3 vying to be Batavia’s new Toshao

Batavia Village, Cuyuni River, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) launched its Village Council elections campaign at the Batavia Primary School on Wednesday, and prospective Toshaos had the opportunity to present their manifestos to the residents.
At the launching ceremony, the current Toshao, Eyon Boyal outlined the successes and challenges of his six-year tenure as village leader.
Toshao Boyal stressed the importance of developing a manifesto that spoke to the development of the community and its people. This, he said, will serve as a guide for them, and also boost candidates’ chances at captivating the hearts of the people.
Following Toshao Boyal’s presentation, the other nominees then delivered their manifestos. Ralph Jeffrey, who was the first, made several important suggestions for development in the areas of health, education, mining, social cohesion, alcohol and drug abuse, and water, among others.
Oren Williams, who was next to present his manifesto, presented a clear and concise plan for village development over the next five years. Some areas he addressed were the resuscitation of Village Sub-Groups, revitalisation of sports, village land election, improved connectivity through road networks, construction of a multipurpose meeting hall, realisation and operation of the ICT Hub, mining, village signboards, Indigenous Heritage site, and an ancestry monument.
The final presentation was done by Royston Rodrigues, whose village development plan focused on upgrading education and health delivery, youth and sports, the Nature Park, bridges and also the establishment of a women’s sewing group.
Following the presentation of each manifesto, the nominees were asked to present a copy to the Village Council. The nominees were then informed that they were now free to use whatever means to get their messages across to the villagers
Village elections are expected to be held on May 21, 2018, in all Indigenous communities throughout the country.