Dear Editor,
Yet again the public is confronted by another mischievous article published in the Sunday edition of SN May 29th page 15. The APA is now doing the unthinkable of making accusations of discrimination and being slothful. The matter at hand is an illegal and unconstitutional claim by the APA of seeking to acquire traditional and ancestral lands. Mind you only a handful of APA affiliate communities, coaxed by the APA executives, feel they have a right to traditional and ancestral lands. What if all the 120+ Amerindian communities request traditional and ancestral lands?
These matters of traditional and ancestral lands have not been settled even in developed countries. Countries have opted to treat indigenous people, like in certain Caribbean territories, as one, with no distinction and no land titling for indigenous people. In Guyana we are very fortunate that the PPP/C, since assuming office in 1992, began the land titling process. This has been accelerated through funding from the GRIF/Norway/LCDS 2009 Project under the Amerindian Land Titling Project (ALT). The ALT is alive and kicking and the only hindrances is the APA.
I therefore appeal to all Guyana to reject the APA false claims that the land titling is stalled and they are being treated unfairly or being discriminated… no such thing. The question is why only that particular group? Let the public and the international community be the judge.
Sincerely,
Peter Persaud
TAAMOG
