In a passionate address at the opening of the National Toshaos Conference (NTC) 2022, President Dr Irfaan Ali reiterated the Government’s commitment to treat all members of the Indigenous community with equal respect.
He also revealed that in the past two years, the Government has invested over $50 billion in Indigenous communities and $1.7 billion in economic boosting investments.
To quote President Ali: “The commitment of every successive PPP/Civic Government was to do the best we can do for Amerindian communities and Amerindian people. Not just because we want to do it, but because you are no different from the rest of the population. And you must be treated with the same respect, with the same dignity and honour like all of the population. Those are the fundamental principles that we adhere to – that we support.”
He also spoke of his Administration’s plans and programmes for the development of Guyana’s Indigenous peoples and indeed a detailed plan which included several critical components aimed at ensuring that Guyana’s First Peoples are not excluded in any way from the national development agenda, and many are optimistic that the President’s vision will indeed come to fruition.
From the President’s message, it is quite clear that he has a full grasp of the challenges facing hinterland communities.
The Head of State said: “We fought hard so that you could have equity; we fought hard so that you can be a part of the process of development…. The Government will work every single day to uphold the delicate balance of promoting livelihood and securing your cultural identity and the environment.”
There is no doubt that much more needs to be done, both in terms of policy design and implementation, and resource allocation, to ensure economic vibrancy in Indigenous communities and the rights of Indigenous peoples are fully protected.
For example, the issue of land titling has always been a matter of concern to Indigenous communities. However, under the A Partnership from National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government, no real progress was made in ensuring that Amerindian lands were demarcated and titled. As a matter of fact, that project was ground to a halt.
To its credit, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government – both present and past – has always acknowledged that land is central to Indigenous peoples’ development and always treated Amerindian Lands Demarcation and Titling as a priority. In this regard, the President handed out certificates of Titles to Mainstay-Whyaka (extension) and St Monica (extension) in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); Tassarene and Kangaruma in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and Yupukari (extension) in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo).
In his address, the President also reminded the leaders that the NTC provides the perfect opportunity for the Government to listen to ideas, needs, and perspectives from the respective leaders, craft a plan of action and allocate resources to improve the lives of every Amerindian community across the country.
He said too that more resources were earmarked to further enhance the quality of life in several areas, including agriculture, education, health, housing infrastructure, and tourism.
Indeed, in the area of health services, hinterland communities badly need more services as many residents have to travel extremely long distances to access basic medical services.
Many of the health institutions in the hinterland still do not offer the level of services required by patients and hence they are forced to travel to Georgetown at a very high cost.
The same situation exists as it relates to educational opportunities for Amerindian students.
That said, we believe there is need for more collaboration between the Government and other development agencies to support and fund community development projects, skills training. etc that would see Amerindians having better access to opportunities to advance their lives.
Also, the relevant ministries such as Amerindian Affairs and Labour, along with the responsible Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), must step up their efforts to ensure that Amerindians are not exploited in any way.
