I AM a resident of the Rupununi and I am currently in Georgetown on business. I was told that Mr. Tony James of Aishalton Village, South Rupununi and a group of Amerindians were in Georgetown for a demonstration against the government on land issues. Mr. James arrived in the City by aircraft while he sent his group by minibus.

Mr. Editor, Tony James is not a representative of the Wapichan people of South Rupununi, neither in any other part of the Rupununi. Aishalton Village has a Toshao and Village Council; they are the true representatives of Aishalton, not Mr. James. He is a representative of himself.
The Aishalton Village does not have any land problems with the government. The problem with Mr. James is that he wants the Marudi Mountains for himself and family because of the gold deposits which he says is his land rights. Mr. James has a shop in Aishalton and pays a few Amerindians to support him when he has a planned activity. I was told that many Amerindians in his group did not know that they were coming to Georgetown for a demonstration against the government on land issues. This is his style in the Rupununi which has no merit whatsoever.
Tony James wants to own and control large areas of land in South Rupununi which he calls Wapichan territory and told residents that APNU will support him. Mr. Editor, is APNU a lawless party to support Mr. James’s greed for land? And in his old age for that matter!
Mr. James told residents of South Rupununi that he will fight with guns to get Wapichan territory and if they do not want to support him he will fight alone. Mr. James also told residents that he is a commander of a Liberation Movement. What is this? The truth is that Mr. James will be fighting alone because the Wapichan people do not support his wicked and selfish activities.
So Mr. Editor, the Government must know that Mr. Tony James is not the representative of the Wapichan people who are peaceful and law-abiding citizens of Guyana.