Dear Editor,
I refer to a news report in the Guyana Chronicle of October 1, 2019, caption “Nappi residents overjoyed about first-time water access in homes”. Editor, I found many misleading statements in that article that brings into question its credibility.
Editor, under the PPP/C administration, the water sector had experienced unprecedented progress and development, as the focus was on ensuring greater access to potable water was given to the local residents. The PPP/C administration’s investments in the sector included, but was not limited to, solar water systems, drilled wells, trestles and gravity feed systems. The strategy, if we had won power in 2015, was to expand the water treatment facilities to ensure more people can benefit from potable water.
But the record of the PPP/C Government can stand up to scrutiny since it has enough empirical evidence to show that the PPP/C administration transformed the lives of thousands in the Amerindian communities. It is an incontrovertible fact that the successive PPP/C administration made Hinterland Development a priority which redounded to the benefit of Guyana’s first peoples. Numerous socioeconomic initiatives were implemented in all hinterland communities—all to eventually bring hinterland development in conjunction to coastal development without sacrificing traditional values and customs.
Primarily, the ultimate goal of these development projects under the PPP/C was focused on making these hinterland communities self-sufficient, with a robust system of self-administration under the Amerindian Village Councils. After all, it was the PPP/C who established the first ever Ministry of Amerindian Affairs in 1992 to focus the agenda on rapid hinterland developments.
And we should not forget that it was then President Cheddi Jagan who designated Amerindian Heritage Month and honoured the first Guyanese Indigenous Member of Parliament, Stephen Campbell, by naming September 10 every year as Amerindian Heritage Day.
Editor, I want to take this opportunity to remind the readers of the following:
Presidential grant
The PPP/C Government had provided the necessary funds for presidential grants, which had significantly impacted Amerindian communities. The presidential grants had allowed many villages to implement empowerment/development projects.
Land titling and demarcation
The implementation of the US$10.7M Land Titling Project was well advanced under the PPP/C administration. This programme, which began in 2013, had targeted 45 villages and the process should have been completed by the end of 2016. Unfortunately, the Granger administration has not completed any land titles since May 2015, causing massive delay in the process.
Housing
Hinterland communities had also benefitted from the National Housing Programme. Among the communities that benefited were White Water, Manawarin and Oronoque in Region One, and Kwatamang, Annai, Massara, Katoka and Apoteri in Region 9.
Hinterland Electrification Programme
Hinterland communities were provided with electricity through the Hinterland Electrification Programme with upgraded grid systems in Madhia, Port Kaituma, Lethem and Matthews Ridge.
Education opportunities
Amerindian communities were provided with the necessary infrastructure which had enabled them to receive the quality of education for their development.
Spread across the hinterland regions, are approximately 250 schools, inclusive of secondary schools at Annai, Aishalton, Sand Creek, Kato and Waramadong. All of these schools had dormitories to accommodate students from far-flung areas. The PPP/C transformed the secondary school network in the hinterlands of Guyana.
Social assistance
The National School Feeding and Uniform programmes aided thousands of hinterland students, providing them with hot meals and school uniforms. The direct benefit of this programme was better school attendance and performance.
Each student in the public school system benefitted from the PPP/C government “Because We Care” $10,000 cash grant that ensured they were properly outfitted at the beginning of the school term.
Hinterland scholarship
The Hinterland Scholarship Programme had provided academic facilitation, both at the secondary and tertiary levels for hinterland students annually.
Transportation boost
Amerindian communities had benefitted from transportation assistance in the form of buses, All Terrain Vehicles, boats and engines, and pick-ups to aid in community projects, transporting students to school, emergencies, among others. Tractors and trailers were also given to boost agriculture ventures and were also used to transport villagers.
Road infrastructure
To create greater linkages between Amerindian communities and improve access to goods and services, the PPP/C government had invested huge sums on the establishment of new roads and maintenance of existing ones. There were consequently reduced costs resulting from easier accessibility to goods and services, all due to improved road networks.
Health
The PPP/C Government had ensured Amerindians received much-needed healthcare, which was seen through the expansion of hospitals or health centres in every hinterland community.
Development plans
Community Development Plans (CDPs) were aimed at securing livelihood options for Amerindian communities under the Amerindian Development Fund of the Low Carbon Development Strategy, to embark on projects in the areas of agriculture and tourism, among other job and wealth-creational areas.
