Commissioner of the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commis-sion (GLSC) Doorga Persaud says that an application for state lands at Manarabisi by Presidential Advisor Odinga Lumumba was received and approved during the PNC administration.
The Commissioner issued a statement yesterday saying the land, approximately 10,000 acres, was awarded to McNeal-Odinga Associates on May 10, 1992 according to GLSC.
The application was made on June 27, 1988 and according to Persaud, it went through the process of land selection and the recommendation was made on November 15, 1991.
The GLSC statement follows Lumumba’s pronouncement on the issue.
However, Lumumba addressed his land acquisition at Akawini without any reference to the lands at Manarabisi while the Commission mentioned the land award at Manarabisi and failed to include any information on the Akawini acquisition. Further, no documentary evidence was provided by the GLSC of the land acquisitions.
Stabroek News ap-proached the Commission yesterday to examine the records in question, but was bluntly told by an employee, “You can’t just come and see those records.” Subsequent to this, the newspaper was directed to the Commis- sioner’s office and during a brief meeting Persaud said a statement on the issue would be released. He asked this newspaper to wait on the statement before submitting further questions.
In its statement, the GLSC said Lumumba’s application for the Manarabisi land was forwarded to the Minister of Agriculture Patrick McKenzie by then Com-missioner A.K Datadin, through the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture Cheryl Gopaul. According to the GLSC, McKenzie approved the recommendation of the Commissioner on May 10, 1992.
GLSC said also that an approval letter was subsequently issued to Lumumba by EA Anderson, Assistant Commissioner of Lands and Surveys, who signed on behalf of the Commissioner. “All documents bearing the relevant recommendation and signature are included in the application file No. 62233/1 of McNeil-Odinga Associates and have been verified,” the statement added.
McKenzie has disputed claims by Lumumba that his lands at Akawini and Manarabisi were approved during the PNC administration during the period when he was Minister of Agriculture. “I am not aware of land in the Akawini that was given to Mr Lumumba, certainly not while I was Minister of Agriculture.” He repeated this position in relation to Manarabisi. McKenzie held the post of Minister of Agriculture from October 1986 to December 1992.
But Lumumba lashed out in a statement on Thursday saying his land deal at Akawini was approved during the PNC administration by McKenzie and he declared that the records would show written permission was given. Lumumba said the Guyana Lands and Surveys Com-mission has records that would show McNeal Enterprise followed the legal and administrative process from the region to central government, and that former Minister McKenzie gave written permission in his own handwriting, and “sent (a) recommendation from the region to the commission of Lands and Surveys”. “…I am rather surprised at the assumed position of Mr. McKenzie and will forgive him because of his age”, he added.
Questions about Lumumba’s acquisition of lands at Manarabisi and Akawini arose after he said that he had been offered a plot of land on Mandela Avenue in return for land that he had voluntarily given up at Manarabisi following a request by the PPP/C after it entered office in October, 1992.
