PS threatens to bar access, cut stipends to Amerindian leaders over community project

Permanent Secretary of the Amerindian Affairs Ministry Nigel Dharamlall holding a sign during a protest outside the Public Buildings last week. (Arian Browne photo)

-says comments taken out of context after recording surfaces

By Jeanna Pearson and Desilon Daniels

 

In the face of an audio recording of him threatening to bar access and withhold stipends from Amerindian leaders, Permanent Secretary of the Amerindian Affairs Ministry Nigel Dharamlall is denying issuing threats and has said his statements were taken out of context.

Just hours before last week’s protest action outside the Public Buildings against the slashing of the $1.1 billion Amerindian Development Fund, Amerindians from across the country were called to a meeting at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara to discuss the 2014 budget. Prime Minister Samuel Hinds, Amerindian Affairs Min-ister Pauline Sukhai and Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh were present at that meeting.

It was there that Dharamlall was recorded saying that he would not allow any Toshao or senior councillor who presented the government’s Commu-nity Development Project (CDP) as a United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) project to enter his office. Dharamlall was further heard urging them not to support the parliamentary opposition, APNU and AFC.

Contacted yesterday, Dharamlall admitted that the voice on the recording was his but said the statements he made were “…taken out of context. I was in conversations with the gathering of Amerindian young people and leaders and I was imploring that the CDP, which was developed under the Government of Guyana