Your Eyewitness is intrigued by the debate between these African and Indian activists – in which the topic of Indigenous lands was dragged in!! He discovered that after Ole Columbus accidentally stumbled across the Americas, the Europeans invented all sorts of laws to settle land disputes among themselves. But all of THOSE laws were thrown out of the window when they “discovered” us natives in the “new lands”!! The legal principle of “terra nullis” – land belonging to no one – was invented even though millions of folks were living here!! Might makes right, baby!!
In fact, the entire continent of Australia was declared “terra nullis”, and to hell with all those Aborigines who’d arrived there thousands of years before; and were living quite happily, thank you!! Anyhow, after a lot of legal challenges, about THIRTY YEARS ago – even as we’re getting our country back because of free and fair elections – the Australian Courts, in a now famous “Mabo” case, decided that the Indigenous peoples DID have rights to their lands!!
Thing is, our country was NEVER declared “terra nullis” by either the Dutch, who first squatted here, or the British, who took over their land, laws and customs. In fact, both European nations had made treaties with our Indigenous Peoples on one matter or another – including land usage – explicitly recognising their occupancy. So, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that when Burnham betrayed the nationalist cause and finagled “independence” from the Brits, he had to take along Amerindian leader Stephen Campbell – who was their first MP. And our constitutional order for Independence had an Annex C, which Campbell negotiated, that recognised Indigenous lands they’d occupied from “time immemorial”!!
This, of course, was the need for formation of the Amerindian Land Commission of 1969 by the PNC. Burnham, however, futzed around the clear instruction of Annex C by not giving the Indigenous Peoples titles to their lands – till 1978, when the Amerindian Land Act was amended. But all they got were titles to a few villages. It wasn’t till 2006 – long after Mabo!! – that the PPP went the whole hog by amending the Amerindian Act once again!! They started giving titles – once villages satisfied the criterion of “occupancy from time immemorial”. Which isn’t as onerous as it sounds!!
What’s very sad, however, is that there are some who begrudge the Indigenous People’s getting 15% of Guyana. Shouldn’t they be getting ALL – and we pay them rent?? It’s pointed out that some Indigenous Peoples might’ve drifted over our borders AFTER we’d settled here!! But hello!!! Do they realize the Indigenous Peoples didn’t believe in fixed, demarcated borders like the Europeans did??
So, suddenly WE are using the European-invented law to dispossess Indigenous Peoples?? The irony!!
…about GT vending
There’s the old cliché about the secret of success in real estate: “location, location, location!!” And when it comes to success in the retail business, it’s all the same – location!! So that’s why people pay millions and billions to buy stores in prime locations – like the Georgetown business district in general, and streets like Regent Street in particular.
But it doesn’t end there – they pay proportionate rates and taxes for their properties.
Now, imagine the PNC Mayoralty allowing folks to set up vending operations – with the same goods the stores sell – on pavements in front of these stores. They pay no rent, block people from entering the stores, and, most of all, make the city look like some refugee camp in Gaza!! Some have even erected shacks in front of the major hospital in the COUNTRY with intention to sell food, but they also block ambulances and other vehicles that are rushing the sick to be treated!!
Why do the PNC oppose giving these vendors a separate location to ply their trade?!!
…or poaching??
Looks like Pres Ali’s ain’t backing off from his “One Guyana” strategy of mobilising in areas the Opposition consider their transported garrisons!! But seriously, folks…hasn’t that been the way of politics ever since “parties” were invented??
