“We had a great week’ – VP condemns misrepresentations of NTC

…calls out disrespect for elevating single voices over 200 indigenous leaders

Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo has called out sections of the media for blatantly magnifying the comments of a few individuals and at least one organisation above the overwhelming positive outcomes from the ongoing National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference.
This year’s NTC is being held from August 19 to 23 at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre (ACCC), Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown. It is an event where Amerindian leaders from across the country converge to discuss issues affecting their villages and get opportunities to interact with Members of the Cabinet and other senior government officials on a variety of matters.
However, there have been criticisms in some quarters about the event but Jagdeo has condemned these as sheer misrepresentations. He pointed out that undue attention is being given to the Amerindian People’s Association (APA), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) along with individual activists and an opposition parliamentarian rather than the more than 200 elected Indigenous leaders from across the country.
“We have to publicly call out these newspapers for distorting what took place at the conference. If there is any disrespect of indigenous people – Amerindian people it’s what they are doing by elevating APA’s voice… and the voice of a single individual and the PNC MP [Member of Parliament on the Opposition side, Vincent Henry… above that of the over 200 leaders who were there. Those are the three entities and individuals around which all these stories revolved – not the positives that come out of all of the villages,” the Vice President contended during a press conference on Thursday.
According to Jagdeo, the conference has been a great success and is a model of good governance that portrays an unprecedented level of engagement and consultation by a government with a section of its population that cannot be found anywhere else in the world.
“In which country would the entire Cabinet spend an entire week with the elected indigenous leaders from that country discussing issues of their development with them, and that is precisely what’s happening in the past week. And the discussions are respectful, they’re free-flowing, they are positive and they’re focused on problem-solving,” he noted.
The Vice President, who delivered a presentation and subsequently had a three-hour engagement with indigenous leaders, noted that none of the approximately 35 Toshaos who spoke during that session had anything negative to say. Instead, they were all supportive of the government’s developmental plans being executed in their respective villages and highlighting how these are transforming people’s lives.
“If you go there, you would see the Minister, with their technical staff, [and] discussing, in a free-flowing format, with the Toshaos about their development. This is the unique thing that is happening here. It doesn’t happen in other parts of the world,” he said.
Dr. Jagdeo stressed that successive People’s Progressive Party/Civic Governments have done more for Amerindians than any other administration in Guyana’s history. He pointed to the Amerindian Act, passed in 2006 under the PPP/C Government, as a landmark achievement that granted Amerindian communities the right to self-determination, autonomy, and self-management.
“Here is where, in a legal form for the first time in Guyana, we gave the villages a right to self-determination and the right to manage their affairs… it is in a legal form in the Amerindian Act, passed by our government because we believed in the concept,” the VP asserted.
He criticised those who fail to acknowledge the PPP/C’s role in empowering Amerindian communities, stating that the government remains committed to fulfilling its promises.
Jagdeo, who is also the PPP General Secretary, outlined significant investments in Indigenous communities, including billions spent on ICT hubs, internet connectivity, new schools, healthcare facilities, and infrastructure projects in the hinterland. He highlighted that through two single initiatives – the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) and funding for sports facilities – Toshaos are leaving Georgetown with $5 billion in funds for community development.
Addressing critics who claim the National Toshaos Conference is not meeting its purpose, the Vice President defended the government’s track record, stating that misinformation will not be allowed to undermine the PPP/C’s accomplishments. He emphasised the need to remind the public of the progress made under the PPP/C Government, warning that failing to do so could allow past opponents to reframe history to their advantage.
“If we don’t constantly remind people about the history and the record of what was done and how far we’ve come and who has supported these communities, then the villains of the past become the heroes of today,” the PPP General Secretary declared. (G8)