Budget cut of Amerindian Fund

Apr 15, 2014 News

– 2000 young people are going to be on the bread line- PPP

Peoples Progressive Party /Civic (PPP/C) Central Committee Member, and Region Nine Representative Brian Allicock says that “2000 young Amerindians are going to be on the bread line,” as a result of the combined Opposition’s decision to

PPP Region 9 representative Brian Allicock

“heartlessly” cut $1.1billion from the budgetary allocation for the Amerindian Development Fund,
“We were waiting on the Budget to pass to pay those people…. as of right now they are working without payment,”Allicock said at a media conference hosted by the ruling Party yesterday.
He explained that part of the allocation cut by the joint Opposition (A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change) includes the Apprentice Scheme for over 2000 Amerindian youths involved in management, community development and planning, “providing much needed assistance to the Toshoas and Councils of Amerindian villages.”
Allicock added that, provisions were made in the 2014 Budget to ensure that every Amerindian Village would have young people learning and providing support in their communities.
Allicock said that other programmes affected by the $1.1B cut are the secure livelihood initiative in Region One, the annual subvention to Bena Hill Institute which has been ongoing for years, grants to ten villages to promote ecotourism and $200M which goes annually to Toshoas who decide what initiatives the various villages will pursue.
“Imagine, we are just 10 percent of the population and we cannot get one percent of the Budget…” said Allicock.
According to Allicock, “it is hypocritical that the Opposition which laments that young people have no jobs, would so callously deny 2000 Amerindian youths employment in their own communities. Instead of contributing to the building of human and social capital in their respective villages, these young people will now be forced to leave their families and seek opportunities elsewhere, thereby compromising their village development.” Allicock said.
He added that it is ironic that the Opposition would complain that there is no investment in the villages and the need for income earning programmes to assist the Amerindians with job security, but on the other hand deny “over $250M for such programmes which were provided under the 2014 Budget.”
The overwhelming majority of the allocation, he explained, would be spent by the Amerindians in their communities, further supporting their villages’ economic development. “This cutting of your nose to spoil your face mentality by the Opposition is hard to comprehend, especially as the Opposition claims that Government has been neglecting the hinterland.”
When questioned by the media about allegations that monies being made available to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs were used to recruit Amerindians to the Progressive Youth Organization (PYO) which is the youth arm of the PPP, Allicock responded by saying that the respective village councils were approached and asked to provide the names of ten youths to work with their respective village councils.
“I don’t know where that came from, probably other areas, but I know the area that I worked with, that is what I did. I did not go and say you are PPP or you are APNU or whatever… I asked for youths to work along with the village council so that is what we got.”
APNU Leader David Granger, in justifying the 1.1B cuts to that sector had said.
“We have received advice that the more than $1B fund was being improperly used by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs for political purposes rather than for educational or developmental purposes.”
“The funds that have been used to establish the Youth Apprenticeship and Entrepreneurial Programme (YAEP) are controlled directly by the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs… and everybody in that programme receives a stipend of $30,000 a month. Some don’t do any work…It has caused conflict between some of these Community Support Officers [CSO’s] and the Toshaos who have no say in it.
“We do not feel it is a justifiable use of the money and we voted against it because we feel it must be accountable.”
Responding to the allegation that the YAEP members are paid to do nothing Allicock said “I won’t say that they are paid to do nothing because in my area they are active, we know that they are active because they ask certain questions.”
He continued that “what is being done, is that when we go into villages, the CSO’s are there and they support what we are doing and they of course are asked to report to the Ministry, so that is what at least in my area and where I work is happening. I have heard it before that people are being paid to do nothing, but I don’t think that is the case in my area even though we had a shaky start in that the village councils couldn’t understand the TOR [Terms Of Reference] in the beginning. But that was rectified”, said Allicock.