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APA Coordinator laments long wait for court ruling on Upper Mazaruni Ancestral Lands
Kaieteur News – Members of the Upper Mazaruni District Council (UMDC) have expressed their concerns that the Government, more specifically the Judiciary, has been ignoring their 24-year long plea to regain the rights to their ancestral lands – the lands currently being used for mining by the Government.
Laura George, Coordinator of the Amerindian Peoples Association
The indigenous people of Upper Mazaruni had their final submissions in the High Court before Acting Chief, Justice Roxanne George, against the lack of response from the Government approximately five years ago (in 2017), but they , Community Leaders and UMDC, are still waiting a ruling from the court.
According to Ms. Laura George, Coordinator of the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), “The Plaintiff and the Toshao sent in a letter to the Chief of Justice asking when the date will be made and on the 8th of August (of this year) they said that the decision will be given before the end of August.” George went on to express her concerns regarding the prolonged wait, stating: “The Plaintiffs are waiting and we are all waiting to get a date on when exactly this is going to happen. We hope as well that it will not be a date to announce a date of the decision. That is what we are all so scared of.”
George further added that her rights, along with the rights of the people of Mazaruni, were violated and continued to be violated, as she said that the villages were not even consulted before mining started on the lands.
George also went on to say that all she and the people of Mazaruni want is for the Government to recognise and acknowledge their rights to the lands, and their rights as citizens, while reinforcing the fact that a decision being made would be of massive assistance to them. “A decision being made would also really help us to propel any other discussions and any other work that we need to do to secure ourselves, and we want the Government to respect our rights.”
When asked what plans the community has for the land in the case of the court’s favourable ruling, George said, “the decision of what would be done would be completely up to the community, and that the APA would continue to provide it with whatever support it may require.” George was also asked about the relationship the residents share with miners and this she said varies depending on what exactly would be happening in the villages.
George also importantly noted that whatever benefits the Community receives from Miners, are not to be considered as useful in furthering the community’s growth in the long term and that her people require lasting benefits that will positively affect the development of both the residents and the land. >>>
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