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Alexander issues open call for President to meet with African-aligned organization
Kaieteur News – Chairman of the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G), Vincent Alexander has issued a public call to President Irfaan Ali to honour his commitment to meet with the group to discuss “urgent and pressing” matters related to providing support to Guyanese of African descent.
Vincent Alexander
The government had cut the $8 million a month subvention from the organization since last year. The organization has since challenged the decision of the State in court. The two parties have been in the process of discussing a settlement. However, in the meantime, IDPADA-G has been pursuing talks with the Head-of-State as it relates to the case.
In an open letter, Alexander said that the efforts to meet with the President have been hindered by Ali’s own failure to honour his oral commitment to meet with them. He said that it was self-evident that good relations between the government and IDPADA-G “are central to improving the overall relationship with the African Guyanese community”.
Given the clear need for an engagement as a consequence of the emergent situation IDPADA-G once again requests a meeting with the president to discuss matters pertaining to the decade as well as current and looming problems manifesting themselves
Alexander said the meeting is intended to be a platform to forge efforts to deescalate the current tensions and pursue the goals of IDPADA-G which is to assist and empower Afro-Guyanese.
President Irfaan Ali
He said that with the “thorny” relationship between the government and people of African descent in mind, the “constructive engagement between the Government and IDPADA-G is evidently and urgently needed at this time.
In February, IDPADA-G formally wrote to the Government to hold talks on the issue of their subvention which has been withheld.
In the meantime, Alexander said that IDPADA-G has been fulfilling its obligations based on the UN mandate. IDPADA-G said it has assisted hundreds of Guyanese in the process of developing businesses through training in the writing of business proposals and financials. The Government nonetheless has been withholding IDPADA-G’s monthly subvention of $8M over claims of mismanagement – an allegation the organization has rubbished. The Afro-Guyanese organization has since taken the Government to Court over the subvention.
Despite the withholding of the subsidy, Alexander said IDPADA-G is not completely crippled but “handicapped.”
It was noted that from September 2022 to February 2023, the government owes the organization an estimated GY$49 million. The organization has been relying on local and Diaspora donations to carry out some of its work especially to help residents of Mocha, East Bank Demerara where their houses were demolished.
Outside of this, IDPADA-G had consulted with and developed relationships with both the David Granger-led and Irfaan Ali-led Administrations with both sides making a commitment to fund the Organisation within the United Nations designated decade. The Organisation received funds from the Government up to August 2022 when it was abruptly stopped.
The UN Decade for People of African Descent is themed “People of African descent: recognition, justice, and development.” It calls on Governments around the world where people of African Descent reside to put mechanisms in place to help improve their state of existence.
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