PNCR touts renewed hope for Amerindian development

Aug 29, 2015 News

…as Heritage Month approaches

Heritage Month is mere days away, and while Guyana’s indigenous men and women prepare to celebrate the month under the theme “Preserving Indigenous Customs and Traditions,” the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) is spreading hope for real Amerindian development.

Yesterday the PNCR said it believes that Heritage Month is of particular significance because it presents the opportunity for “our Amerindian brothers and sisters” to showcase their outstanding historical and cultural contribution to the development of this nation. On each occasion that this is done it reminds the population as a whole that Guyana is a nation of multiculturalism, ethnic diversity and social pluralism.

The PNCR boasted that it has played a well-known role in the development of the various Amerindian communities. The party noted that it hosted the first Amerindian Conference in 1969 and facilitated the demarcation and distribution of Amerindian land titles.

The party said that it “must give voice to its firmly held view that not enough is being done to protect these communities from being challenged by such dark issues as trafficking in persons, as outlined in several international reports.”

The party cited a recent World Bank Report which states that the levels of poverty are highest in the Indigenous Communities in Guyana.

In this regard, PNCR, which is a strong force in A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), said that the new APNU+AFC government will implement sustainable programmes to reduce the levels of poverty, in Amerindian communities, including programmes which will empower them to become self-sufficient, rather than those that are now prevalent and which perpetuate their dependency and reliance on handouts from the previous Government and other agencies.

“The PNCR wishes our Indigenous Brothers and Sisters Happy Heritage Month celebrations and assures them that our Party continues to be irrevocably committed to the implementation of programmes for the empowerment of the Indigenous Communities while respecting their way of life”.