Georgetown: Amerindians must take the time to reflect on achievements, celebrate their heritage and look to the future to build on what has been accomplished; President Donald Ramotar told a large gathering as he delivered the feature address to formally launch Amerindian Heritage Month Monday evening.
Addressing the gathering at the Amerindian Heritage Village, Sophia Exhibition Complex, the president said, “I believe that the last two decades have seen our Amerindian communities growing and achieving more than they did in previous centuries of colonialism and undemocratic rule”.
He said Amerindian Heritage Month is also a time for reflection, “so that we can peer into the future and anticipate the challenges ahead as we navigate the path to greater economic and social progress.”
The President stressed that going forward can only be done with a focus on education, nothing that it was a “happy” coincidence that Education Month was also being observed in September.
Recalling the inaugural speech made at the University of Guyana (UG) by the late President Cheddi Jagan, in which the need for everyone to become more educated was highlighted so that anyone could aspire to attain the top job in the country, President Ramotar said this was the basis of the launch of the Amerindian Scholarship Programme.
It is based on this premise, the president said, that government has built and will continue to build more schools and dormitories in hinterland communities. He noted that there are more Amerindians at UG and studying abroad than at any other time in Guyana’s history. “This is a great sign and indication that the progress made will be built upon,” he asserted.
Information Technology infrastructure to build capability is also being installed in communities where possible, he said.
With regards to health care, President Ramotar said that this is being greatly improved, citing the prevalence of malaria, a disease to which he also lost childhood friends, in numerous hinterland communities before the PPP/C took office in 1992. “It was so bad that the previous government didn’t even keep records!” The situation has now changed, thanks to interventions by this government such as hospitals in many areas.
Acknowledging that there are still some problems, President Ramotar said that these are mostly managerial and organisational, and will be addressed.
Whilst government will continue to examine renewable energy sources to meet growing demands, the need for Amaila Falls Hydro Project is still very important to Guyana’s development, President Ramotar added. With a savings of some $9 billion annually, (subsidy for Guyana Power and Light) and the need for cheap, reliable electricity, Guyana will be able to develop even faster. He noted that despite the first attempt at the project, which was blocked, government will continue to seek new partners to make it a reality.
The need for housing in Amerindian communities is being addressed by government and through the Inter American Development Bank (IDB) a pilot project targeting houses in Region 1 and 9 was done, with some 208 families benefitting, the president said.
Government has recognised and acted on the need to improve and uphold Amerindian rights and through the comprehensive 2006 Amerindian Act. This has been described as one of the most progressive pieces of legislation, President Ramotar said, to loud applause.
He explained that communities have sub-surface rights to mining, hence they have a veto power for small and medium scale mining, with many villages earning significant sums from this right.
The preservation of languages such as the Arawak dialect, which has seen the publication of dictionaries to realise this, the president, this was one programme that was affected by the political opposition’s budget cuts in the 2014 National Budget.
The contributions of Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues Birkett who was honoured with an Argentinean national award, and Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai, by Congo for her indigenous work were also lauded by the president.
Touching on the budget cuts, the president said that it was a calculated move to stymie the development of interior communities, given that there were some very intelligent persons on the opposite side of the National Assembly. He noted that it was government’s decision to restore several key projects designed to benefit Amerindians which were cut by the political opposition, and this has resulted in the move to a no-confidence motion.
He also strongly refuted claims that some companies have claims to titled Amerindian lands, describing this as “utter nonsense”. He added that as long as his government stays in office, no company would have the right to take away any lands from any hinterland community.
In closing, he urged Amerindians to use education and self development.
Meanwhile Minister Sukhai, noted that the theme, “Traditional embodiment for Amerindian development”, provides the niche for the sustained inclusion of indigenous people’s traditions, in the development trajectory that speaks to changes and modernisation.
She said it was truly a time for Amerindians to grasp the opportunities that are at present available, via government, for their development.
She reminded those gathered that they alone have the capacity to determine their future, and called for a revival of their cultural heritage and the preservation of languages, songs, foods and customs.
The Minister urged that they take a leaf from the pages of those who went before them such as the late cultural activist and musician Basil Rodrigues. These goals can only be achieved if the members of the nine Amerindian groups educate themselves.
There were also brief remarks by the head of the National Toshaos Council, Derrick John and cultural performances by groups from various regions across the country.
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