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Region one residents concerned over prolonged land dispute

Mar 10, 2014 News

 

– urge Amerindian Minister to listen to their plight

A mother of seven is pleading with authorities to step in and conduct a proper investigation into a prolonged land dispute.
The dispute, Margret Abrahams contends has progressed to an unhealthy stage which now puts her safety and that of her children at risk.
The 44 year-old inherited a plot of land not bigger than an acre from her grandmother, Martha Abrahams. She has been dwelling at Kumaka, Ballfield, Region One (Barima Waini) for over 20 years with her children.
However, Abrahams claims that since 2012, a resident of the Kwebanna Village has been trying to get ownership of the land despite a decision that was passed at a Village Meeting which deemed her as the owner of the land.
Abrahams explained to this publication that the individual in the dispute has not been a resident of the area since 1960 but is now claiming ownership of the land by virtue of having a valid legal document in the form of an affidavit.
“In 2006 the then Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues, ruled in favour of the said land and asked me to vacate in three months and I will be compensated and given similar land that is convenient and accessible. But this was never done. I was willing to give her part of the land but she insisted that she wanted the whole thing and refused my offer.”
The land dispute was subsequently taken to the general village meeting on April 1, 2007 under the guidance of the Amerindian Act of 2006.  Despite the Minister’s decision, the members voted in favour of Abraham, but even that decision was allegedly ignored by the individual, who called for another meeting which saw another ruling that the land be shared between the two.
Abraham said she confronted the council and inquired about the ruling as she deemed it to be unfair and “very confusing.”
The 44-year-old explained that she had approached the village council again in 2012 and the Toshaos and eight other area councilors then ruled that they will uphold the first ruling by the Minister.
Abrahams is calling on the authorities to take action and to conduct a proper investigation into the matter.
The other party in the dispute has reportedly moved on to the land and has started building on it. She is allegedly now trying to move on to the space that Abrahams occupies.
A distressed Abrahams said, “All this running back and forth is confusing. One person makes a ruling and then another overrides it. This woman is now threatening me and I am pleading with the Minister of Amerindian Affairs to please look into this matter. I am in a helpless situation because when you depend on the Village councils to dispense justice, it is not happening. There is too much confusion and while they are constantly moving back and forth on their decisions, I have to live with the threats every day. There has been a serious breach of standard operating procedures and miscarriage of justice. I feel unsafe.”

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