Head of the National Toshaos Council Derrick John says that Amerindian leaders from across the country will soon discuss a proposed action by miners to challenge the Amerindian Land Titling (ALT) project in court and they would likely ask President Donald Ramotar to intervene.
“We are concerned,” John told Stabroek News yesterday. “If they do challenge the project, it would not be fair.” He echoed statements by representatives of Amerindian non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that Amerindians depend on the land to live. “Our lands mean a lot to us,” he said pointing out that many Amerindians sustain themselves by farming as well as hunting and fishing.
At the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) Annual General Meeting on September 11, the organisation signalled its intention to strenuously oppose extensions for Amerindian lands and disclosed that it has set up a fund and hired lawyers in anticipation of future court action. President of the GGDMA Patrick Harding told the meeting that money from the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) is being used to fund extensions for Amerindian lands, a clear reference to the Amerindian land titling project signed last year. He recalled a meeting with the Inter-American Development Bank where “we walked out” over the issue.
“It’s not fair,” he said and he disclosed that an initial $5 million fund has been set up and the GGDMA has hired lawyers, because “we want to challenge these things in court.”
Subsequently NGO’s representing indigenous peoples expressed alarm at the statements and said that the bell was tolling for the Amerindian people. It was also pointed out that miners have already taken indigenous villages to court and there are ongoing court battles.
Yesterday, John told Stabroek News that Amerindians should have access to their land. He said that should this not happen, the indigenous peoples would remain vulnerable and that is not the way forward. “We are at the bottom of the scale in terms of poverty,” he said, while noting that many of the indigenous peoples sustain themselves on the land.
He noted too that many of the miners are well off. “These are rich people. These are miners. To me that’s not fair,” he said.
In terms of the ALT project, John said that it is about 25% complete. He explained that about 25% of the actual lands are titled and demarcated. He said that they recently received funding under the LCDS and a lot of groundwork has been completed.
According to John, Amerin-dian leaders will discuss the situation when the Council meets soon and examine their options. Among these, he said, is requesting the president to intervene in the matter. John also pointed out that the organisation does not have funding to engage in court battles. He suggested that other organisations could also be approached for assistance.
Speaking in her personal capacity, Yvonne Pearson, advisor to the Minister of Amerindian Affairs, had also said that she was concerned at the miners’ proposed action.
With the economy over the last five increasingly dependent on the natural resources sector for growth, miners have had a bigger say on public issues. In light of gold declarations dipping this year, miners have been pressing the government to open up more and more lands for mining. Several auctions and lotteries of land have been held in recent weeks.
The ALT project is funded by payments earned through Guyana’s forest protection partnership with Norway. It is being implemented by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs and overseen by the United Nations Develop-ment Programme (UNDP). Ironically, under the same Norway partnership, Guyana lost US$20M in payments because of deforestation caused mainly by mining.
According to the project summary, the ALT project seeks to enable Amerindians to secure their lands and natural resources with a view towards sustainable social and economic development. It is expected that titling of communities will strengthen land tenure security and the expansion of the asset base of Amerindians, enabling improved long term planning for their future development.
While miners are pressing against further extensions for Amerindian communities, the government is also facing competing demands from indigenous villages. At a meeting last month with Ministry of Amerindian Affairs officials, several Toshaos said they wanted unresolved land issues settled before taking part in the project.
