Land identified, design being fined-tuned for new Amerindian Hostel – Minister

– says funding being sought in 2026 Budget; raps opposition’s “bullying” on hostel issue

Amerindian Affairs Minister Sarah Browne-Shadeek on Sunday disclosed that the design for a new Amerindian Hostel is being finalised and the land has already been located.

This is in keeping with a previous commitment made by President Dr Irfaan Ali on the 2025 campaign trail during an engagement at Moraikobai, Region Five, where he announced plans for a new hostel facility.
According to Browne, since assuming office, she has been working on fulfilling this promise made.
“I would have been working with the Central Housing and Planning Authority. Their engineer would have met with us [and] their architect. We have gone through a design. I already have that design…[but] we still have to fine-tune the design,” she stated on Sunday.
In addition, Browne-Shadeek disclosed that they have already identified the land where the new hostel would be built. She also indicated that they have fair knowledge of what this facility is going to cost and have since submitted proposals for funding in the 2026 national budget.
“I was actually at the budget meeting [on Friday], where we presented [the ministry’s] budget. And in that budget, there are sums there for us to start a new Amerindian Hostel,” she noted.
But even as the government is building a new facility, the Amerindian Affairs Minister acknowledged the need to continue to support and maintain the existing hostel located on Princess Street, Georgetown, where indigenous citizens would usually go to seek refuge after travelling from their remote communities to the capital city.
At the time of her remarks, Minister Browne-Shadeek was at the hostel, where she came face-to-face with members of the main parliamentary Opposition, We Invest in Nationhood (WIN), who had gathered outside the facility in a disruptive and chaotic manner.
In a post on social-media, WIN’s leader and United States-indicted businessman, Azruddin Mohamed, had complained about the deplorable state of the hostel – something which the Amerindian Affairs Minister acknowledged.
However, Minister Browne-Shadeek contended that the state of the age-old facility is largely as a result of the fact that the building, which was constructed since 1972, has outlived its capacity. This is due to the fact that government refuses to turn back anyone who seeks refuge there despite being fully occupied, thus leading to an overcrowding situation.
The facility accommodates Amerindians who travel to Georgetown for various reasons and do not have anywhere to stay. Among its occupants are persons who are ill and are seeking or have sought medical attention.
“For this year alone, we have seen over 1,275 between patients and persons who are passing through…they stop here for a little housing,” she noted, adding that these persons are provided with free meals and assistance in various forms including financial, medical and transportation to return to their respective hinterland villages.
It is against this backdrop, Minister Browne-Shadeek condemned the opposition’s actions on Sunday and accused them of engaging in bullyism.
“What is happening here, it’s not activism at no point in time. It’s bullyism. If anyone wants to highlight an issue, this is not the way to highlight an issue with the behaviour that’s ongoing… Mind you that while that behaviour is happening out there, we have persons in this facility who are sick,” she pointed out.
According to the Amerindian Affairs Minister, she would not be bullied or intimidated by the opposition’s confrontational behaviour.
“Like they mentioned, I’m young so, I’m thinking that they came here to intimidate me and trying to gaslight me into saying whatever it is that suits their agenda. But I would not be bullied. I may be young, but I refuse to be bullied…”
“I don’t see it as leadership. And this is not what I would want. And I spoke to the residents who are here that they can see for themselves that activism and bullying is something different. If you want better for our people, there’s a way to go about doing it. And this is not a way by coming here to intimidate people…and use our Indigenous people as pawns in your political gimmick…” she asserted.
WIN leader Azruddin Mohamed and his father Nazar Mohamed are currently facing extradition proceedings at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court in order to be extradited to face fraud and money laundering indictments related to gold smuggling at a court Florida, US.