the President and myself cannot interfere with the court’s ruling,” she said, adding that the President of Guyana has expressed ‘full support’ in the case of the Isseneru people.
She refuted allegations shouted by protestors that the government has turned a blind eye to the Chinese Landing land issue, asserting that the ministry held meetings with the people in that village to address the issues and had subsequently come through with a resolution. However, she stated that the weight of the blame should not fall on the government, but on the Village Council, which was elected by the Amerindians to govern their affairs. “I am unable as the minister to wring the hands of the Village council who do not respect the rule of law.
“It is the Village Council by law that has the authority to deal fairly and unbiased with the matters which they have authority and decision-making over. So, therefore, some of the issues that they relate to mining are sometimes outside the jurisdiction of the ministry to make decisions,” she related, explaining that the ministry was not the curator of the mining sector but was given the responsibility to present to the GGMC and the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment all issues relating to Amerindians and mining. She further stated that she has never been in dereliction of presenting the cases to the pertinent sectors, asking if she has failed as minister to represent her people or provide evidence of cases that she has not addressed.
The minister stated that from information gathered, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment has not issued any concession within Isseneru titled lands. She charged the Amerindians to realise that the minerals and other resources of the country are owned by the state, and even though the Government has been slapped with criticism for favouring the indigenous peoples too much, the laws need to be enforced and impartial. “We must always remember that there is a legislation that governs affairs. We must never forget that there is an Amerindian Act,” she said, adding that the Act offers the legal provisions to deal with issues. Therefore, advocated that the people utilise the act.
Sukhai reiterated that even though the government had bent backwards for the natives, they need to respect the rights of other races. “We must also remember that Guyana is a land of six people…a land of great diversity and no constitution, no law in this land will discriminate against anyone and even though the Amerindian Act is considered by our Government and others outside, we as indigenous peoples should not be selfish, neither should we be greedy, neither should we wish to expel the other five races that form part of this inter-woven diversity of Guyana.
“And even the press should not pursue such issues with such aggressiveness that could cause discord in this country which we are trying to build constantly as a country that seek national unity at its highest level,” she stated.
The protestors, however, continued to lobby for the revision of the Amerindian Act, signing a petition which called for the act to be amended. This petition was launched on Thursday at the Umana Yana by Amerindian rights activist Laura George, who stated that the Act does not protect indigenous peoples.
Sukhai rejected this assertion. “The Amerindian Act provides a legal framework,” she argued, asserting that there are adequate procedures within the act to resolve issues that affect Amerindians. She stated that before the act was passed there was consultation sessions held with the Amerindians to which they all agreed upon. “If the Amerindians do not want to exercise the law which they themselves crafted and deliberated on for almost four years, then they must come outright and say they reject their work but the blame should not be put on a personality as is being done!” the minister argued.
“Any miner who may have had concessions years back also have a right. But I can tell you that all of the areas that were titled before I became a minister were deliberated, and consultation with stakeholders prior titling of Isseneru and any other village that seem now to have an issue were held. And therefore consultation would have given ample provision for stakeholders’ decision- making.”
President of the Amerindian Action Movement of Guyana, Peter Persaud, accused that Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) of manipulating the Amerindians to cause conflict. He further accused the association of wanting to overthrow the National Toshaos Council. “In my opinion the APA is pursuing a political agenda,” Persaud stated, arguing that if they had really wanted the Act to be amended they would have approached the ministry with their proposals; positing that so far there has been only talks for amending the act. “We don’t know if they are saying they want the whole act to be amended or a clause…they are not coming up with suggestions.”
In addition, the minister stated that the APA’s existence is being threatened as the government continues development in indigenous communities and strengthens ties with the natives. Conversely, she added that it is within their constitutional right to advocate and mobilise Amerindians if they recognise the people’s lives are being threatened. “It’s their democratic right to exist as an advocacy group, it’s their democratic[right] to mobilise the people which they see it fit and again it’s their democratic right of the indigenous peoples who are picketing outside of the Ministry of Amerindian affairs to picket,” she stated, adding that the ministry favours such raw expression of democracy.
She further asserted that her office was always available for consultations with the people and therefore was a brazen allegation that the Amerindians would say that she refused to have conversations with them. “In respect to the call to speak to me I’m sure that my office is open every day; Monday to Friday and of course there is no reason why the APA or Isseneru village who is part of the protest would have any difficulty in speaking with me at any time,” she stated, adding that the ministry had given the Amerindians innumerable chances to converse about their issues.
The minister also stated that the government had responded to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (UNCERD) call for information to be provided in the cases of Isseneru and Kako, where conflicts had arisen between the people and miners. The UNCERD had expressed concern over mining concessions being granted on traditional Amerindian lands.
Sukhai said that the case relating to Kako was ‘misrepresented,’ explaining that the miner posed no harm to the people since she was mining 25 miles away from the village. She further stated that the miner was denied her right of free movement in the river after she was blocked by the Amerindians. “If she feels her democratic right for freedom [of] movement to be curtailed then she took the action that was deemed necessary. We have to recognise that other ethnic groups have rights. If we deny these people their legal rights, then we are in complete violation of the United Nations human rights law,” she said. The law requires that permission must be granted by an Amerindian community before anyone could pass through their lands and rivers. “The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs does not give permission for passage through an Amerindian village, it is the village council,” she added, stating that from her information gathered the miner did approach the council for passage through the river but was rejected.
The minister said that the Amerindians’ backs are pressed against the wall because they have not taken the precaution and obtain legal permission to do small and medium-scale mining. “If they don’t apply for rights to mine then they leave the door open for others to apply,” she stated, adding that the ministry has encouraged the Amerindians in the Chinese Landing village to apply for land rights so that they can have complete authority over mining in their area.