The Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry has done little to defend the legitimacy of Indigenous land rights during the controversial Lands Commission of Inquiry (CoI) ordered by President David Granger earlier this year. As a matter of fact, Indigenous Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock defended the CoI and resorted to publicly insulting the heads of the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC) when they objected, accusing them of all sorts of absurdities ranging from political partisanship to selfish pursuits. If ever a Minister can be accused of betraying his own people, it must be Allicock.
What he has succeeded in doing unfortunately for Indigenous peoples, was pull the plug on their land rights, until the regime is able to find a means to justify how this attack is vital to pursuing the African reparation cause. Perhaps Allicock was unprepared to assume the responsibility of representing Indigenous rights as his office is meant to, or maybe he is too weak to resist pressure from the powers that be, and as a result, continues to betray his people’s trust. His complacency has paved the way for his colleagues to overtly humiliate and discriminate against Indigenous peoples in a manner rarely seen in recent decades. It is therefore unsurprising that faced with such a lax Minister, men such as Keith Scott and Eric Phillips can unabashedly attack Indigenous peoples in the public sphere, unhindered. A sad era for Guyana’s first peoples indeed.
One might venture that from inception, Allicock and his team of politically motivated advisors, including Mervyn Willliams and Martin Cheong, never actually prioritised Amerindian land titling, but rather coveted the positions and resources associated with the LCDS-funded Amerindian Land Titling Project. This might explain why just one month after assuming office in 2015, under the directions of advisor Martin Cheong, the entire Amerindian Land Titling (ALT) team was fired without prior notice, despite being under contract with the Government of Guyana. Cheong was allowed the honour of firing Ministry staff and contract workers despite this responsibility befalls that of the Permanent Secretary; a seat at the time vacant and later filled by Vibert Welch.
For almost six months following the dismissal of the team, the ALT project was left without management while Cheong and his colleagues apparently squandered project funds using land titling as a pretext. Interestingly, the ALT project is a UN partnered initiative where all finances are managed by the UNDP according to UN international guidelines. When the team was fired, the UN silently observed without intervening, and when new individuals were hired to replace the former Project Associate and the Land Surveyor assigned to the Project, the UN did not question the fact that there were already two individuals who by Law, ought to have been occupying those seats. It would be interesting to hear what the UNDP would have to say about the expenditures incurred during the period where the ALT project was left without a management unit. Equally interesting would be to hear what the organisation’s position is on the unlawful firing of project staff.
In like manner, perhaps the Village Councils awaiting the titling and demarcation of their territories should request that the Ministry give account of the disbursements made this far under the ALT project to determine whether the funds are being used for their benefit, or to fatten the pockets of some.
Where Sydney Allicock lacks in leadership skills and technical competency, he also lacks will-power to promote transparency and accountability in governance, and this under the apparently indifferent eyes of international organisations. Half way into his mandate as a Minister, we can conclude that the man is a failure to his people when it comes to their sustainable development, and like the rest of the coalition, seeks constantly to buy favour through cheques and handouts.
Unfortunately, his lack of grit when confronted by those above him, cobbled with his lackadaisical approach to managing indigenous affairs, has cost Indigenous peoples several years in land rights development, which cannot be compensated for by short-lived policies and hand-outs. He must be held publicly responsible.
