See below for the full statement issued by the National Toshaos Council (NTC): 

The National Toshaos Council (NTC) strongly condemns the misleading and politically charged assertions made by the Alliance For Change (AFC) in the Stabroek News article titled, “Gov’t officials get more speaking time at NTC over Toshaos – AFC.”

This is a deliberate attempt to undermine the credibility of the NTC Conference, the most respected and comprehensive forum for Indigenous leadership in Guyana. The claims made by the AFC are baseless and reek of hypocrisy and political desperation.

We wish to clarify that the structure of the NTC Conference 2025 is carefully designed to ensure that every ministry is allotted 15 minutes to present, followed by an open and interactive Q&A segment where Toshaos are free to raise concerns, seek clarifications, and advocate for their communities.

This model, which has been successfully used under successive governments, facilitates productive engagement, direct dialogue, and meaningful accountability. It has worked effectively for years, including during the period the AFC itself was part of the governing coalition.

The sudden attempt by the AFC to now discredit this model, after benefiting from it while in office, is dishonest and insulting to the intelligence of Indigenous leaders and their communities.

It is clear that the AFC’s narrative seeks to sow division and politicize a platform that is fundamentally about unity, development, and Indigenous empowerment.

The NTC will not be used as a pawn in anyone’s political theatre. The conference belongs to the Indigenous people of Guyana.

We remain resolute in our mission to advocate for the interests of all Amerindian communities, and we will not be distracted by those who wish to inject division where there is dialogue, or chaos where there is collaboration.