President David Granger yesterday appointed six of the seven members of a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into Land Ownership.
This Commission is tasked with examining and making recommendations to resolve all the issues and uncertainties surrounding the individual, joint or communal ownership of land acquired by freed Africans; claims of Amerindian land titling; and other matters relative to land titling.
The commission is being chaired by Reverend George Chuck-a-Sang, who was sworn-in yesterday along with David James, Carol Khan-James, Professor Rudolph James, Lennox Caleb and Berlinda Persaud. The seventh member, Paulette Henry, was absent from the swearing in at State House due to urgent personal matters.
In a brief address, Granger explained that the CoI is meant to settle all controversies originating from disagreement over ownership of land so as to satisfy all of the citizens of this country, “that we need not fight each other for land; that we will investigate their claims and we will respond to their just demands.”
He stressed that land is life and as someone who has boasted about the country’s landmass, he is satisfied that Guyana has enough land to satisfy the needs of all its people for generations to come.
He referred to the duty of the Commission as “almost sacred,” since Amerindians, who have been here from “time immemorial,” have strong cultural, material and even spiritual connections with the land.
Granger reminded those gathered that one of the most serious threats to the national security and territorial integrity of Guyana, the Rupununi Revolt, was a result of individuals taking up arms rather than surrender land to the state.
The revolt, Granger explained, resulted in Amerindian land rights being established as a principle of government.
He also took the time to stress how important land has been to African Guyanese, who at the end of slavery sought to remove themselves from the plantations and establish communities through the communal purchase of land.
There was no clear information as to the means, methods or time frame through which the CoI will achieve these objectives.
Questioned by Stabroek News on the issue, Chuck-a-Sang stated that for now the commission was most concerned about where it will be housed and the members are expected to meet in the new week to determine all other issues.
