PPP/C Gov’t has positively impacted welfare of Amerindians
Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai delivering her presentation during the 2014 Budget debate
Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai delivering her presentation during the 2014 Budget debate

-Minister Sukhai, during Budget debate
DURING her presentation Thursday in the National Assembly on the 2014 Budget debate , Minister of Amerindian Affairs Pauline Sukhai addressed the rise of the indigenous people after years of being ‘left out in the cold, marginalised, maligned and neglected’ by the PNC.Speaking of developments over recent years, she said Government’s support and interventions have continued to positively impact on the well-being of the more than 70,000 Amerindians, but this is not to say that there is nothing more to be addressed for indigenous people.
“The transition of Amerindian village economy is an ongoing process, the granting of land title continues to progress, the need for increased access to secondary education continues to be addressed, improving and expanding health care and water access is an ongoing project for this government, the empowering of Amerindian youth … Amerindian leaders are refining their governance and administrative skills; they have developed well-defined goals for sustainable approaches to village development,” she explained.
The youth empowerment initiative was introduced in 2013, targeting youths, and $200 million was spent on it. The Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP) was launched in Regions 1, 7, 8 and 9.
Agriculture
Complementing education and health care services to Amerindians in the hinterland communities have been interventions aimed at agriculture and food security , Minister Sukhai noted.
She said that support to Amerindian communities now is unprecedented when compared to what obtained prior to 1992. Minister Sukhai said that since then, Government has provided to Amerindian farmers 33 tractor-trailers and other agriculture implements to address increase in cultivation, transport and market of produce.
She pointed out that the aim was to ensure sustained increase of production, and in so doing, improving the communities’ food security. The support was also geared at generating income.
Hinterland roads
Minister Sukhai pointed out that it was under the PPP/C Government that the hinterland road programme was implemented, leading to better access to, and in the regions. The Amerindian Affairs Minister admitted that Government still has much more to do with regards to the road networks, and so too with hinterland airstrips. She also hastened to point out that Government could have done much better with regards to hinterland airstrips’ maintenance and construction in 2013, if the Opposition had not cut the budget on that programme. The entire transport sector budget was slashed by the Opposition in their haste to cut the allocation to the Cheddi Jagan Airport Expansion project.

Solar home systems
“For the first time in the history of Guyana, ‘jumbie lamps’ are extinguished,” Minister Sukhai pointed out.
She noted that Amerindians have benefitted from the distribution of 10,858 solar systems, and Amerindian students can now study in the comfort of their own homes in the evenings.
The programme also offers training in the installation of the unit to more than 300 students in the hinterland.
River and land transportation
The Amerindian Affairs Minister noted that the lifeline of the Amerindians hinges on their mobility, and to this end, Government has invested heavily transportation systems.
In the past five years, the land and water transport programme totalled $376.2M. This has seen the distribution of 53 All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), 25 minibuses, 17 4×4 pickups, 65 boats and 107 engines, all going to boost the transportation needs of those who reside in the hinterland, Minister Sukhai said.
Presidential Grant
Amerindians have also benefitted from the Presidential Grant programme, which offers funds for Amerindians to invest in economic ventures. This grant has financed various projects, including transportation services, construction of and stocking community shops, construction and furnishing of guest houses and multi-purpose centres, agriculture projects including cattle and poultry rearing, building of bridges, communication systems and tourism projects, Minister Sukhai noted.
This project was affected in 2012, when the Opposition cut the Office of the President’s budget, under whose purview the Presidential Grant is administered.
LCDS and Land Titling
Meanwhile, the Amerindians were the first beneficiaries of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), as they benefitted from US$16M, $6M of which has been allocated for the promotion of economic ventures in 166 communities. Minister Sukhai noted that 26 such projects are at various stages of implementation.
Government has been keeping on its agenda, the issue of Amerindian titling and demarcation of lands.
The signing of an agreement at the last National Toshaos Council (NTC) meeting to the tune of US$10M will address outstanding land titling in the next three years.
In 2013, a sum of $77.9M was spent to commence demarcation and extension activities in eight villages, while investigation activities continued in seven others.
2014 Focus
This year, there will be continued government interventions to enhance the livelihoods and development of Amerindian communities countrywide.
The sum of $796M has been allocated for the continuation of YEAP, expanding to Regions 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 10.
Under the One Laptop Per Family (OLPF) initiative, work will continue on the construction of 100 hubs in 100 villages, to the benefit of 57,000 people, and one person from each village will be trained in basic computer skills and maintenance.
In addition, over 470 students will benefit from the $66.6M allocated to the Hinterland Scholarship Programme. (GINA)

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