St Cuthbert’s Councillors and residents want Sukhai remove Toshao Clenkian

COUNCILLORS and residents of St Cuthbert’s Mission, in the Mahaica River, have ganged up
against the Toshao Ms. Beverly Clenkian demanding her immediate removal by Amerindian
Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai
Residents, emboldened by the Councillors have signed a petition sent to Sukhai claimed a loss of
confidence on Toshao Clenkian and want the Minister’s urgent intervention in the controversy.
The Demerara-Mahaica (Region Four) Councillors and residents of St Cuthbert’s in a similar
move, offered as a sop to Sukhai, the specious claim of no-confidence in the Head of the village,
situated 57 miles from the country’s capital city, Georgetown.
The call for Clenkian’s removal seems to be a strategic move by some persons with polit8ical
agenda rooted in a ‘winner-takes-all’ political policy at the local and national levels.
Clenkian was elected as St Cuthbert’s first female Toshao will maximum confidence and
blessings of the residents who evaluated her as the ideal candidate to advance the centuries-old
Amerindian community. However, goaded by self-serving Councillors, many are influenced to
change their original affection towards the educator-turned Village Leader.
But Clenkian remains unmovable in the brouhaha.
Like the Rock of Gibraltar, she is standing firm in her view that other community leaders have
manipulated the hearts of the people away from her in a desperate bid to escape accountability
and professional management of the community’s assets and resources.
She told www.aroundtheregions.com that she first learnt of the plot against her via a missive sent
to the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs. Her detractors, she maintained, have consistently avoided
her open-door policy for a face-to-face confrontation to defend their grievances.
“I learnt that a letter was written to the subject Minister demanding my removal as Toshao, but
nothing has been sent to me officially and I am awaiting word from the Ministry on the matter. I

have no fear as I have managed professionally and with great accountability and I continue to
repeat that I am prepared to face any investigation and/or my accusers as I have done nothing
wrong,” Toshao Clenkian said boldly.
Clenkian assumed the role of Toshao almost three years ago when she won convincingly thus
becoming the first female to be elected for the community as Toshao. She related that while 12
Councillors were elected to serve with her only 10 are currently serving after two Councillors,
Anderson Clenkian, who is married and no longer lives in the community, and Breonie
Cascausway currently a University of Guyana (UG) student, also moved out of the village.
She said that they were not replaced but the Council opposed it considering that elections are a
mere few months away.
“Usually when someone no longer sits on the Council, they are replaced but for reasons known
only to themselves they opted against replacements for the two because elections are expected in
May this year,” she explained.
Despite their chicanery, Clenkian said she still commands the trust and confidence of many
Councillors.
“No one has said anything formally to me, but I do know that there are some Councillors whose
names are on the petition (masterminded) by Pierre Andrews, a resident who sits as a Regional
Councillor at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Region Four.
“The man… has been going around telling residents ‘this and that’ and without any proof or
attempt to seek clarification. Election is expected sometime in May but they are determined and
desperate to get me out so that is why all of this is happening now as they want to have me
removed before the next election,” Clenkian related.
“Mr. Andrews and others are upset because of some of the decisions that I made with regards to
forestry permits. They have told the Minister that they do not want the permits to come through
me and also, they are concerned about several other areas of revenue streams for the village. But
I have assured the Ministry that I am ready for an audit or an investigation whenever they are

ready. The books are there as proof my innocence. I have remained accountable despite their
(negative) views and (acerbic) opinions,” she declared.
Among their list of grouses, they claimed that Clenkian is routinely missing from the National
Toshao Council (NTC) meetings and is also absent most of the time from the community. This,
she said is hogwash. She explained she is an NTC executive and has to attend their regular
meetings which explains her frequent absence from the community.
“The view is that I am hardly around in the community and that I don’t attend NTC meetings,
but it is not true as there are regular NTC meetings. Most times I am recorded as being away
from the community is because of those meetings and or community-related business and the
records can prove that,” she insisted.
“The records will show that since my election in 2018 there have been significant growth and
development and I would like to publicly thank the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Honourable
Mr. Lennox Shuman who has stood by the community despite the many challenges and
difficulties faced,” she emphasized.
Clenkian feels surrounded by a proverbial pack of wolves in sheep’s clothing both in the
community and the level of Councillors Clenkian announced she will stand down for the May
2021 polls.
She was happy though for the enormous sacrifices she made during her tenure as Toshao
to help enhance the lives of the estimated 1,500 residents, Clenkian said.