Latest update December 20th, 2024 4:27 AM
Latest News
- EPA shamefully omitted sections Exxon Permit to argue against unlimited parent company guarantee for oil spills- Dr. Adams
- Hicken appointed top cop
- Israeli attacks pummel Gaza’s north as UN denounces lack of aid access
- Brutus refutes claims of attempting to leave Guyana
- Man gets life imprisonment sentence for felonious wounding
APA slams Dharamlall over “misleading” Facebook statements
…urges proper consultation with Amerindians
Kaieteur News – The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) on Tuesday took umbrage at statements made by Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall on his Facebook page.
The minister in addition to accusing the Association of being politically aligned with and receives financial support from the People’s National Congress (PNC) stated that the APA is trying to block indigenous communities from receiving “…billions of dollars in development funds from the Carbon Credit Facility.”
Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall
On his Facebook Page, Dharamlall said, “The Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) is up to no good. The APA, a PNC affiliated organization, is seeking to block the Amerindian Villages from receiving billions of dollars in development funds from the Carbon Credit Facility.”
The minister said too that the “APA does not support self determination of Amerindian villages because it would lose hundreds of millions of dollars in donor funds which the organization spends to enrich a few of its executives and the PNC.
For example, the APA office in Santa Rosa has been converted to the home of one of executives.”
In response, the Association said, “The APA wishes to take this opportunity to remind the Honourable Minister of the dangers of making unsubstantiated claims as well as the ethical guidelines and code of conduct his position demands.
We further take this opportunity to reiterate that the APA is a democratic organisation and is aware that many of its members and executives support various political parties including that of the Minister,” the APA said in a statement.
Further, the organisation sought to remind the Minister that the Constitution of Guyana affords every citizen the right to participate in the political process.
“That being said, the APA remains a politically neutral organisation with the main objective of advocating for and defending the rights of indigenous peoples in Guyana.
The APA wishes to remind the Minister that the organisation has a responsibility to monitor the policies and decisions that particularly affect the lives of indigenous peoples in Guyana. It is a responsibility we take seriously and will continue to do so to ensure that indigenous peoples are accurately informed of their rights and that such rights are respected,” the Association said.
The APA reiterated its call for the government “to uphold the tenets of free, prior and informed consent [FPIC] when engaging indigenous communities.”
“We have noted numerous instances of the violation of FPIC standards by the government with the latest being the consultation process for the sale of carbon credits. The Minister should be aware that the Amerindian Act of 2006 identifies the Village General Meeting as the decision-making body for indigenous communities and as such, villages should be afforded the opportunity to properly scrutinize policies, agreements and other decisions before signing on to them,” the APA said.
The APA said it is aware of the move by the government to summon Toshaos to Georgetown and informing the village leaders to walk with documents to create bank accounts to facilitate the transfer of monies from the carbon credits agreement.
“The Toshaos were not informed of the amount of money they will be receiving and how that will be governed. Again, the actions of the government indicate that there is very little regard for the FPIC process which is a slap in the face of indigenous peoples in Guyana,” the APA said while noting that it welcomes assistance to the indigenous communities as they are in need of better infrastructure for health, education and other services.
“However, we are calling on the government to engage indigenous peoples in a more structured way and not foist its decisions on them. We reiterate that the APA is not blocking villages from accessing governmental support but is calling for the administration to respect the FPIC principles,” the APA said reiterating its call for the Minister of Local Government to desist from “campaign of misinformation on the organisation”.
- Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), FPIC, Minister of Local Government and Regional Development, Nigel Dharamlall, Toshaos
Similar Articles
THE BLUNT OF THE DAY
Sports
Features/Columnists
A question of timing and priorities
Peeping Tom… Kaieteur News- The advent of significant oil discoveries has catapulted Guyana into the global spotlight.... more
Let the asylum seekers go: a first step for Venezuela to rebuild relations in the Americas
By Sir Ronald Sanders Kaieteur News – The government of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela has steadfast support from many... more
Weekend Cartoon
