– MP debunks opposition’s claims of advancing land rights

THE People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has credited itself for titling the majority of the Amerindian Villages in Guyana, but the facts show that in its 23-year reign only 30 new villages were granted titles. In fact, the majority of Indigenous villages in Guyana were titled under the People’s National Congress (PNC) Administration.

Ministerial Adviser at the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Mervyn Williams, said it is time the PPP gives credit where it is due, and that is, to the PNC regime. Under the current political construct, the PNC forms a major block of the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) Coalition Government.

In an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle, Williams said between 1976 and 1991, the PNC titled a total of 74 villages as it sought to address the needs of the Indigenous peoples of Guyana.

“In 1976, 64 villages were titled, these included districts. In 1991, 10 were titled. This takes us to 74 titled villages under the PNC government,” Williams explained.

The first 64 titled villages were in keeping with the recommendations of the Amerindian Lands Commission Report of 1969, which was ordered by the then Prime Minister of Guyana, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham. Subsequent to that report, an amendment to the 1951 Amerindian Act was made in 1976 which provided for the granting of lands to Amerindian communities. It was then that the first batch of Amerindian people received legal recognition to the lands they use and occupy.

Later in 1991, those villages and 10 additional communities were issued Absolute Grants, under the State Lands Act. “The actual instrument, which is an Absolute Grant, may not have been issued immediately, but the fact of the matter is that the amendment of the Act meant that the Indigenous people became communal owners of their lands,” Williams told this newspaper.

He noted that before becoming President of Guyana in 1985, Hugh Desmond Hoyte, a Senior Counsel, provided pro bono service to the Amerindian people and once he became president, ensured that Absolute Grants were given to Indigenous villages. “In essence therefore, between 1976 and 1991, more than 80 villages were titled. That’s over a 15-year, 16-year period,” Williams pointed out.

There are now 104 Amerindian villages spread across Guyana. “By deduction there were 30 new villages which were granted title by the PPP between 1992 and May of 2015,” the ministerial adviser reasoned, as he sought to dispel the notion by the PPP that it was responsible for a large number of villages being titled.

Williams, who is also a Member of Parliament, pointed out that while the PNC titled 74 villages within a period of 15 years, the PPP took 23 years to issue titles to 30 villages. He said in addition to the 30 titles issued, the PPP simply demarcated the other villages.
“The PPP has boasted about issuing a glowing number of land titles but essentially what it is, is that the 70 plus villages that have been titled between 1976 and 1991, were given an ownership document called an Absolute Grant. The Absolute Grant has natural and generic boundaries… so what happened between the commencement of the Amerindian Land Titling Project to when they demitted office, there were in fact, doing surveys, and doing demarcation, to the same lands for which titles were given,” the ministerial adviser explained.

He further clarified that the PPP simply converted Absolute Grants to Certificate of Titles.
“The documents are the same in terms of the fact that they are titled to ownership, the difference is, one, is not surveyed. The Absolute Grant there is no physical survey and demarcation done, but to get Certificate of Title, a survey is necessary and coordinates are provided,” the parliamentarian explained.

NOTHING NEW
He said the PPP gave back to the Indigenous people, the same lands they already had legally owned. “You are giving another instrument for ownership for the same lands already titled, and so that’s how the large number of pieces of paper comes up,” Williams further explained.

However, he noted that in demarcating the areas, the PPP also gave away lands belonging to Indigenous people. The ministerial adviser cited the case of Santa Rosa.

“Santa Rosa residents would tell you that they have problems with applications for the extension of their boundaries. They were promised by the PPP that no protected area would be named and identified until after their application for extension would have been dealt with in finality, but then the PPP Administration came and set out in law the Shell Beach Protected Area. Residents of Santa Rosa are saying that the protected area takes in a large percentage of the extended area they had identified,” Williams explained.

He noted that Chinese Landing has also suffered at the hands of the PPP. Williams explained that Chinese Landing was among villages titled in 1976; however, upon taking office, the PPP, through its then Prime Minister, Samuel Hinds, who was responsible for mining, caused a miner to get Mining Permits for blocks of land that took over 50 per cent of Chinese Landing.

The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) not only granted blocks to Wayne Vieira, but converted prospecting permits to mining permits, without any notice to the community, thereby violating the Free, Prior and Informed Consent mechanism.
In 2010, the GGMC issued the cease work order to the miner on the grounds that he was violating the Amerindian Act by mining on the village lands without permission.
However, in December 2017, the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) overturned a ruling of the Guyana Court of Appeal and ruled that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) had no authority to order Wayne Vieira, in November 2010, to cease all work at his Chinese Landing operation.

According to the ruling, the CCJ’s decision rests on the fact that Vieira had no agreement with the Chinese Landing-Tassawini Village Council at the time the Cease Work Order (CWO) was issued by the GGMC. As such, what the CCJ’s ruling did was effectively restore the High Court’s decision and awarded Vieira costs to this effect.

Below are the names of the first 64 villages that were titled under the PNC Government:
1. Achiwuib
2. Karaudanawa
3. Aishalton
4. Awariwaunau
5. Maruranau
6. Moco-Moco
7. Nappi
8. Shea
9. Sand Creek
10. Sawariwau
11. St. Ignatius (Homesteads)
12. St. Ignatius (Farmlands)
13. Yupukari
14. Massara
15. Toka
16. Yakarinta
17. Taruka
18. Kanapang
19. Itabac
20. Monkey Mountain
21. Kato
22. Paramakatoi
23. Kurukabaru
24. Kopinang
25. Waipa
26. Kaibarupai
27. Kamana
28. Potarinau (Ambrose) Village
29. Shulinab (Macusi) Village
30. Chenapau
31. Wikki River
32. Hururu
33. Orealla
34. Santa/Aratak Kamuni Creek
35. St. Cutherberth’s Mahaica River
36. St. Francis Mahaicony River
37. Kabakaburi Pomeroon River
38. Akawini Pomeroon River
39. Wakapau Pomeroon River
40. Kairimap (St. Monica’s) Pomeroon River
41. Bethany Essequibo Coast
42. Mashabo Essequibo Coast
43. Mainstay/Whyaka Essequibo Coast
44. Tapakuma (St. Deny’s) Essequibo Coast
45. Capoey Lake Essequibo Coast
46. Manawarin
47. Waramuri-Moruca
48. Santa Rosa
49. Assakata
50. Kwabanna
51. Little Kaniballi
52. Warapoka
53. Waikrebi
54. Kokerite
55. Chinese Landing
56. Hotoquai
57. Hobodia
58. Kamwatta Hill
59. Red Hill
60. Koriabo
61. Sebai
62. Tobago and Wauna Hill
63. Bunbury Hill (North West District)
64. Annai
65. Karasabai