IT is regrettable that the Vice-President and Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, the Honourable Sydney Allicock, equates my advocacy with Judas, having full view and knowledge of my character.
The very minister whom I respect and whose principles I hold in high regard and to which I have executed my offices as Chief of Pakuri and Vice-Chair of the National Toshaos Council. Those two key principles are: “Attack the issues, not the person,” and “While the elephants fight, the grass suffers.”
Despite these issues, I am undeterred in my belief that the Indigenous People’s place as secured in Guyana’s Constitution must be respected and protected. A core and fundamental principle in dealing with Indigenous Peoples is Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) was never addressed and I draw your attention to Article 19 of the UN-DRIP.
The sheer dynamics and complexities surrounding Indigenous lands issues spanning nine plus separate nations need a different commission with a different skill and different expertise. To think that one issue translates to the other and that one commission can deal with these issues is to fail to understand Indigenous Peoples and their issues. I beg to bring this question to the fore, what advice is given to His Excellency on this?
It is further important to point out that the criteria for selection of the commissioners need to be understood, the TOR’s must be better defined and the rules of operation need more work to better guide the process.
Lastly, an attack on the President of Guyana must be viewed as an attack on the nation and likewise, an attack on the democratically elected leadership of the Indigenous Peoples must be viewed as an attack on all of Guyana’s Indigenous Peoples. What is important to note is that the Indigenous leaders are not incommunicado, nor are we impervious to verbal communication. We look forward to His Excellency engaging the NTC in dialogue on a clearly defined pathway forward.
Regards
National Toshaos Council