Govt. accused of bullying Amerindian leaders to block opposition from entering villages

May 15, 2025 News

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—Annai Toshao apologises after signing letter barring Mohamed

Kaieteur News-  Government has come under pressure for allegedly instructing toshaos in the Rupununi to block political activist, Azruddin Mohamed, from entering their villages, and the Toshao of Annai has since come forward to apologise, saying that he signed the letter barring the businessman by mistake.

In a letter dated May 10, 2025, to Mr. Charles Sugrim, who was listed as the representative of Team Mohammed, titled “Permission to visit villages North Rupununi”, it said “with reference to the subject matter the undersigned leaders on behalf of our residents do hereby acknowledge receipt of your correspondence.”

It went on to say, “As leaders, we know Mr. Azruddin Mohamed’s work in philanthropy in selective parts of the country. However, based on our research in considering the application to enter our village lands, we have become aware of several international allegations of criminal activities conducted by Azruddin Mohammed.”

It was further explained that based on these findings that the US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced sanctions against the businessman for his “roles in corruption in Guyana.” They also mentioned allegations of tax evasion on gold exports, under-declaration of his gold production and unpaid duties for the importation of several luxury vehicles. “Therefore, acting in the best interest of our villages and based on precaution, permission to enter our village is hereby denied. We underscore that we will continue to uphold the governance systems established in law, which guarantee the autonomy of the Amerindian Village Council. As village councils, we are legally empowered to regulate activities within our village lands, including who may enter and under what conditions. As such, we wish to remind you that our decision, detailed here, is final on the matter. We wish you the best on your future endeavours.”

Subsequently, the Toshao of Annai issued a formal apology and reinstated the businessman’s visit. In his apology, Toshao Ivor Daniels said that he wrote the letter with deep humility and sincere regret on behalf of the five villages of Annai. “It has come to light that a significant error was made when I signed a letter denying Mr Mohammed entry into our villages. I acknowledge that this action was a grave mistake and I accept full responsibility for the confusion, distress and inconvenience it may have caused to Mr. Mohammed and his team,” the letter continued.

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), reacting to the letter barring the businessman, said on Wednesday that indigenous village leaders preventing persons from entering their communities on the instruction of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is unlawful and vindictive.

Citing the decision by the Toshaos of the NDC of Aranaputa/Upper Buru Buru, Region Nine, the party reiterated its objections to what it said is “the PPP’s manipulation and domination of some village leaders, forcing the unilateral barring of persons from visiting indigenous communities for legitimate reasons.”

The statement disclosed that APNU’s party executives, as well as its activists, have encountered situations in recent times where they were prevented from entering a community. The party said that it is a clear sign that the Toshaos “are clearly under pressure to sign on to PPP-dictated positions coming out of Freedom House.” “These actions are unconstitutional, unlawful, and vindictive. We have since learnt that the Toshao of Annai district has reversed his decision due to the widespread pressure from villagers and indigenous rights activists, such as former MP Mervyn Williams,” the party said.

For full disclosure and the benefit of the public, APNU restated the views of Williams from his Facebook page on the recent North Rupununi situation. He said that, “Aranaputa is a Neighbourhood Democratic Council area. It is not an Amerindian Village. It is not governed by, or subject to the Amerindian Act, particularly as it relates to access and visitation. There is no evidence that the village councils considered, discussed, and decided on this matter.”

It was also explained that in matters that may prove to be contentious, such as this one, the village council would normally refer the matter to the village general meeting, the highest decision-making forum of the village, for determination. In order for a decision to be binding, a vote of two-thirds of the residents present is needed. Furthermore, “A village council has no authority to determine the innocence or guilt of any person, (except where it is a domestic village matter and gazetted village rules are applicable), particularly in a case where such a person is not charged for any offence by the law enforcement authorities in Guyana.”

It was further explained that a village council does not have the right to deny a person entry based on criminal allegations that are not before the court. The grounds listed for entry denial are “prejudicial and unfounded. From information available to me, the residents and their elected councillors on the one hand, and the Toshaos and NDC chairman on the other hand, are at loggerheads on this matter. On the face of it, there appears to be some constitutional breaches here. The evil hands of the PPP political operatives are clearly visible.”

There have been quite a few of these incidents recently. It was reported by this publication on May 08 that, in a joint statement, the councillors, tourism operators and residents of the Lake Capoey community expressed that they had no issues with the businessman visiting their village.

The statement came a day after a video was circulated with Toshao Wendy Francis saying that she was disrespected by the businessman and others, and also accused him of breaching the Amerindian Act since he is an outsider who did not seek the council’s permission before entering the community. Refuting her claims, the statement said, “Lake Capoey is a tourist community. As such, because we usually have a high volume of customers on a weekly basis, it was decided years ago by the community that we would allow visitors to come into the community on a limited basis without writing for formal permission. Those rules are still in force in the community to accommodate tourism and as such, no letter is needed.”

It was also disclosed that the Vice Toshao was made aware of the businessman’s intended visit by a community member, who handled parts of the organising, and the information was shared, via a WhatsApp group, to the Councillors. It was also highlighted that Team Mohamed’s is not responsible for any lack of communication that may have happened between the community organisers, the Vice Toshao, councillors, and the Toshao.

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• APNU, denying entry, statement, Toshao, village lands

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