Part 4: Institutionalised Guyana Mechanisms Attracting Regional Attention

ONE of my first conclusions from the book ‘Views of the Interior of Guyana’ by Robert H. Schomburgk was that Guyana’s First People have for too long been seen and treated as lesser people, being ‘eye-passed’ (as Guyanese would say today) for all of the over 182 years that followed author’s two expeditions to British Guiana’s interior, the first from 1835 to 1839 and the second from 1841 to 1844.

Schomburgk’s expeditions came just as Slavery started to end and Emancipation began the process that eventually led to Indentureship, but from before and since then, up to the end of the second decade in the 21st Century, the republic’s original inhabitants continue to be referred to by still-too-many fellow citizens (though not all with intent) in disrespectful ways that characterise them as being lesser mortals than the rest of the society only they originally inhabited.

Laws and regulations have been passed over time to ensure they constantly get more attention and less discrimination and the most recent moves by the current PPP/C administration during five days of meetings (July 11-16) with Toshaos and other Amerindian representatives, have been welcomed by those they were meant for.

Care for Guyana’s Indigenous people has graduated over centuries and decades, from being treated as the last and least of the nation’s ‘Five People’, to being ‘recognised’ by colonial and post-colonial administrations, having their rights ‘recognised’ by law and creation of special spaces in government.

The National Toshaos Council (NTC) conference is required by Guyana’s Amerindian Act to be held annually and brings together Amerindian leaders from over 212 hinterland communities.

It’s a platform for the representatives of Amerindian communities everywhere to engage Guyana government officials and other stakeholders on issues relating to development of their communities.

The objective, from inception, has been about governments annually and directly listening to the Amerindian people, to better understand their perspectives, together generate ideas and develop common plans and platforms.

Apart from the President, the 2022 NTC conference was also attended by the entire PPP/C administration’ Cabinet of Ministers, with ministers also holding special meetings with individual delegations to discuss concerns in each respective area.

The President explained the presence of the entire Cabinet at the 2022 NTC conference was not a matter of his government “taking-over” the conference, but “as a means of ensuring good governance”, saying his government “is working along with the Toshaos to achieve desired development.”

President Ali told the Indigenous people’s representatives: “We are answerable to you. You can take the government ministers to task, ask them questions in the presence of everyone.”
He explained it was “an open approach to governance and accountability…” in which “the whole government is making itself available to you.”

The President said his administration is also committed to working with the Amerindian communities and was therefore “visiting and listening to what has to be told by each village.”

He reported his Cabinet has visited 97 per cent of Amerindian communities and hadn’t it been for COVID-related travel restrictions, “we would’ve visited every single community — and more than once…”

The President also spoke on projects undertaken by his government in Amerindian communities since taking office in 2020; and he promised too that “funds from Guyana’s oil-and-gas sector would be funneled down to Indigenous communities through the development of areas such as agriculture and infrastructure.”

Following are some other brief quotes from President Ali’s presentation at the 2022 NTC conference, held under the theme “Good Governance and Fast-tracking Amerindian Development”:

“We are here not to tell you what to do, but to listen to you, your ideas, needs and perspectives and to craft together a plan of action to improve the life of every single Amerindian community in this country…

“Let me be very clear: your rights must and will always be respected, protected and advanced under this government…

“You have equity in this country. We fought hard so that you can have equity, so that you can be part of the process of development…

“Amerindians are no different from the rest of the population and must be treated equally … and those are the fundamental principles that we support…

“We will preserve what is rightfully yours and that is what this government has done from Day One — work to preserve everything that can give you a better life and better communities…

“Your future must be no different from the future of anyone else in this country…

“What you can be assured of is a government that will work with you, every single day, to preserve the cultural identity and the environment in which you live…

“Our plan is a very simple one that seeks to involve you in determining what is best for you and charting a course with your involvement that is best and would deliver the best quality of life for you…”

Like other First People everywhere, Guyana’s Nine Nations were/are unfortunately still regarded as ‘other’ parts of the society needing to be integrated, but history has shown that integration for Indigenous people is, first and foremost, among and between themselves by defining their own development according to tradition and the rate of colonial or neo-colonial cultural assimilation.

But from all the above, even without comparing which of the two major parties does more for Indigenous people’s development, it’s clear the current administration has thrust the entire government (Cabinet) in the forefront of its efforts to continue to do and report more at every CTC conference, at least until 2025.

Guyana’s institutionalised efforts to promote Indigenous people’s development has now attracted the interest of the government of Belize, the two continental CARICOM member-states agreeing to co-operate in common pursuit of similar interests and goals for their respective First People, thereby setting a stage for possible greater and wider regional co-operation in pursuit of the many like opportunities that come with each challenge.