Dear Editor,
I am writing this letter to stimulate public awareness and also make a call for engaging in a game changer for thousands of ambitious but powerless persons, particularly those who reside in rural communities. I consider this as an initiative which could be pursued by leaders and influencers committed to improving lives. In case I am sounding melodramatic, let me hasten to elaborate my reasons for such a bold assertion. Over time, there have been allegations of discrimination experienced by some members of society in accessing benefits of programs designed to assist with economic empowerment; and now that such funding has more than quadrupled, such anxiety seems to consume the psyche of several organizations and influential leaders who claim to represent the disadvantaged.
My response when confronted by such allegations are usually twofold: 1) did the person(s)/ organized group actually test the veracity of the project by engaging the relevant authorities at the local, regional or national level? ; And 2), did the person/ organized group meet the criteria for approval? Sometimes a response to #2 will be like, “Not really” followed by “but I am aware of X person also feel short with requirements but still gained success “. In passing, I wish to make mention of some government sponsored programs which could be considered as low hanging fruits; ripe for the picking within agriculture and small business arena; I would have like to add co-operatives but on second thoughts, would bypass that internationally proven form of enterprise at this time. Suffice to say that acting on a suggestion from a top official, a draft cooperative policy was presented to Cabinet and enthusiastically embraced in September 2019. Unfortunately, it was never carried forward.
Programs referred to earlier are mainly in the areas of 1) agriculture such as: Black belly sheep, Black giant poultry, whistling ducks, inland fishing and shrimp farming , cultivation of fruits including passion fruit , ginger, cauliflower, mushrooms, broccoli, Brazilian coconuts dragon fruit as well as various stages of agro processing. 2) Networking to engage in supply chain mobilization, accessing small business grants and loans as well as donor funding.
Editor, the challenging question surrounds what is the single common factor which must be applied to make participation in the foregoing state sponsored programs a reality? The resounding answer is LAND, owned or legally accessible. It’s woefully regrettable that many families have adopted a laisser-faire approach to regularise ownership of their entitlement from ancestral lands for as much as three and four generations prior to present day. As a consequence, several parcels of land within villages remain locked within one ancestral transport which negates legal ownership/access to children as far down to great grandchildren to be used as collateral in the banking sector and/or engage in meaningful business endeavours.
I am therefore appealing to those organizations and leaders who are passionate about the less fortunate not left behind, to urgently institute a program involving legal practitioners and land surveyors, with funding to assist with accumulated rates, and state land rental, and reach out to villages with large acreages of ancestral lands thus helping to ensure regularisation in order that descendants could immediately benefit from the agricultural and other initiatives being rolled out by the state, including those which attract foreign donor support, and also private sector backing, as part of a company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR). Even in cases where persons are holders of a provisional lease, I urge that speedy efforts be set in train to get approval for a long term lease if the lessee and family are desirous of gainfully utilising the land.
Sadly, sometimes a stranger, a ‘brainbox’ or someone who could ‘mambo’ gets connected to a descendant and would devise ways to wrestle land rights away from bona-fide relatives. I think that what I am recommending, if implemented, will be a significant, invaluable lasting legacy for generations to come.
I place the ball in the court of Civil Society in general: the religious community; organised labour and cultural organisations to embrace this program by 1) gather data of land holdings which are still part of ancestral transport/title, 2) verify status of persons holding letters of administration, if any, 3) engage those persons and descendants with a view to having plots surveyed and obtain legal representation to acquire a title in their name. Editor, in closing, allow me to make two references which are germane to the issue:-
My published letter to the editor of April 10, 2022 under the caption “the recent ‘Onverwagt Declaration’ will propel West Berbicians to grasp opportunities from this state sponsored program”
The critical role of legal ownership of land in enabling a successful outcome of a recently announced project driven by Guyana Small Business Association in partnership with Gibraltar/Fryish Farmers Association, with technical and financial support from the SGP arm of UNDP Guyana.
A green revolution is rapidly unfolding in Guyana. Let’s work to safeguard ancestral lands and urgently regularise them for legal access and gainful occupation by this generation and those of the future.
Sincerely,
Derrick Cummings