Govt will regularise Kingelly lands – Nandlall

– vows to protect residents against land grab, bullyism

Attorney General Anil Nandlall has vowed to resist attempts to bully residents of Kingelly, West Coast Berbice, off of their land, while leading a team to the location and promising the residents to have their land regularised.

The team, consisting of Nandlall, incoming Member of Parliament (MP) Fizal Jaffarly and former People’s Progressive Party (PPP) MP Harry Gill, visited Kingelly on Saturday and met with residents.
Kingelly residents, some of whom are second and third generation occupants of the land, turned out in their numbers to meet with the team. In a statement afterwards, Nandlall explained that residents reached out to the PPP for help even while they were in opposition, at a time when trade unionist Lincoln Lewis began to press his claim that his ancestors owned the village.
“Most of the residents disclosed that they have been living in the village, in their individual homes, from birth and their parents lived there as well. Some of them are now 80 years old. In short, their occupation of that village dates back to over a century. Mr Lewis also made his claim of ownership to a Commission of Inquiry, in respect to ancestral lands established by former President David Granger.”

“Mr Nandlall prepared a written statement on behalf of the residents and submitted it to that Commission. Additionally, Mr Nandlall filed Applications for Prescriptive Title for more than twenty (20) of these residents and all were granted. Some persons received their Transport already. The Registrar of Deeds’ Report disclosed that there was no titular owner of the land. No one, including, Lincoln Lewis, lodged any opposition to the Applications for Prescriptive Title as is required by the law.”
But the AG noted that despite Lewis not lodging opposition to the application, he has maintained his claim of owning the village and gone so far as to erect fences in certain parts of Kingelly. Nandlall explained that as a consequence of his behaviour, residents have complained to the Government.
“In addition, he has been bullying, threatening and assaulting the residents. He has been charged by the police. The residents complained to the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of Housing and Water, the Minister of Local Government and yours truly, seeking the assistance of the Government of Guyana.”
“Upon the instructions of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs met with the residents. The Attorney General informed the residents that from all indications, the land is State Land and that the Government will regularise their occupation in due course.”
Lewis, the General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress, appeared on Friday before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh at the Weldaad Magistrate’s Court to answer to charges of assault and making use of threatening language.
He is accused of threatening and assaulting Radesh Lall at Kingelly Village, West Coast Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), on August 13. Lall was also charged with the same offences, and both parties were released on their own recognisance. They will make their next court appearance on September 30.
The incident stemmed from a dispute between Lewis and residents of Kingelly over ancestral lands dating back to the 1960s. The residents are alleging that Lewis is attempting to seize the land that has been in their possession for years.
The residents are accusing Lewis of a barefaced attempt to seize hundreds of acres of land at Kingelly already in their possession. For his part, Lewis has claimed that the lands belonged to his 19th century ancestor Cudjoe McPherson and are therefore his property.
The issue has resulted in various forms of litigation as well as a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) being set up to look into claims made by Lewis that the properties are part of his ancestral inheritance.