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The village movement is only part of the answer

Aug 18, 2015 Letters

DEAR EDITOR,
I refer to the letter by Eric M. Phillips on August 17, 2015 entitled “The Village Movement was Guyana’s greatest entrepreneurial event”.
His letter states that history shows that Africans have always been the most entrepreneurial group in Guyana, yet Indians dominate in land holdings and net worth. He said the reason is because Africans have always been purposefully denied equal access and equal rights. This is only part of the answer.
Another part of the answer may lie in a British Guiana 1850 Court of Policy as described in pages 568-569 of the ‘Accounts and Papers of the House of Commons’ available on the internet.
It reads as follows:
“An ordinance further to regulate and encourage the immigration of Coolies. Enacted by his Excellency Henry Barkly, Esq., Governor and Commander-in-Chief in and over the Colony of British Guiana.”
“4. And be it enacted, that every Cooly immigrant who hath arrived in this colony prior  to the 4th day of March 1848,  upon completing a residence of five years, and every new Cooly immigrant, upon completing an industrial residence of five years, shall be entitled to a free passage back to India.”
“8.  And be it enacted, that where any Cooly immigrant shall be desirous to commute his right to a free passage for the value in land to the amount of the cost of such passage, and the Governor shall feel free to grant to such immigrant out of the Crown lands of the colony a piece or parcel of land equal in value,  at the  upset price of Crown lands, to the amount of the  cost of such return passage, such immigrant shall have  the same in  lieu of his right to a free passage.”
Africans had no such offer.
Kingsley Harrop

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