Dear Editor,
I READ a Demerara Waves report on the APNU+AFC’s call for Amerindians to receive a payout of between 25 per cent and 85 per cent from the sale of carbon credit and concluded it was sarcasm.

Why so?

Readers would recall that it was the APNU+AFC government which fired just under 2000 Amerindian CSOs and stopped the Amerindian land titling project as soon as it entered office.

It was a minister of this very government who said Amerindians were being greedy with their demands for the resumption of the land titling project, during a debate in Parliament on a motion brought by the then PPP/C opposition to withdraw President Granger land rights COI, which many, including the National Toshao’s Council, felt would’ve dispossessed Amerindians of lands they were entitled to.

This very minister during his presentation said that if the APNU+AFC governed acceded to calls for Amerindian communities to enjoy subsurface rights for titled lands it would mean that only coastlanders should benefit from the oil and gas sector.

The actions of the APNU+AFC while in government as outlined above, and others which I did not mention, show a pattern of disdain towards Amerindians and actions that are inimical to their interests. Therefore, this feigned show of concern by way of their unrealistic calls for between 25 per cent and 85 per cent from the sale of carbon credits is purely sarcastic in nature.

The APNU+AFC did the exact thing in relation to the decriminalisation of possession of small amounts of marijuana. For five years while in government they refused to pass legislation towards this end then they sought to score political points with unrealistic demands of the new PPP/C government.

Yours Truly,
Annalise Humphrey
Kwakwani, Region 10