Regularising ancestral lands

Aug 04, 2008 Letters

Dear Editor,
Asafo Modibo and others keep mentioning in their letters statements such as: “if the government respects African constitutional rights and treats Africans as equals, they must pass the Ancestral Land Bill.” (SN1/4/08)

I will have to respond to such statements on the “Ancestral Land Bill” whenever they are published, as they could misinform the young and attempt to spread unjustified resentment and confusion among certain sections, including Modibo himself.

I reiterate the background to this “Ancestral Lands” story: – In the 1840s some ex-slaves jointly purchased several abandoned sugar plantations and established villages. It must be underlined that these lands were purchased within the Land Laws of Guyana and were under 10,000 acres in total.

The original proprietors passed away, and their heirs continued to occupy and possess these village lands. Many heirs and others have taken the trouble of regularizing their titles and have transports for their village lands.

Others who may wish to have titles (transports) for these lands should apply to the Law Courts, as many have successfully done.

The obtaining of transports to these “Ancestral Lands” is neither a constitutional matter nor a matter for the Executive arm of government, nor for any “ancestral land bill.” It is a simple matter for the Land Court and for the Judiciary, and not the President or any kind of “ancestral land bill”.

Those who wish to have titles to these village lands should apply to the Land Court, and should not be misled into putting their trust and faith in anything else.

R. Edmonds

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