The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) has accused Local Government Minister, Nigel Dharamlall of falsely accusing it of alignment with the opposition PNCR.
In a release on Tuesday, the APA stated that it has taken note of Dharamlall’s recent “tirade” on his Facebook page, where, it said, he levelled a series of “misrepresentations” against the APA. This, it added, is a continuation of his previous assault on the organisation.
According to the release, in his social media tirade, the APA was accused of being politically aligned with the Opposition People’s National Congress Reform as well as funding that political party. Further, he stated that the association is seeking to block Indigenous communities from receiving “…billions of dollars in development funds from the Carbon Credit Facility.”
The APA stated that it wished to take the opportunity, via its release, to remind the minister, “of the dangers of making unsubstantiated claims as well as the ethical guidelines and code of conduct his position demands.” It also reiterated the APA is a “democratic organisation” and is aware that many of its members and executives support various political parties including that of the Minister.
“We also seek to remind Minister Dharamlall that the Constitution of Guyana affords every citizen the right to participate in the political process. That being said, the APA remains a politically neutral organisation with the main objective of advocating for and defending the rights of Indigenous peoples in Guyana.”
As such, the APA is calling on the minister to desist from continuing his campaign of misinformation about the organisation.
The association also reminded the minister that it has a responsibility to monitor the policies and decisions that particularly affect the lives of indigenous peoples in Guyana. It added, “it is a responsibility we take seriously and will continue to do so to ensure that Indigenous peoples are accurately informed of their rights and that such rights are respected.”
As such, the APA repeated its call for the government to uphold the tenets of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) when engaging Indigenous communities. It has noted, it said, the numerous instances of the violation of FPIC standards by the government with the latest being the consultation process for the sale of carbon credits. It, too, reminded the minister that the Amerindian Act of 2006 identifies the Village General Meeting as the decision-making body for Indigenous communities and as such, “villages should be afforded the opportunity to properly scrutinize policies, agreements and other decisions before signing on to them.”
The association made known its awareness of the fact that over the weekend, the administration has summoned toshaos to the capital whilst advising them to have with them the relevant documents to enable them to set up banks accounts to facilitate the transfer of monies garnered from the sale of carbon credits. And according to the APA, the toshaos were not informed of what amount of money they will be receiving and how those funds will be governed. “Again, the actions of the government indicate that there is very little regard for the FPIC process which is a slap in the face of Indigenous peoples in Guyana.”
The APA also sought to make it clear that it welcomes assistance to Indigenous communities since they do need better infrastructure for health, education and other services. “However, we are calling on the government to engage Indigenous peoples in a more structured way and not foist its decisions on them. We reiterate that the APA is not blocking villages from accessing governmental support but is calling for the administration to respect the FPIC principles”, it said.
