APNU MPs vote against monies for developing Indigenous communities
…“it’s a travesty” – Sukhai
0, Source - https://guyanatimesgy.com/apnu...igenous-communities/
A division had to be called during Tuesday’s examination of the budget estimates, as Members of Parliament (MPs) on both sides clashed over allocations for the Amerindian Affairs Ministry, and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) voted against monies earmarked for developing Indigenous communities.
During Tuesday’s sitting, Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai was asked to account for several allocations to her Ministry. Specifically, she was quizzed on a $38.6 million allocation to the Ministry under a line item titled training and scholarships.
While under questioning from APNU MP Jermaine Figueira as to whether provisions will be made for distance learning, Sukhai accused the former Government of abandoning their hinterland Information and Communication Technology (ICT) initiative.
“In the budget speech, it was very clear that the Minister of Education is going to cater for print material to go to the areas. And (I must) remind the honourable member that the ICT hub project was abandoned by the previous Government and therefore ICT online support for this period is not an online alternative that is being used for many of the hinterland villages,” she said.
The PPP/C Government, she added, has made a commitment to the hinterland population and villages “that we are going to reintroduce the abandoned ICT hub project and if the honourable member will have some patience, we will begin an initial phase in these three months with 26 such villages.”
As the session wore on, Figueira quizzed the Minister on whether the communities receiving the project included Region 10. However, he was urged to be patient and let the current Government roll out their ICT project as promised.
When the $825 million total capital allocation for programme 162 – community development and empowerment – was put to the vote, it was clear that APNU did not support it. A division was called and Speaker of the National Assembly, Manzoor Nadir, put the allocation to the votes of each individual member.
The expenditure was eventually passed by a vote of 33 to 25 against, with two abstentions from the Alliance For Change’s (AFC) Khemraj Ramjattan and David Patterson. Deputy Speaker and Liberty and Justice Party (LJP) leader Lennox Shuman broke ranks with the Opposition and voted with the Government.
Travesty
Afterwards, Sukhai called the APNU’s non-support of the funding for hinterland community development a “travesty”. She reeled off a list of goods and services the $820 million would have funded for Indigenous people.
“The APNU/AFC MPs voted against youth empowerment, the reinstatement of the Community Service Officers… voting against $68.4 million. Grants to communities, $285 million… economic projects, $42 million. Women project initiatives $6.9 million. Support for women and garment construction, especially school uniforms. They have voted against $6.3 million.”
“Agricultural support through implements and machinery, $121 million. They have voted against tools and equipment such as chain saws, $4.4 million. They have voted against the ICT facility refurbishment in the tune of $26 million. Village infrastructure development, $5 million. Generator sets, $5.7 million,” she also said.
According to Sukhai, APNU, by voting against the allocations, have also voted against eco-tourism, culture and musical instruments, radio sets that would have bridged the gap until ICT was reestablished and solar systems totalling $14 million.
Her fellow MPs of Indigenous heritage also voiced their outrage. MP Alister Charlie noted the fact that the Opposition’s actions during Amerindian Heritage Month, is particularly jarring.
“We have an Opposition in Parliament that is callous and vindictive… My brothers and sisters, I want you to know. Under the capital budgetary allocation, we have the Amerindian development fund. A whopping sum of $800 million that will bring goods and services, better the lives of our nation’s first people.”
“In that budgetary sum, we have $300 million that will go directly to the purchase of tractors and accessories for our Amerindian communities across the hinterland regions. In that allocation, we have allocations for women entrepreneurial initiatives, that was voted against by the Opposition.”
According to Charlie, it shows that when APNU/AFC was on the campaign trail wooing the Indigenous communities, it was only because they wanted their votes. But Charlie made it clear that the PPP would continue to use its parliamentary majority to pass budgetary allocations not only for Indigenous communities but all of Guyana.
MPs Yvonne Pearson and Lee Gendre Hakkim Williams expressed disappointment for the way in which APNU/AFC chose to use their seats in the National Assembly. MP Dr Tandika Smith recalled the firsthand experience she had of the disregard the coalition shows to the Indigenous community, when they fired almost 2000 Community Service Officers.
“I’m not surprised at what they did, because over the past five years, initially when they took office they fired (thousands) of CSOs in Indigenous communities. It was really sad. It was heartbreaking to see the persons who took an oath to stand for all Guyanese, vote against the development of their fellow brothers and sisters,” Dr Smith said. (G3)