Amerindian representatives and village chiefs entering the dome of the Arthur Chung Convention Centre (ACCC) for closed door meetings with the government had to be accredited and opposition parliamentarian Vincent Henry did not have permission to be there, Chairman of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Derrick John said yesterday in a statement.
“The Amerindian Act No 6 of 2006, which in part governs the operations of the NTC, clearly states in Section 43(1) that the National Toshaos Council has the authority to determine its own procedures and, in consultation with the minister, may establish rules governing such procedures,” John’s statement said.
“In strict adherence to this Act, the NTC determined that the meetings held in the dome of the ACCC following the opening ceremony of the NTC Conference would be closed-door consultations reserved exclusively for toshaos, village leaders, and ministers of government. Therefore, entry to the dome required proper accreditation from the NTC.”