The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) has said indigenous land rights and demarcation remain issues, while refuting recent claims by President Bharrat Jagdeo about its efforts to safeguard the interests of communities.
In a statement, the APA cited several statements made by the president and published in the November 10 edition of the Guyana Chronicle, where the head of state is quoted as cautioning residents of Paramakatoi, in Region Eight “to ignore rumours maliciously spread” regarding “a plot to confiscate lands from Amerindians” while “pointing a finger at the Amerindian People’s (sic) Association.”
The APA, which said it is being “targeted and maligned” during the incumbent PPP/C’s elections campaign, questioned whether there was an attempt to discredit its work and to deflect attention from the real land problems plaguing many indigenous communities which are not being addressed.
The facts regarding the land problems are many, the APA said, while adding that it had gone on record detailing the nature of the problems, including to the United Nations, and had suggested a number of remedies.
It noted that several Region Eight communities have reported overlapping boundaries based in the title descriptions given by the government and demarcations that do no reflect the land that the communities know to be theirs. “The reality is that most communities know their boundaries without the actual physical demarcation begin carried out and therefore if “development” is to be taken to these communities there is no reason why non-demarcation should be a barrier,” it said.
The APA also noted that although President Jagdeo is quoted in the Chronicle article as saying that the government under his party has never taken away land from a single community, and it pointed to the Campbelltown community in Region 8, where it said “the majority of the community’s land is covered by mining concessions” while only a small portion being controlled by residents. “There was much pomp and ceremony when this title was handed over to the community,” it said, adding that a similar situation obtained at Kurutuku, in Region Seven, where the community found that the size of its land had been reduced in the new title given to it. When inquiries were made about this startling change, Kurutuku was asked to reapply for the very land that had been excised, the APA said.
At Arau, Region Seven, the boundary of the southern end of the village has been reduced and about 14 medium and large scale mining blocks were granted within that very area. This was done without the knowledge of the village council who has since written to Jagdeo about the issue, APA also said. “The truth is that some areas of ancestral lands are given out as mining and other concessions without due regard for farming or other traditional activities carried out on these lands by indigenous peoples,” it added.
According to the APA, the Chronicle article quotes from the Amerindian Act that Amerindians have veto power to any request for mining. However, it said the law also says that if a mining operation is deemed to be in the public interest and a village refuses to give a permit, this decision can be overturned if the miner takes the request to the minister or ministry responsible for mining.
Further, the association noted that when some toshaos at the recent Toshaos Conference wanted to raise inquiries about problems regarding land they were either ignored or given little time to talk “while those who had praises for the government were favoured.” In the light of this, the APA said it is encouraging its members to vote and to do so wisely, while it urged the current government and any future government to address people’s concerns.
