Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman who also has responsibility for Natural Resources and the Environment on Friday visited Region Nine to meet with Toshaos there on a fact-finding mission.
According to a Govern-ment Information Agency (GINA) press release, the Minister and his team met with the Toshaos in Lethem on Friday last as an opportunity “to understand first hand, the work which is being carried out by the group in the region.”
Further, Trotman told those gathered, his role in the Ministry of the Presidency and the Department of Natural Resources “was not to disrupt any arrangement or system the villages have in place, but rather to facilitate and aid the work which is being carried out, provided that it was sustainable and done in good faith.”
Ultimately, he said the government is willing to work with and support the systems which resemble good governance and sustainability and will seek to put an end to those which did not display those characteristics.
“Where there are good systems in place, we would like to promote and support them, Trotman said, “We are not here to shut anything down… I will rely on your guidance to tell me what things are working and what things are not working… this is a fact-finding mission.”
In addition to meeting with the Toshaos from St Ignatius, Moco Moco, Shea, Yurupukari and Maranau, Trotman and his team also met with representatives of the Kanuku Mountain Range Develop-ment Group- KMRDG (a group representative of 21 settlements and communities).
During the discussions, the Toshaos related to the Minister the difficulties they have experienced in establishing a farine factory which they said would bolster their various communities as it is one of their staple foods. Additionally, the Toshaos made mention of the challenges they are experiencing as a result of the effects of climate change and specifically, the Toshao of the Moco Moco community said energy generation is the community’s primary challenge and he hopes the defunct Moco Moco Hydropower Project can be restored.
Accompanying the Minister on the mission were Advisor on Sustain-able Development, Depart-ment of Natural Resources and Environment, Clayton Hall; Permanent Secretary of the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Joslyn Mc Kenzie; and Commissioner of the Protected Areas Commission, Damien Fernandes.