ALL public officials must obtain permission before entering an Amerindian village, the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) Executive Director, Jean La Rose has said, after the Santa Rosa Village Council had cause to emphasise that Opposition Leader Azruddin Mohamed was not permitted to enter the village on Wednesday.
La Rose told the Guyana Chronicle the requirement is a long-standing legal obligation under the Amerindian Act of 2006 that applies “regardless of office or political affiliation.”
“That applies to the opposition leader. That applies to the president. That applies to the prime minister. That applies to ministers and everybody else who are going,” La Rose said, acknowledging the Santa Rosa Village Council’s decision to withhold approval for the visit.
La Rose said the law is binding on every national leader without exception, but added that respecting village authority should go hand in hand with giving communities proper notice.
“You do have cases where people turn up to our communities with a day’s notice, sometimes hours’ notice, and our people are called in, and they don’t have an idea what these people are talking about,” she said, noting residents are often left without the chance to prepare their views or receive adequate background information.
She renewed the APA’s call for engagements with Indigenous communities to follow the principle of free, prior and informed consent.
“Consultation with communities means being informed, being informed in good time, having enough information and documentation, and having the right to say no,” La Rose said.
She said: “What provisions are in the Amerindian Act do not apply only to the opposition leader but anybody in fact — like I said, including the highest official of the land. There is the law, and leaders can also exercise good judgment.”
The Santa Rosa Village Council has publicly stated that it did not authorise a planned visit by Mohamed to the community on August 5, 2026, saying the date conflicts with a previously arranged engagement involving President Irfaan Ali.
In a statement signed by Toshao Raul Hendricks, the Council said it had proposed an alternative date to Mr Mohamed’s representative, MP Deon La Cruz, but understood the visit was proceeding regardless.
The Council described this as disrespectful and said it amounted to a breach of the Amerindian Act of 2006, which requires outside parties — including politicians — to obtain a Village Council’s permission before entering an Amerindian community.
The Amerindian Act of 2006 gives Village Councils authority over who enters their titled lands, a protection intended to safeguard community self-governance.
Toshaos across the country have invoked the law repeatedly over the past year, and the National Toshaos Council (NTC) has previously issued a statement expressing concern about individuals entering Amerindian communities “under the pretence of being invited by residents” without formal council approval.
The Santa Rosa issue is not an isolated episode. Mohamed has been accused previously of entering villages without approval.
Despite the clear denial of permission, Mohamed was en route to Region One but the captain of the vessel he traveling in failed to produce required licensing documents during a routine inspection by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard.
Mohamed and two We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) Members of Parliament, Dawn Hastings and Tabita Saraboo, were aboard the vessel.
According to a GDF statement, personnel at the Pomeroon Floating Base conduct checks on all vessels transiting the river as part of standard maritime safety procedures.
Boat operators are required to register their journey with the Floating Base and present a valid Boat Master’s License, Vessel License and Certificate of Inspection before continuing their voyage.
The Moruca-bound vessel’s captain was unable to produce the necessary documentation when stopped.
