No NTC conference this year – Minister Sukhai

Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Pauline Sukhai announced that there will be no National Toshaos Council (NTC) conference in 2022. No budgetary allocations have been made for the annual meet, as some Amerindian leaders continue to flout the gazetted COVID-19 guidelines and refuse to be vaccinated.

The revelation was made during the examination of the estimates for the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, Monday evening. 

“We’ve customarily (been) holding it every year. We were unable to hold it during the COVID period, so we have catered if the leaders become much more responsible and support the government’s COVID-19 effort, we may get back to some form of normalcy and we’ll be happy to hold NTC.”

Minister Sukhai had noted previously, that many leaders refused to be vaccinated despite the growing number of positive cases and the guidance of health experts that vaccination is the best way to beat the pandemic.

The NTC is a semi-autonomous body comprising all Toshaos. The executive committee is formed with one Toshao from each of the 10 regions. The NTC promotes good governance in the villages, as well as prepares strategies and plans for the protection, conservation, and sustainable management of Amerindian lands and other resources.

It is also responsible for crafting plans to reduce poverty and improve access to health and education and other critical services.

The NTC conference gives village leaders a forum to engage the president and government ministers and expand development acute to Amerindians.

Nevertheless, over $40 million has been budgeted to train Amerindian leaders in good governance among other areas, Minister Sukhai said.

“The allocation caters for the training of Community Development Officers and village councils in terms of training and governance and record-keeping,” Minister Sukhai said. 

Additional training will also be given to Amerindian Community Support Officers, (CSOs), to cater to their villages’ needs.