Gov’t granted Indigenous right to self-determination in 2006 Amerindian Act – GS Jagdeo reemphasises

– Says local newspapers misrepresenting positive outcome of NTC Conference

The modern 2006 Amerindian Act grants Indigenous people the right to self-determination, providing villages with self-management and autonomy over their affairs.

General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), Dr Bharrat Jagdeo emphasised this during a press conference, condemning biased media coverage of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference.

The NTC, established by the Act, plays a crucial role in advancing and protecting indigenous rights and development.

Villages have the power to establish their own rules and self-management and protect their land rights and culture. The Act empowers village councils to enforce these rules and levy fines for violations, marking a significant step towards self-determination and autonomy for the first time in Guyana.

It makes provisions for entry and access to villages, governance, the National Toshaos Council (NTC), village lands, grants of communal land, and elections, among other important elements about indigenous rights and development.

“Prior to this Act, Amerindian communities had no right to a refusal of mining on their lands. The Geology and Mines Commission could give you a prospecting license and a mining license for mining on any land, including Amerindian land, titled Amerindian land…under this Act, we changed that,” the general secretary emphasised.

Shifting gears to the ongoing NTC Conference, Jagdeo highlighted the overwhelmingly positive feedback from leaders at the NTC Conference, praising government investments in health, education, sport, and the Carbon Credit programme impact on village economies.

However, he criticised the media for magnifying statements from a few individuals associated with the Amerindian People’s Association (APA) and detracting from the positive developments in hinterland, riverine, and remote communities.

“I spent three hours discussing with the two shows various development initiatives and every single comment, not a single one, I had in those three hours maybe about five to ten hours speaking and not a single negative [comment]. They were all supportive of the actions in terms of development that the government is pursuing in their villages and they took pride in recounting the implementation of the projects that were funded by the government, and how it’s transforming the lives of their people. This was the overwhelming sentiment here,” Dr Jagdeo shared.

The government’s commitment to advancing the rights and development of the Indigenous people is clear through various programmes and policies.

For instance, within the two years of disbursement of the carbon credit funds, more than $9 billion will be injected into more than 242 communities, as part of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) 2030.

In the first disbursement in 2024, $4.7 billion was disbursed and is currently funding over 800 projects, catering to tourism, food security, women and youth empowerment and income-generating projects, among others.

This year, villages will receive a notable increase in their carbon credit allocation totalling $4.84 billion, which according to Dr Jagdeo, will be disbursed by next week. This massive sum represents a 26.5 per cent increase from the initial 15 per cent. 

In addition, significant investments are being made to improve health, education, and social welfare services in these communities with plans for constructing state-of-the-art hospitals in Regions One, Seven, Eight, and Nine, equipped with telemedicine capabilities.