A SPECIAL team will be set up soon to settle longstanding land issues in the village of Santa Rosa and its ten satellite communities at Moruca.

The proposal came from Vice-President and Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Sydney Allicock, who led a 12-member team to the Region on Sunday.

According to a release from the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Allicock made the proposal during a public meeting hosted at the Santa Rosa Secondary School, after hearing several concerns relating to village lands raised by residents. The Council has promised to meet with residents in two weeks for discussions, and should there be disagreement on the proposed team, then alternative solutions must be made.

Should there be agreement on the proposal, they will also have to discuss its composition so that the investigations can commence, and closure on these matters can be realised.
Minister Allicock said he believes that the proposed team, once properly balanced, will see immediate action in resolving these issues, which are causing tension and distress, and bringing division among residents. “We need a team; persons within the community who have a history, and would be able to bring a balance. Some situations might be extra serious, and you have to make some serious decisions to get the answer to fix things here.

I would like to see that team also look at all previous issues; look at the previous agreement with previous Toshaos, revisit them. After all, the Council is the authority of the village, and as you see, things have been agreed upon and documents have been submitted… So we need to find the best possible way of managing our land,” he said.

The minister said it is his desire for village councils to address issues within the village, but should this prove futile, he must then resort to Section 45 (7) of the Amerindian Act, which provides him with the ability to address such issues.

Santa Rosa has a population of more than ten thousand residents, and among the concerns raised were several relatives in dispute over communal lands, boundaries not properly identified and persons occupying lands that were known to be reserved for village/public use.  The minister assured residents at the meeting, “We would be happy to be a part of it and as we move on we can seek technical support, most of all we need to have the buy-in of everyone in the community to fix this problem, you out there will have to give that support.”

He said it can be challenging since the ability to make provision for the construction of houses and acquiring lands for agricultural purposes are being hindered due to these issues.

“It is painful to know that you want to do something, and you’re being held back. It’s painful to know that you can do something and you are not given the opportunity, because of these red tapes. It is painful to know that you worked to get the council in place and then when you come for rescue you feel rejected, you feel that you are not important so it is everyone’s part to look for solutions,” the Minister said. Minister Allicock said it is clear that the current council has inherited a number of “baggage, missing links and disrespectful situations.”He called on residents to support the Council so that development can continue.

Santa Rosa has the largest Indigenous population in Guyana, and with two major village economy projects on the way in the sub-district: the Santa Rosa Ground Coffee and the Kwebanna Cassava Flour projects, the land issues are expected to be addressed in a timely manner.