The Amerindian People’s Association (APA) and the Akawini Village Council are protesting what they call an “exploitative” logging agreement that they were made to sign with a company calling itself Interior Wood Products Inc (IWPI), which is a sub-contractor to Barama Company Incorporated.
At a press conference held at the Raddisson Suites Hotel in Queenstown yesterday, the Village Council said that with the support of the APA, it is considering legal action.
Stabroek News sought an explanation from IWPI and Barama but was not able to establish contact with the former or elicit a response from the latter.
“We the residents of the Akawini Amerindian Village, Pomeroon in Region Two are facing the destruction and loss of our forest resources that have sustained our people for generations,” Rudolph Wilson, Deputy Captain of Akawini said.
He said the villagers are calling on the President, the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, the Government and the citizens of Guyana to support them in their effort to end the agreement, which they say was negotiated in bad faith.
Wilson explained that in 2004, representative of IWPI Basdeo Singh told the villagers that he wanted to enter into an agreement with the village to harvest logs. “He showed us a draft agreement which he said had the blessings of the Minister of Amerindian Affairs,” he said.
Also present at this meeting were Peter Persaud who said he represented the Amerindian people, Luvindra Sukraj, who said he was a representative of the Guyana Forestry Commission, Wesley Bell, a Region Two RDC representative and Lloyd Perreira, Community Development Officer of Region Two, “who said that he was representing the ministry.”
According to Wilson, the village agreed to sign the pact based on the representation made to them by the officials present. “We were placed into groups and given about five minutes to study the agreement though we did not understand the legal language in the agreement,” he said.
Wilson said shortly after the meeting and the signing of the agreement, the Minister of Amerindian Affairs sent the Council a letter stating that she had never seen the agreement that Basdeo Singh claimed had her approval. “The minister also made contact with the GFC which said that they also had never seen that agreement,” Wilson said.
He said that in July of 2005 Singh returned to the community accompanied by Ovid Williams of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, and stated that they had brought an amended version of the agreement. “At this meeting we told Singh
