Head of the National Toshaos Council (NTC), Toshao Joel Fredericks, delivered a powerful speech at the Regional Toshaos Conference convened two Thursdays ago in Region 9. Minutes after being personally attacked by the Indigenous Peoples Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock, for refusing to cooperate in the establishment of a Commission of Inquiry seeking to “investigate” land claims pertaining to African land reparation and indigenous lands jointly, Fredericks mounted the podium and sent a strong message of resistance and determination of indigenous leaders in their century-old combat for Amerindian land rights.
In addition to the toshaos present at the conference, a delegation from the Indigenous Peoples Affairs Ministry, including Minister Allicock; as well as Lethem Mayor Carlton Beckles; a PPP Opposition delegation headed by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, and members of the civil society were also present. But while such a gathering might have impressed some, Joel Fredericks used the opportunity to remind those present of the historical context of Amerindian land rights in Guyana.
“We understand our rights, because the history of this country gives us our rights,” the NTC Chair expounded. Implicitly alluding to Eric Phillips’s claim that the Africans were in Guyana before Amerindians, Fredericks, who is a member of the Arawak nation, said: “When Christopher Columbus came here [Guyana], he met us [Amerindians]. I was on the shore of the Atlantic Ocean that day, when I saw this big monster come in from the sea. I was there, the Arawaks were there. No one can rewrite our history; and we should be proud of our history!”
Through his speech, Toshao Fredericks reaffirmed the stance of the NTC against the CoI which was launched without the free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) of Amerindian leaders and peoples. In so doing, he also gave a brilliant demonstration of the solidarity which unites Amerindians in defending their land rights, which are currently under threat by the Coalition Government.
Minister Allicock, in his failed attempt to reassure the Amerindian leaders present at the conference, declared that the CoI is vital in resolving overlapping Amerindian land issues, and urged them not to worry. However, this is a poor explanation coming from the Minister, who instead should have explained the relevance of the CoI when there is already a well-established multi-sectorial, multi-stakeholder, LCDS-funded (and not taxpayer-funded) Amerindian Land Titling project. The said project was designed after more than three (3) years of active consultation and revision in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and involves technical teams representing all stakeholder interests, including mining, forestry, protected areas, lease holders and civil sector; but, most importantly, Amerindian Village Councils. What, therefore, is the relevance of this CoI? Is it not clearly evident that the Coalition Government is trying to piggyback on Amerindian land rights to gain mileage for African land reparation, despite these being two distinct issues evolving in very different contexts?
How can Sydney Allicock, a man long thought of to be a defender and promoter of indigenous rights, have the face to now lobby for this CoI?
What’s more, is that in attacking the NTC, Allicock seemed to have forgotten that this is a legally ordained body by the Amerindian Act N° 6 – 2006 (AA6-2006), mandated to not only represent Amerindian interests, but also to provide support to the Minister of “Amerindian” Affairs (AA6-2006). While the Minister is an ex-officio member of the Council, the authority of the NTC Executive cannot be overridden. So Allicock therefore demonstrates his disinterest for consensus in one of the most important organisations of indigenous rights in Guyana.
It must have slipped the Minister’s attention that the particularity of his position as an indigenous representative is to lobby FOR indigenous rights, compromise when necessary, but never to act against his own people by violating their rights for the profit of Government. Yet, he continues to swiftly drift from the path of dialogue, which became protocol since the Ministry was established under the PPP Administration. Subsequently, he joins with the rest of the Coalition Government in trespassing on the special rights of Guyana’s First Peoples, provisioned for by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); by the Independence Act, Cap. 14 Section 17; by the Constitution of Guyana, and by the AA6-2006.
It would do well for those over at MoIPA to remember that Amerindians are the pioneers of land rights in Guyana, and as history (not the revisionist theory Allicock seemingly defends) can attest, their resolve cannot be broken.
