Roughly 2,000 persons have been relieved of their positions as Community Support Officers (CSOs) in Amerindian communities, according to Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs Sydney Allicock, who says the initiative has not achieved its stated objectives and in many cases those recruited were used to do political party work.
The PPP earlier this week complained that many Amerindian youths were now affected as they no longer received the $30,000 monthly stipend that they were entitled to under the Youth Apprenticeship and Entrepreneurial Pro-gramme (YEAP), which was initiated by the PPP/C government.
But Allicock said the number pales in comparison to the over 60,000 Amerindians who are in dire need of help. “That is 2,000 people; that is only a fraction. You have 68,000 more indigenous people out there who also need help, so we have to look at more education so that