Consult with villagers before making decisions, Amerindian leaders urged

Amerindian Affairs Minister, Pauline Sukhai, is urging leaders of  Amerindian villages to work
in the interest of all residents. Sukhai made this call following complaints by residents that some
village councils have been acting arbitrarily, without consulting villagers on projects in
communities.
The Minister visited villages in the Moruca Sub-district, Barima-Waini (Region One), at the
weekend, where she addressed issues facing the councils. She journeyed through the Kumaka
River to Santa Rosa, on Friday, where she held a meeting with a number of toshaos, senior
councillors and residents, and addressed several issues. Among the concerns were reports of the
malicious destruction of a resident’s fence, allegedly on the order of the Santa Rosa village
council.

Sukhai instructed the village councils to utilise a consultative approach in the management of the
village and treat all residents fairly and equally. “When we are training leaders in terms of
governance, the Amerindian Act and so on, you are very clear that when you are elected you
can’t be biased and you have to act within the parameters of the law. You can’t act outside the
parameters and make decisions that suit you or your friends, or because you’re elected you are
such an authoritative leader that you believe that your decision is final,” Sukhai said.
It was pointed out that during the three-hour long meeting, leaders agreed to start taking a
consultative approach to their work. Minister Sukhai later handed over four tractors to toshaos to
aid in the economic development of their villages. Sukhai travelled to Kamwatta, where she
handed over a tractor to the toshao there on Saturday.
She also held a meeting with residents, who sought information about the ICT hub.  The village
has already completed its hub. The Office of the Prime Minister will soon install the equipment
before it becomes functional. The Amerindian affairs minister, meanwhile informed villagers of
government’s plans to increase the Community Support Officers (CSOs) programme, catering
for a further 500 this year. She assured that when Budget 2022 is passed, Government will have
the greenlight to have 2,500 CSOs contributing to the development of their villages.
During the fruitful discussions, she also spoke of the budgeted $561M for Amerindian Land
Titling, which will ensure that 20 villages receive their title. On Sunday, the minister visited
Skyland, where she presented a bus to the village to address travel woes of children there.
Again, the minister held a meeting with the residents there, including the senior councillor of the
satellite village and the toshao and councillors of Waramuri.
Minister Sukhai explained that the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) is back on stream
and urged the village to get on board with the project. She also appealed to the villagers to find
creative ways for wealth creation. “Just like a government, you were elected to work in the best
interest of your village. And you must find ways to create employment for your villagers, so they
don’t have to go far out the village in a backdam to work. You have vast lands here, you must
utilise it, to improve the economy of the village,” Sukhai stressed.