-says Minister Sukhai

CONSTRUCTION of a brand-new building at the National Exhibition Centre, Sophia, to house the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Secretariat will be completed ahead of the March 2023 deadline.

Amerindian Affairs Minister, Pauline Sukhai, on Friday, on the sidelines of an event told the Guyana Chronicle that the government had allocated some $100 million in the 2022 National Budget to relocate the secretariat from its Hadfield and Cross Streets, Georgetown location.

“This year, the budget approved just about $100 million to construct a new secretariat for the NTC. The contractor was provided with 12 months to complete the project and you know that our budget was passed in February and we started addressing the matter from March, so, counting twelve months from then, our new secretariat for the NTC headquarters is almost up and running, “she said.

Minister Sukhai noted that Guyana is the only country with a government that supports and promotes a full month of activities that seek to celebrate and recognise the contribution of Indigenous tradition, knowledge and culture.

“Our government is the only government so far in the international community that is setting the pace and being the front runner in terms of addressing and including the Indigenous population in the mainstream of national life and national activities.”

She explained that while the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs is the oversight institution for Indigenous Peoples, it is the elected leaders of the NTC that oversees the administrative functions of the Indigenous communities under the country’s laws.

“The NTC should feel very proud that our government has stepped up to ensure that as a council of leaders, as respected leaders, they should also have their own quarters,” Minster Sukhai said, adding: “The legitimately elected leaders for Amerindians, they have administrative functions under the law and also other functions under the law that they need to perform.”

The government’s role, she said is to provide the prerequisites that will ensure the full functioning of the council.

“… we need to ensure that they are provided with the level of accommodation or office space or secretariat and with the level of resources to compliment the village councils in ensuring that Amerindians are set at a level where they can rightfully say they are indeed included and have access in an equitable way like every other ethnic group,” she added.

With a track record of delivering its manifesto promises, Sukhai assured that all pledges that were made to the country’s first people will be fulfilled.

“I know His Excellency made quite a number of pledges last night and I can rest assure that the Amerindian population should be confident that everything that the PPP/Civic [People’s Progressive Party/Civic] government has pledge to, that we are going to deliver. We have a good delivery track record,” Minister Sukhai added.

The goal, she said is to have Indigenous Peoples recognised as key players in the mainstream development of the country.

“It’s a working progress to ensure that Amerindians are in the mainstream in the national fabric of our country. We are One Guyana and so we need to close the gap between the hinterland and the coastal area, particularly with service, quality service and the level of opportunities.”

On Thursday evening, President Irfaan Ali in declaring open this year’s Amerindian Heritage Month celebrations, vowed to work with young Indigenous Peoples to ensure that they are a part of the new phase of development in the country in fields such as health workers, nurses, doctors, engineers and heavy equipment operators.

He said: “Every single Amerindian with a qualification that wants to be trained as a nurse, as a teacher, as a dental technician, as a medical worker, I am saying to you, know we are committing that we as a government will train every single one. We will provide opportunity; we will provide money, we will provide that environment, and we will give you that opportunity.”