–of lands being taken away from persons

WHILE the Indian Action Committee (IAC) has made claims regarding lands being taken away from persons, the land Commission of Inquiry (CoI) has shot down such inferences.

In addition, the commission made it clear on Tuesday that its terms of reference (TOR) does not include the issue of land being taken and redistributed. Its mandate is to examine and make recommendations to resolve all issues surrounding the individual, joint and communal ownership of lands acquired by freed Africans, claims of Amerindian Land Titling and on any other matter related to land titling.

On Tuesday , IAC executive member, Evan Persaud appeared before the CoI and during his testimony, he told the commission that given the “present circumstances “ in Guyana the IAC is opposed to the idea that land should be taken away from one “set of people and given to another set.”

Persaud, in his brief presentation, told the commission that the use of the word “ancestral” was problematic, noting that the IAC has been following the hearings via the media and according to him, the body believes that the word does not have any connection to anyone in Guyana’s geographic space.

He said that the concept of ancestral lands is known in the constitution of Guyana and it’s the laws. Persaud said too that the IAC believes that the term ‘ancestral lands’ refer to “time immemorial occupied lands” and according to him only the country’s indigenous peoples can be described as living here within time immemorial.

He said that the IAC believes that the concept of land has “become confused” and according to him, there are many people, especially of Indo-Guyanese origin who own lands, and who are concerned that they “may be for some reason thrown off the lands.”

Commissioner Lennox Caleb reminded Persaud that such claims do not fit under the mandate of the commission’s work. Commissioner, Paulette Henry noted too that several organisations appeared before the CoI and they have reiterated that there is need for a settlement of all the claims and discussions regarding lands. Henry said too that the responsibility of the commission is not to take lands away from anyone.