Dissatisfied villagers picket Amerindian Affairs Ministry

…reiterate calls for legislation reform
Amerindians, peeved over what they say is the flawed and powerless Amerindian Act passed in their favour in 2006, picketed the office of Amerindians Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai to strengthen calls for the legislation to be reviewed.

The country’s first people insisted yesterday that they will “no longer be treated as second class citizens” and are calling on the government to make the necessary moves to return “ancestral lands to their rightful owners.”

A large contingent of Amerindian villagers, shouting slogans and hoisting placards, showed support to the Isseneru Village, which recently lost a land battle in the High Court to a gold miner.  The various Amerindian Villages have seen the ruling which gives rights to miners owning licenses prior to the 2006 Act, as being an insult to all Amerindian people. They have charged that the ruling opens doors for other persons to arbitrarily work on Amerindian titled lands.

A section of the crowd protesting the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs

High Court Judge, Justice Diane Insanally ruled in favour of one Joan Chang that mining in the Isseneru Village would be permitted since she attained a mining licence prior to the 2006 Amerindian Act coming into effect.  The villagers who believed that they had the authority to stop any alleged illegal works in their community were told that they had no authority to do so since provisions for the miners holding licences had been made.
The Amerindian communities are thus questioning the power they hold in safeguarding their titled lands and by extension their way of life, since they say that they depend wholly on the land for their survival.

On Tuesday the Amerindian People’s Association (APA) held a press conference to air their dissatisfaction with the court’s ruling and to highlight the possible negative implications of the issue. They planned vigils and protest action, with yesterday’s demonstration being the first of their scheduled protest.

President Donald Ramotar, in light of the developments, promptly called for a meeting with the heads of varying Amerindian villages. The meeting was held Tuesday evening.

Toshao of the Isseneru Village, Lewis Larson, said that they are however dissatisfied with the advice from the Head of State, since they were only told that he (President) would look into the matter. The villagers said they were further asked to negotiate with miners about issues plaguing them.
Sharon Atkinson, of Santa Rosa, Moruka said that she is in support of her fellow Amerindians in light of the challenge that they face. The woman said that from colonialism to now, her people have been lied to about promises of protection and rights.

With the recent ruling, the woman said, “It only proves that the court cannot protect us and they are not upholding our constitutional rights to continue our way of life.” Atkinson said legislation needs to be changed to give Amerindians power to adequately defend their lands.

Colin Klautky of the Guyanese Organization of Indigenous Peoples said that the ruling against Amerindian rights is a backward move because miners are now going to take advantage of the situation. He highlighted that his people are in receipt of many solidarity messages from outside of Guyana which include indigenous groups from Australia, New Zealand, the Fiji Islands, the Apache nation of Nevada, and groups from Suriname, Venezuela and Trinidad.

Younger persons from the Amerindian villages said they were present to protest for their land. They charged that if the situation continues, within time there would be no land left for them and their children since they are gradually being forced from their homes.

Other villagers charged that while the government boasts of Environmental Protection and Low Carbon Strategy, they permit miners to destroy and mutilate the forest areas, destroying trees and polluting waterways.
The Amerindians say that they feel offended and cheated of their rights. The people said they would make meaningful strides to have their matter looked into as more vigils and protests are scheduled.

The Youth Coalition for Transformation (YCT) said it stands in strong solidarity with the citizens of Isseneru village and other Amerindian brothers and sisters in expressing its discontent on the recent High Court ruling that essentially displaced residents of the mentioned village of rights and entitlements to their ancestral lands and sustainability of village life and local economy.

The group said that it is ironic that the Act that is supposed to protect and advance the rights of Amerindian citizens has served to their peril with a retrogressive judicial decision. YCT said that it welcomes the decision to appeal the ruling with the hope that good sense prevails and a sound judgment is handed down within a logical legal context to safeguard the rights of Guyana’s indigenous peoples while steps should be taken in policy reforms.