Dear Editor,
The hosting of the 2023 Annual National Toshaos Council (NTC) Confer-ence in Georgetown is coming at a very exciting and important juncture in hinterland and indigenous development in our country. The monumental infrastructural and socio-economic development that transcend our interior regions and the transformation of the lives and livelihood of our hinterland residents are worth noting and should be taken stock of.
I would be the first to recognize that although significant efforts are being made to close the divide between the Coast and Hinterland, a lot more resources and time would be required to achieve a level we all would be satisfied with.
Over the many conferences hosted between the NTC and the Government, we have seen a shift in the content and format of the presentations from village leaders. The initial large volumes of requests for tangible support for equipment, machinery, infrastructure and other assistance have been overtaken by requests for training, employment, capacity development and access to enhanced services. This alone is a yard stick to measure and a testament to the many challenges we overcame in the past years and the new trajectory of development that must take place.
Governance
The establishment of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs by the late former President Cheddi Jagan and the enactment of the Amerindian Act of 2006 and the assent in March 2006 by former President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo were critical pieces of the governance architecture that led the ground work for the shift in the developmental paradigm for hinterland communities. The continued structural approach of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs provides an opportunity for reach and responsiveness to all of our communities.
The operationalization of the National Toshaos Council, as provided for in law, is another feature within the architecture as it allows for independent interventions within the sector.
The Indigenous Peoples’ Commission is another constitutional body, which in itself is a safety net for the preservation of Indigenous welfare.
Budgetary Allocations
While there has been a significant increase in the budgetary allocation of the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, this is not the only sector that directly deals with AVC development. The direct interventions by the various ministries and agencies if aggregated amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars in direct investments.
Infrastructure
Over the years we have seen significant works done to construct and upgrade roads, bridges, airstrips, stellings , and other infrastructure in order to improve safety, travel time and reduce cost. Recently the people of the Mabaruma Sub District saw the commissioning of the MV Ma Lisha, a two billion five hundred-million-dollar vessel outfitted to serve that sub district.
Today we see all of the Amerindian Village Councils, equipped with ATVs, buses, boats, tractors, heavy machinery which is part of the government’s plans to decrease the hardships faced in those communities. What is notable is the level of community participation in the execution of many of the village contracts be it for roads, bridges, clearing of creeks and airstrips.
The upgrade of the Linden Kurupukari trail to a highway and the bridging of the Demerara River at Linden and the Essequibo River at Kurupukari will see tremendous growth in trade, transportation and distribution benefiting the people of regions 8, 9 and 10.
Significant sums have been spent and will continue to be spent on climate resilient infrastructure in these hinterland communities.
Health and Education
We have come a long way from shortages of drugs and medical supplies, dilapidated buildings and lack of key medical personnel within the indigenous communities. I am proud to see in my many travels to these communities new health care facilities, inclusive of the modern hinterland regional hospitals under construction. Heath centres are now being staffed by a well-trained complement of young doctors, Community Health Workers, laboratory technicians, pharmacists, rehabilitation, dentistry, imaging and maternity support professionals.
Drug stock outs have reduced significantly, while medivacs for locally attended issues have reduced. The advances in telemedicine are a remarkable one with telemedicine performed in the most remote areas of region 8 and 9.
The investments in the school feeding programme, the text book programme, the school uniform and cash grant programmes have seen impactful results on attendance and performance.
The super investments in new school buildings and accommodations have seen the achievement of universal Nursery and Primary access to education in those communities and closer to one hundred percent to Secondary access.
Electricity, Housing and Water
Outside of the massive housing infrastructure visible on the Coast the Hinterland is not excluded, we have seen the construction of housing schemes and housing units in many if not all of the interior regions, region 9 and 1 the most recent. Young indigenous professionals now for the first time have access to affordable and quality housing within their own regions.
The Office of the Prime Minister is executing a thirty thousand household solar panel project for which distribution and installation have commenced, further enhancing quality of life.
Numerous wells have been drilled; some communities have access to several thereby increasing the access to safe potable water.
LCDS
Seven hundred and fifty million US dollars in Carbon Credit Sales over the next few years allows for a sizeable allocation towards Indigenous Development. Close to two hundred and fifty communities will be executing their Village Sustainability Plan funded by monies earned from the Low Carbon Develop-ment Strategy 2030, which ranged from a disbursement of ten million to thirty-five million Guyanese dollars to communities totaling over four billion, seven hundred million Guyana dollars.
While we are aware formal full-time employment is limited in many communities, the provision of the Community Support Programme, the Pathway to Employment Programme, the Community Organized for the Restoration of the Environment and the Community Enhancement Programme are several of the initiatives that create meaningful employment for thousands of our hinterland residents.
The demand for training opportunities available in the education and health sectors for our young people in these comminutes is below what is currently offered.
The Guyana Online Academy for Learning has made massive inroads, offering for the first time, opportunities for hundreds of residents from the most remote communities for educational advancements at all levels.
ICT and eLearning
In the area of Information and Commu-nication Technology the Government has earmarked an ambitious Seventeen Million US Dollar project which will see the establishment of two hundred (200) ICT facilities built in hinterland communities, irrespective of their geographical locations. These facilities will provide access to the internet, as well as governmental services, training and access to scholarship and other educational opportunities. The facilities funded by the Office of the Prime Minister, were constructed by the Amerindian Village Councils and Community Development Councils and was another direct investment into village economies. To date more than 100 ICT hubs are fully functionally, while 30 are in the final stages of completion. The Office of the Prime Minister, through the NDMA has provided more than one hundred villages with free access to Wi-Fi and telephone services to aid in communication. The ability for villagers to access and utilize ICT services is a strong indication of the equity we speak of and work to achieve.
With regards,
Ronald A. Harsawack, M.P.A.
