AG rubbishes APNU/AFC’s claim of discrimination against Afro-Guyanese

…says Ali-led Govt done more for Afro-Guyanese in 2 years than APNU/AFC in 5 years

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, SC, has said that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic Government has done more for Afro-Guyanese in the past two years, especially as it relates to land issues, than the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition ever did in its five years in office.

He made this remark during this week’s edition of his programme, “Issues in the News”, during which he reflected on the PPP/C Administration’s past two years in office.
Nandlall referenced the constant claims of discrimination against Afro-Guyanese coming from the APNU/AFC Opposition’s camp. In fact, only Tuesday evening at a rally hosted at Burnham Court in Georgetown, Opposition Leader Aubrey Norton reiterated this rhetoric and again accused the Government of discrimination against Afro-Guyanese.
But according to the Attorney General, the Irfaan Ali-led Administration has done more for this section of the population especially when it comes to lands.
“There is no period in APNU/AFC [or] PNC history that Afro-Guyanese benefited from the housing programme as we have done… The PPP has distributed more house lots in any given year than APNU did or PNC did in any five-year period – one year against five years Afro-Guyanese alone [benefited], check the statistics. Look at lease lands and State lands, and you will see that in no year under APNU or PNC that Afro-Guyanese benefited more from the distribution of State lands than in the PPP Government,” he posited.

Lands taken away by APNU/AFC
In fact, Nandlall disclosed that the previous PPP/C Administration had leased State lands to Afro-Guyanese in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) for rice cultivation but during the coalition regime, those lands were taken away.
It was Nandlall, who while in opposition, challenged that move and successfully recovered the lands for the Region Five farmers.

“I led the charge for the PPP while out of Government and we gave back those lands to the Afro-Guyanese farmers and we did it out of Government…They appealed the decisions and when I got into Government, as Attorney General, I withdrew all the appeals so that those 50 families can get back those lands. So, in and out of Government we have done more for Afro-Guyanese than they did in Government…
“And it is not that they didn’t give lands when they were in Government, you know who got the lands… a selected few… their friends and their cronies got lands. What did they do for the ordinary Afro-Guyanese who they are abusing and manipulating? But they would go on Emancipation Day into the communities to mislead and to spew a narrative of discord and discrimination, but they can’t tell the Afro-Guyanese what they have done for them. They can’t point to anything they have done in particular land issues, which they say is so vital for empowerment and development,” the Attorney General argued.

Ancestral lands
Nevertheless, Nandlall explained that he was now leading an initiative to sort out land titling and African ancestral lands issues in both Region Five and along the East Coast Demerara (ECD) corridor.
“We are doing regularisation now for Afro-Guyanese villages in Berbice who are going to get titles for land that they living on for centuries since slavery. [The coalition] never did it, our Government is doing it and I am privileged to be the Minister leading that process… And I’m going to start it on the East Coast of Demerara for the backlands of African villages.
“Those of them who are speaking that they are African leaders and they want to empower the people, what are they doing about it and what have they done in the five years for the people in Buxton in the backlands, and the backlands at Golden Grove and the backlands at Anns Grove and Bachelor’s Adventure. All those people are now coming to me and we have promised that we are going to give them regularity and title for those lands. That is empowerment; [not] going around the place spewing rhetoric,” the AG stressed.

Outreach
Last weekend, a Cabinet delegation held an outreach at Melanie, ECD, during which residents raised concerns about land titling and African ancestral lands. The complaints varied from persons unable to obtain titles for the lands their ancestors acquired to persons paying for lands but being yet to receive their transports.
AG Nandlall has assured those residents that a team from the Legal Affairs Ministry would return to the area soon to address their land titling concerns.
He disclosed that a similar exercise was being undertaken in Berbice and Essequibo as well.
Further, the Minister explained that when Parliament goes into recess in a matter of weeks, he would be visiting communities along the East Coast to begin the process of land regularisation.
Moreover, Housing and Water Minister Collin Croal had also assured residents that before the end of this year, they would get their long-awaited titles. (G8)