Six Amerindian communities handed land titles `This land will forever belong to you and your peoples'

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Six Amerindian communities handed land titles
`This land will forever belong to you and your peoples'
Stabroek News,
Thursday, September 6th 2007

Representatives of the Amerindian communities of Three Brothers,
Isseneru, Karrau, Apoteri, Rewa, Crashwater and Warapoka who received
formal titles to their land posed for this photograph at the Office of
the President, where the presentation ceremony wa

Six Amerindian communities received formal title to their land with
another being granted an extension during a presentation at the Office
of the President yesterday.

President Bharrat Jagdeo handed over the documents to representatives
of the communities - Three Brothers in Region One, Isseneru and Karrau
in Region Seven, and Apoteri, Rewa and Crashwater in Region Nine. The
village of Warapoka, also in Region One, received an extension to its
land. In total the communities have a population of 2,500 and the land
granted to them is 917 square miles.

President Jagdeo in his remarks urged the toshaos to ensure that the
land would be used in their best interest and slammed unidentified
Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) whom he said spread "a lot of
misunderstandings". He declared that many times he was impatient with
the NGOs. "I am very impatient with them," he asserted, stating that
they were not elected while he and the toshaos were elected.

Jagdeo said that those organizations had an interest in conflict as
"they get a lot of money in that process." He stated that the
government had spent hundreds of millions in the demarcation process
and he was pleased that he was seeing the result of those efforts,
declaring that some communities "fell prey to the propaganda spread by
those NGOs" resulting in them being opposed to the process. He said
that he hoped that the government would work directly with the
communities and not through the NGOs, adding that some international
organizations prefer to work with the NGOs but the toshaos should
present themselves as the representatives of the community.

The president further urged the toshaos to be careful about entering
arrangements with persons, noting that there were a "lot of people who
will come and promise anything under the sun." He said that the handing
over of the land is not the end of the process as the government will
continue to work with the communities. He stated that in Guyana unlike
other countries "we have a highly integrated society" and his
administration had sought to correct the historical neglect of the
indigenous people. "This land will forever belong to you and your
peoples," he assured the toshaos.

Meanwhile Amerindian Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues stated that
occurrences such as the presentation were rare or non-existent in many
countries and urged the representatives to "find innovative ways to use
the land, especially where agriculture is concerned."

Meanwhile, the toshaos in expressing their thanks stated that they were
waiting "with patience for a long time" and "now we can leave a legacy
for our future generations."