WITNESS Richard Waddell has claimed that lands left by his ancestors were taken away when he appeared before the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into ancestral lands and other land-related matters on Thursday.

Waddell of Lot 15 Farm, East Bank Essequibo told the Commission that he is a pensioner and is talking about lands at Farm, in which parts were coveted by the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and his aunt-in-law’s plot at Ruby.
These lands at East Bank Essequibo, he said were awarded through the court to someone, who is not family member.

According to Waddell, his aunt-in-law Anita Rodney, who is deceased, inherited a property from her grandmother and lived on the plot for 90 years before she passed away.

The pensioner told the Commission that the plot in question is Lot 17 Ruby, in which one plot was divided into two, in which one Nazeer Mohamed, called “Ashok,” was awarded prescriptive rights following a court ruling.

He related that after his aunt-in-law died two years ago he learnt through an elderly uncle that Mohamed has a title for the land left behind by his ancestors.
Waddell views the move as an injustice since the land in question was handed down by his foreparents. A structure on the land is still standing.

The witness said that the same Mohamed has been going around the entire village of Naamryck, East Bank Essequibo seeking unregistered lands and got prescriptive rights.

He is asking that the court order be overturned and the land returned to his family, since it is ancestral land.

Waddell told the Commission that he is unaware that this might be a difficult task since he would like the land to be held by his family because Ruby is historically a black village.

Waddell said strangers moved in and occupied the lands,which his aunt and another relative inherited through their ancestors, who have long died.

The second ancestral lands issue he raised at the Commission was the backlands for which he has a title and which are located at Farm, East Bank Essequibo. The lands,he said, were bought by his ancestors but have now been taken by the NDC.

The land is reported to be under the control by the NDC due to drainage works being undertaken to widen a drain into a trench.

DESCENDANT
Waddell said Farm is ancestral lands bought by 26 ex-slaves and he is a descendant of those slaves. The issue with the village is that there is a plan of the said village, which does not correspond with the village as it is now.

He related that it is not right and he cannot recover the original plan which was aged, but the current plan was done by Surveyor E.E Whyte.

Waddell told the Commission that in the plan of the village he has, there are some lands missing and that is cause for concern since they cannot utilise their backlands for farming as they did years ago.

As such, he is requesting a re-allocation of backlands which can be developed for farming and pointed out to the Commission that the village was the provider of ground provisions and long mangoes.

Responding to questions from the commissioners, Waddell said he and his relatives lost lands due to drainage works undertaken by the NDC and his aunt-in-law’s land was taken away while she was still living on it and given to Mohamed.

He said when surveys are done on lands; it either gives or takes away lands and several rods of land were taken from him.

He said the original plan was done by E.E Whyte in 1887 but came out in 1888 and persons who lost lands have transports to show ownership.

The next CoI hearing will be in October.

The exercise is spearheaded by Chairman Reverend George Chuck-A-Sang and commissioners, Berlinda Persaud, Professor Rudolph James, David James, Paulette Henry, Lennox Caleb, and Carol Khan-James.

The first round of the public hearings started in August 21. During that segment, the CoI heard matters relating to ancestral lands and other land issues.

President David Granger had in March of this year established a CoI under the Commission of Inquiry Act, to examine and make recommendations to resolve all issues, and uncertainties surrounding the claims of Amerindian land titling, the individual, joint or communal ownership of lands acquired by freed Africans and any matters relating to land titling in Guyana.