Dear Editor,
I will fairly say that successive post-Independence governments led respectively by the PNC and PPP have made efforts to improve the status, conditions, rights and representation of Amerindians in Guyana. This includes the early UF party that saw the first Amerindian Legislator in the National Assembly, Mr Stephen Campbell, to be followed years later by the emergence of the Guyana Action Party as the first Amerindian-led party. I believe that under the recent tenure of Ms Carolyn Rodrigues as Minister of Amerindian Affairs, positive and definitive strides were made; that the example of Mr Sydney Allicock is forever a beacon; and that the Manifesto of the WPA – ‘From the Mountain Top to the Centre of the Earth’ remains the most cohesive Amerindian-centred platform to date. The vital, ongoing representative and rights work of the indigenous peoples’ NGOs – the APA , GOIP, NRDDB and SCIPDA are to be commended; as well as the advocacy and support of the GHRA, Red Thread, Iwokrama, et al. Over the years we have seen the strength, excellence and wisdom of Amerindians, manifested in all capacities, at the forefront of our society. No single entity or political party, government or NGO can claim the Amerindian nation(s). Their successes are their own as are their challenges yet to be overcome.
It is therefore always sad and shameful to me to see the attempts by various politicians and political parties to use Amerindians as political pawns, especially when election time comes around. Amerindians do not have to be grateful to anyone for their development or for their rights. Development and rights are their entitlements. They have the right to choose who to vote for and the obligation to respect choices by others. They are right to resist co-option and coercion. Amerindians are free agents and the original rights holders to all Guyana; they enjoy fundamental rights as well as special rights under our constitution.
I am very disturbed at what appears to be early signs of intimidation and victimisation against Amerindians in the lead-up to the general elections. To quote two cases: the slapping up of Mr John Adams in Aishalton and the aggressive harassment of Mr Nicholas Fredericks of Shulinab – both in the Rupununi.
In the first instance, the incident took place at a public political meeting in the village in which Mr Adams works and resides and where the President was visiting and speaking. As I understand it, the constitution provides for freedom of association and freedom of expression. It seems to me that Mr Adams was exercising his constitutional freedoms and rights in heckling at the meeting. In my experience, heckling goes hand in hand with public/political meetings – it is a norm. Politicians heckle each other and Guyanese of all stripes heckle politicians. I see MPs heckling each other every time there is a sitting in parliament, and I do not recall any slapping up going on across the benches. If there had been, the slapper would have been restrained rather than the heckler. It also seems to me that the President and his party including the bodyguards should also exercise respect for the villagers and their opinions when they visit their communities. The community belongs to the community not to the government or to the council or to any of the various political party acolytes therein, and all community residents have the right to express their political and other opinions openly and freely. This privilege naturally does not extend to acts of violence on the part of any dissenter or heckler; likewise acts of violence committed against non-violent dissenters or hecklers are violations.
Now we have the situation with Mr Nicholas Fredericks of Shulinab who, in the last few months, has endured two aggressive swoops by security forces on his person, his family and home acting on “high authority.” Mr Fredericks is a respected citizen and outspoken advocate and defender of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. He has been a councillor, is a village leader and a prominent NGO persona who is also associated with the South Central Indigenous Peoples’ Development Association (SCIPDA). He has been an active stakeholder in the Kanuku Mountains Protected Area and has been involved in Iwokrama initiatives and community exchanges in the North Rupununi. The level of intimidation and brutishness shown by the authorities who arrested him in front of his traumatized and screaming children and jailed him is unacceptable, and it is equally unacceptable if imposed on any other ordinary Amerindian or citizen of Guyana.
If Nicholas Fredericks or John Adams broke any laws, then they need to be properly charged and to have the right to appear before a court of law and to present a defence; and if found guilty to bear the consequences as well as to appeal the verdict, etc. They have the right to access justice – as we all do.
It is nonetheless a matter of fact that the manner in which the security forces manhandled both Mr Adams and Mr Fredericks is unlawful and uncalled for. It may be a sign of the times, but it is a very unhealthy signal that challenges our democratic rights – as Amerindians and as Guyanese all.
Yours faithfully,
Vanda Radzik
