The man and his organization are a one-man show

Nov 19, 2015 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I wish to respond to a letter carried in another section of the media titled “Get it right. Toshao Mc Garrell” by Peter Persaud. I humbly acknowledge his apologies on my own behalf as will extend the apologies to the rest of the community once I return to my community. It is my hope that in the future Mr. Persaud will verify information before putting it in the public domain like he did and not act on a mere “thought” A simple check with the Ministry would have provided the necessary information.
I wish to point out to Mr. Persaud that as it relates to the “five objections to demarcation which emanated mainly from the Chenapou and Paramakatoi representatives” I am not privy to the details of that meeting.  He seems to have more information on this meeting that supposedly took place. Can he say who represented Chenapou? And maybe share the information he has.
The lives and livelihoods of communities are dependent on the lands which they have traditionally and customarily used over generations. The process of titling and demarcation takes years to complete, while a miner or forester can obtain legal ownership to a piece of land within a couple weeks to months. This has proven detrimental to indigenous communities; would it not be easier to address the extension first and then make one demarcation. Wouldn’t this save the already limited resources available for titling and demarcation?
The work of the technical team of the Amerindian Land Titling project needs to reviewed, they cannot and should not be allowed to sit in their office in Georgetown and make decisions for communities. If they had followed due diligence and conducted meetings in the communities with residents then, we would not have been in the situation we are facing today.
As it is the process is flawed, this needs to be rectified at the earliest opportunity. As a representative for the rights of indigenous peoples, I would have hoped that the likes of Mr. Persaud would have challenged the ALT team to ensure that our rights are not being violated. Unfortunately this is not his cup of tea. Instead he chooses fiction, saying I was present at an ALT meeting; which he subsequently apologized for and then in the same letter ask me to show where he has lied before. If the Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) of our community was sought, there would not have been a problem with our neighbouring community.
Yes, we would like to have our land demarcated, yes we would like our future generations to be sure that their lands are safeguarded in law. Our only concern is that the process by which we are being forced to have this done has proven frustrating and time consuming. We are a people who have managed our lands from times immemorial, we have lived in harmony with nature.
We have hunted, fished and gathered in these lands. You would know Mr Presaud that around the world, the lands that are held by indigenous peoples are the lands which continue to remain in a more natural state. We expect that any process that seeks to title and demarcate out lands has our full involvement.  We expect that the UNDP would ensure that our basic rights as outlined in the UNDRIP are not being violated under the project. These rights Mr. Persaud are being trampled upon. These right, Mr. Persaud we expect you and your organization to advocate for.
As is relates to TAAMOG, I admit that there is much I am unaware of, in this vein, would Mr. Persaud provide a list of the executives of TAAMOG? This will help to quell the perceptions out there that he runs a one man show. It is disheartening to know that there are organizations purportedly representing the interest of indigenous organizations and yet there is not a shred of information publicly available that we can be aware of what they do or where they do it. Please Mr. Persaud, where is TAAMOG’s office located? What are your telephone numbers? When was your last election for executives? Do you have a constitution? Are you a registered NGO? How can communities make contact? We have a land problem, how can your organization help to fix this?
I would like to remind Mr Persaud that under the last dispensation, Toshaos and other community members were barred from accessing the Permanent Secretary Mr. Nigel Dharamlall of the Amerindian Ministry, a simple search online will bring up the articles in the news. I am aware that there is also the recording available online if he wishes to listen to how indigenous peoples were being treated. Toshaos were prevented from sharing their concerns at the National Toshaos Conference. The last NTC was a breath of fresh air, there was more freedom to express ourselves and I am sure the next one will be even better.
I acknowledge that there is much more that needs to happen, and we will continue to stand up for our rights, we will continue to voice our concerns, we will continue to challenge the government on its policies, we will challenge organizations like yours which seems to be fighting against indigenous peoples rather than for them. As the elected leader for my community, I represent the interest for all the residents of Chenapou which is to secure all lands that have been customarily and traditionally used to sustain our livelihoods for posterity.
Edward Mc Garrell
Toshao Chenapou Village
Region#8

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