Dear Editor,
There is an International Indigenous Rights scandal brewing in St Cuthbert’s Mission, Region 4 in Guyana; it has caught the attention of one of the biggest Indigenous News Network in North America, lastrealindians.com, as well as hundreds of local regional and International Indigenous Rights NGO’s, and from the LRI website it has reached persons who sit on the Inter -American Court of Justice of the Organization of American States, the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and the Caribbean Court of Justice. President Irfaan Ali needs to be aware of this unfolding situation and see that it be investigated thoroughly. We call on your respected publication to also investigate this matter by speaking to the victims via the contact info provided, because 3 core points of illegality are NOT being addressed nor remedied:
The 3 main facts are = #1 The non-Guyanese non-Amerindian white American foreigner has no right to evict his deceased wife’s family from the house when they granted their deceased daughter (his wife) permission to build on their family land – and lived in for over 9 years on St Cuthbert’s Mission, OR sell the house to someone else without first the family’s consent and compensation. Neither does he have the right to tell anyone whether they can have or work any part of the Indigenous family’s land that they have owned and worked for over 50 years – his name is NOT on the land paper, only the names of the 3 living Indigenous siblings of his deceased wife.
#2 The Ministry of Local Government (not Ministry of Amerindian Affairs) employee and St. Cuthbert’s Mission Village Council member assisting the American did not obtain the full knowledge or consent of the entire Village Council (only the connivance of 1 other Council member) to grant the American permission to break the laws of Guyana on St Cuthbert’s Mission – which is illegal.
#3 – The official LEGAL procedure for this matter was to have the ENTIRE 12 person Village Council involved in every step of the process, if that failed to resolve the matter the next legal step was to have 2/3 of the village residents vote in a Village General Meeting, then if that also fails to resolve the matter, then the Minister (of Amerindian Affairs) will render the final verdict – NONE OF THESE 3 OFFICIAL LEGAL STEPS OUTLINED IN THE AMERINDIAN ACT WERE DONE – THEREFORE ALL ARE ILLEGAL ACTIONS UNDER THE LAWS OF GUYANA.
A link to the Laws of Guyana Amerindian Act online https://parliament.gov.gy/documents/acts/4680-act_no_6_of_2006.pdf Part V sections 44-45 covers this issue.
Sincerely,
Shirling Simon Corrie
