Dear Editor,
It has come to the attention of the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) that the organisation has erroneously been accused of playing politics when it comes to the rights of indigenous peoples across Guyana. This was done in a letter penned by Mr. Anson Paul and published in the Guyana Times under the title APA clearly playing politics (31 July, 2018).
As such, the APA sees it as an imperative to address the misinformation that arose regarding the role of the organisation, its advocacy work, and its partnerships.
Over the years, the APA has sought to work closely with the National Toshaos Council (NTC) to build meaningful and productive ties, as the APA sees both bodies as having common goals towards ensuring that indigenous peoples’ issues, such as land tenure security and legislative protections, are institutionalised at the national level.
Our relationship with the previous NTC Executive has enabled our organisations to collaborate at the national level, and with village and district councils at the grassroots levels. Together, we have sought to raise awareness on indigenous issues and also address such issues collaboratively, in one instant resulting in the establishment of a Steering Committee for the Revision of the Amerindian Act 2006, which provides support to indigenous communities in their efforts to input into the revision process. No other body provides such support to the communities.
By working with the NTC, both organisations have been able to reach more communities, and arrive closer to achieving our mutual goal of advancing the development of our indigenous peoples. This has not always been the case, and it is the wish of the APA that such collaboration continues with the new NTC executive body and its wider members.
The APA has, throughout the years, respected the NTC as the body of elected officials which represents the constituents of indigenous villages throughout Guyana, and has in fact encouraged its members to utilise this platform to truly represent indigenous issues. It would be counterproductive for an indigenous organisation like the APA to interfere with the functions of the NTC, as it would greatly obstruct the development of indigenous peoples and our communities.
The APA has never sought to “play politics”, as is suggested by the above mentioned letter; and, in fact, has always decried the fact that some have chosen to do so in efforts to divide our people, the letter being a case in point.
The letter writer further chooses to manufacture evidence seeking to link the APA with a particular political party, citing a member, Jean La Rose, whom it says was seen “socialising” with President David Granger.
No such evidence exits, as it just did not happen; and therefore, to suggest anyone working together for nefarious political gains is seeking to be deceptive and misleading. In any event, indigenous leaders and representatives have the right to meet with both the Government and Opposition party leaders, and some leaders did take the opportunity to do so, as evidenced by photos that were circulated on social media.
In this regard, the APA commends the newly elected NTC Executive for seeking to meet with President Granger days into assuming office. We are aware that an invitation was extended by the Opposition Leader to meet with him, and some leaders used the opportunity to meet with him as well.
The letter commented on Ms La Rose’s appearance on the APNU-AFC List of Candidates for the 2015 General and Regional Elections, and uses this as further grounds for accusing the APA of political bias in steering the organisation’s operations.
To clarify, while La Rose is in fact the Executive Director the APA, her decision to participate in the political process of the 2015 General and Regional Elections is not representative of the decisions of the organisation, as the APA functions with a working Executive Committee and with yearly and longer operational planning procedures in place that are not influenced by any individual’s beliefs or inclinations.
The leadership of the APA comprises indigenous representatives from several regions, who have varied backgrounds and who monitor the work of the organisation. The APA’s organisational structure practises collective decision-making, and ensures that accountability and transparency are maintained at all levels of the organisation. This system protects the organisation from the influences of a single individual’s opinion.
The APA has worked as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) for over 17 years, and has advocated for the advancement of indigenous peoples irrespective of which Government is in power and irrespective of both negative and positive responses received from such Governments. The APA takes seriously its role in maintaining political neutrality, but respects individuals’ right to their political ideology.
With regard to the writer’s perceived “silence” of the APA on the Lands Commission of Inquiry (CoI), from the time of the CoI’s announcement, the APA had raised its concerns on the implications of such a Commission on indigenous land rights when many things were not clear on the Terms of Reference (TORs), among other things of the said Commission.
There are newspaper articles to this effect, and in one such published article, the Guyana Times (May 29, 2017) cites the APA Executive Director as sharing the organisation’s concerns that the TORs for the Land CoI were vague, and that proper consultations were not done prior to its establishment. It was with these concerns in mind that the APA had urgently sought a meeting with the President, who had responded likewise.
The APA cannot comment on the timeline for a similar request by the NTC at the time, but is aware that a meeting between the President and the NTC was later held. It would be worthwhile to note that when the APA had met with President Granger, the organisation had strongly recommended that he meet with the NTC and other indigenous organisations to listen to their concerns on the Land CoI.
Finally, the organisation does not receive funding from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and for anyone to state this would be grossly incorrect. The APA continues to work closely with all stakeholders, national and international, who play a role in indigenous peoples’ interest in Guyana. In addition to working with international organisations, the APA is committed to working with other indigenous organisations, like the NTC, while respecting its autonomy as the official representative of our peoples.
Human rights are not decided along party lines. Human rights transcend the political gameplay. The APA will always aim for political independence, and claims that it is “playing politics” are unsupported, as evident by our very public track record throughout the years. The rights of our peoples are not a game.
Sincerely yours,
Earl Thomas,
Secretary, Amerindian
Peoples Association
