Speaking at the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference 2023 yesterday, President Irfaan Ali stressed that all issues raised by village leaders are to be addressed and as such, permanent secretaries from the various government ministries are to be present tomorrow.
“I have instructed that every single Permanent Secretary must spend the entirety of tomorrow (today) at the NTC and they are here and they will be in what is known as the ‘Lulu Room’ and they have the mandate of ensuring that within the boundaries of the law and regulations, that every outstanding issue that you have in the various sectors must be completed before you leave here and go back to your villages,” President Ali declared.
He added that all the issues raised are expected to be documented and worked on and the report on the actions taken to complete the issues must be finalised by Friday.
President Ali was at the time speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference.
The event was attended by the President, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, Cabinet Members, and over 200 Amerindian leaders from villages across the ten administrative regions.
The NTC Conference runs from August 28 to September 1 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), at Liliendaal, Georgetown under the theme: “Advancing sustainable village development in a low carbon economy.”
Decked out in a handmade Amerindian shirt, necklace and headwear, the President said that Amer-indians are equal beneficiaries of Guyana’s development and as such the body must be respected since it comprises elected people representing the Amerindian people. This means that they must be treated with great respect and their ideas must matter.
“We must respect the voice of the NTC; we must respect and honour the ideas and recommendations of the NTC. The government must consult and work in cohesion with the NTC. And, I assure you as long as we are here in the philosophy of the political party I am a part of, and I’m a leader of the PPP/C, that philosophy will never stray away from consulting with you at the NTC.”
Ali emphasised that consultation must be done with goodwill, a feature which he said the PPP/C government continues to push.
“In everything we have done historically and since we came back into office in 2020, every single thing that we have done with our Amerindian brothers and sisters was done in consultation with you, was done with your voice. Taking into consideration your ideas, and your thoughts.”
Some Amerindian communities have challenged the government over the question of consultations in relation to titled lands that are at the centre of a carbon credits initiative.
To date, the President said that more than 1,000 projects are being implemented across the hinterland and riverine communities. Likewise, infrastructure development is ensuring that tourism is a critical component for the advancement of Amerindian communities.
Over $2 billion has been invested to finance several community development plans, and a total of 4,500 jobs were created through this effort. Also, some 5,000 persons are now benefitting from public assistance, amounting to $1 billion this year.
He also pointed out that with the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030, some 15 per cent of the funds from the sale of carbon credits will go towards the Indigenous people, noting that more than $4.7 billion has been transferred to date
Additionally, Ali disclosed that his government has injected some $50 billion in capital expenditure into hinterland and riverine communities to ensure that residents there benefit equitably.
Despite the mention of various projects and benefits, some Amerindian communities over the years have questioned where the investments are going, coupled with the unsolved land issues
And in addition, some other Amerindian communities continue to complain that they are neglected.
Currently, some Indigenous communities are grappling with alleged corruption involving the carbon credit funds while some communities continue to cry about the lack of opportunities from them.
On the other hand, there is also a cry for the protection of Indigenous lands. One of these calls pertain to Chinese Landing Village, where the lands are being used for gold mining even while the villagers are calling for the miners to go. Other issues include the destruction of lands, lack of finance, and harassment by miners. The matter was raised at the level of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and now the Government has halted mining in the area.
Yesterday, when asked about the issue, Ali assured that the mining will stop until the issue is dealt with in its entirety
“I don’t know that there will be a basis for resumption until the issue is dealt with in its entirety, and that is what is going on now. The issue is being dealt with in its entirety, and when the process is complete then the recommendations will come.” President Ali said.
