MINISTER of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Vice-President Sydney Allicock, has stressed that in order for a community to become economically independent, its residents must be in the habit of rooting for that one common cause.“It’s like the game of football. If you have a good team, you score the goal…. The communities, I met with them and I experienced that they were divided politically; and while we have had the 50 years of political Independence, we should have been able to already have economic Independence in communities, so that we will not be in a state of wanting,” he told the Government Information Agency (GINA) in a recent interview.

The minister said communities continue to be supported through the annual Presidential Grants, Community Development Projects (CDPs), and other forms of support, such as transportation and equipment.
Communities are also benefiting from funds to start up income-generating projects in commemoration of Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary.

Minister Allicock noted that many communities have submitted their project proposals, and those are being examined. He also said that one of the things the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs has been pursuing is to ensure that the Village Councils are equipped with the necessary documents, such as Tax Identification Number (TIN), to conduct their business.

Some communities also need to create their bank accounts in order to receive their respective funds.

Village leaders have also benefited from transparency and accountability training, with the aim of ensuring better management of community resources.

Through support from the Ministry and the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST), the Makushi Research Unit has launched ‘Rupununi Essence’, a facial cleanser and skin nutrient made from crabwood oil. It is hoped that similar initiatives would be replicated by other groups.

Additionally, support has also been provided in the area of tourism, agriculture, and communication. In fact, with backing from the Office of the Prime Minister, Lethem in Region Nine received its first radio station, and a similar project will be launched at Mabaruma in Region One.

LAND TITLING AND DEMARCATION

Land is life for Guyana’s Indigenous peoples; and in order to ensure land issues are settled within communities, President David Granger, during his announcement of a ‘10-point Plan for Amerindian Development’, revealed the impending establishment of an Indigenous Land Rights Commission.

Minister Allicock has said that, with support from the National Toshaos Council (NTC), the Commission has been renamed the “Indigenous Land Rights and Life Commission”, because without lands there will not be any life, not only for the Indigenous peoples, but all the other living things that form part of the eco-system.

The Amerindian Land Titling Project, which comes to an end this year, is on schedule. Two demarcation processes are ongoing, and three certificates of title are being prepared.

The minister recently attended the 15th Session of the UN General Assembly Forum on Indigenous Issues, held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, USA, where Indigenous land rights were one of the main issues highlighted.

The minister took the opportunity to update the forum on what the Government was doing in terms of that issue, and other aspects of development for Indigenous people.

“In the education sector, the Hinterland Scholarship Programme offers hinterland students access to further their education. The eventual delivery of the early formative education of our Indigenous children using their first language is also envisaged.

“The Hinterland Employment and Youth Services Programme seeks to equip hinterland youths aged 16 to 35 years with relevant skills to enable them to support sustainable village and community development. In the area of culture, we seek to promote and preserve permanent records of our Indigenous music, craft, art, and in general our Indigenous culture, customs, and practices for future generations,” he said at that forum.

The Ministry also conducted numerous community outreaches that were intended to listen to the residents’ concerns, and in some cases immediate actions were taken to resolve some of the issues affecting them.

In Region Nine, President Granger deployed a team of Government officials to conduct a needs’ assessment. Based on the report prepared by the team, an action plan for the region will be developed.

In moving forward, Minister Allicock noted that Government will seek to address several issues in the area of education, health, and roads, and provide agricultural support to communities.

The Ministry will also be consulting with stakeholders to amend the Amerindian Act of 2006, to allow the process of land settlement to move forward.