Dear Editor,
Starting yesterday, August 19th, the National Toshaos Council (NTC) – the group of leaders representing Indigenous communities across Guyana -is meeting in Georgetown to plan and develop policies and projects for sustainable development. The council will also elect a new executive committee and chairman to serve for the next three years. This NTC meeting will see the participation of young and new Toshaos, which is a positive development. It’s great to have them representing their people and all communities. However, it’s important to note that many of these leaders likely have a neutral political stance, which is good in some ways. Given this reality, we should be cautious of the potential for politicians to exploit this neutrality.
In Guyana, everyone is free to support and vote for a political party of their choice, but when it comes to the Toshaos and the leadership of their people they should have self-determination and be free from political interference. Many times, politicians put leaders that they can manipulate and do things in their favour which undermines Indigenous autonomy and modus operandi. An act that usually results in substandard and insignificant benefits and representation of our people.
Toshaos must be vigilant and question authorities about projects that have proven to be wasteful or of poor quality in communities which commonly have political party links as well as projects planned by outsiders. For instance, there have been cases of fly-by-night projects without proper consultation with the people being hastily implemented in our communities. This has resulted in the misuse of taxpayers’ money which could have been spent on other significant sustainable initiatives. Our leaders should also inquire about the poor quality of road construction in the interior, which is an ongoing problem leading to constant and expensive repairs. Authorities need to prioritize the construction of durable public roads in the interior to put an end to the yearly waste of taxpayer money on road repairs.
Sincerely,
Medino Abraham MSc
Researcher of Indigenous Peoples in Guyana
