-says indigenous community was neglected by coalition

DEPUTY Speaker and Leader of the Liberty and Justice Party, Lenox Shuman, on Friday, chastised the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) for their constant and gross misconduct in the National Assembly.

Shuman, who was the first person to present on the final day of the national budget debate, said that parliamentarians must be held accountable for their misdemeanors.

“When there is Parliament, some of them don’t even bother to log in; they don’t bother to show up. I think taxpayers need to tie performance and attendance to the pay of parliamentarians,” he said.

Shuman emphasised that MPs should be cognisant of their constitutional obligations when taking the oath of office.

He stated that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) should take note of all those who engage in race-baiting during sittings of the National Assembly.

“When you come to this House, you have an obligation to tell the truth to the people and that truth means that sometimes we have to swallow the bitter pills of our under achievements,” he added.

Shuman used most of his allotted time to harshly criticize the opposition as, according to him, it did nothing for the indigenous community while in government.

“Amerindian land titling moved absolutely nowhere, and I can say that with authority because I sat on that board. I sat on that board when party affiliates from the APNU+AFC sat in that room and said we are not giving out any more land titles,” he said, before adding,
“The APNU+AFC administration established a commission of inquiry into lands and completely excluded the National Toshaos Council.”

He noted that the opposition has become “primary chaos” agents in Guyana, discrediting themselves as capable leaders who can represent the country and its people.
“You cannot lead if you cannot get your house in order…So you cannot speak about taking your knees off the necks of indigenous peoples when your party tore up our agenda,” he said.

The government has allocated $4.7 billion towards development of indigenous communities with millions more set aside to advance the health, education, infrastructure and social services sectors.

In the 2023 budget, $500 million has been allocated towards advancing land titling in Amerindian communities.

This will ensure that those communities have absolute ownership of their lands.

An additional $500 million will go towards the construction and equipping of ICT hubs in a number of Amerindian communities.

Additionally, $205 million has been allocated for women, culture and preservation of Amerindian languages.

To support Amerindian leaders, a sum of $147 million has been earmarked for the completion and furnishing of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Secretariat.

“There seems to be some level of discomfort that when a political party or legitimate political party and representative of the people comes to the house and ask for an endorsement to spend from the public purse, it creates a discomfort,” Shuman said.

In endorsing the national budget, Shuman said: “Budget 2023 is the sharp end of [a] chisel that is meant to carve the beauty that Guyana will be and I say that this budget has my 110 per cent support.”