The need for a better system of governance, were among concerns raised by residents of Rockstone, during a ministerial outreach conducted on Sunday by the Ministry of Indigenous People’s Affairs.
Rockstone, a small community located on the right bank of the Essequibo River, west of Linden, has a population of about 200 people, mostly Amerindians.
GINA said that Minister of Indigenous People’s Affairs, Sydney Allicock, along with Minister within the Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, Permanent Secretary, Vibert Welch, Legal Advisor, David James and Advisor on Indigenous People’s Affairs, Mervyn Williams, along with Minister within the Ministry of Communities, Dawn Hastings-Williams were on the visit.
The community is managed by a Community Development Council (CDC) and a Village Council. For years, this has caused divisions amongst residents, amidst a controversial proposal for it to be demarcated and recognised as an Amerindian village, GINA noted.
The residents believe that in order for the community to move forward, it must be decided whether it will be governed by a Village Council under the Amerindian Act, or a Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) under the Local Democratic Organs Act.
According to Allicock, the issue of land titling and demarcation is one that the new administration will be prioritising over the next five years. According to GINA, he said that under the previous administration, a survey on Rockstone was done through the Amerindian Land Titling and Demarcation Project, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme. The Ministry is in the process of reviewing the findings of that report, which will be used to plot the way forward.
Allicock, GINA said, further explained that the ministry will be working with the Ministry of Communities in this regard, and will be reviewing lands that were issued by the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission.
On the issue of governance, Legal Advisor James explained that the CDC does not appear under any law. He said that under the national law, there are provisions for the protection of the rights of Indigenous peoples. Further, there is the Amerindian Act of 2006 which outlines how indigenous rights are protected, and therefore provides for the establishment of a village council.
GINA said that residents are asking for protection under the Amerindian Act. James noted that the Act itself outlines what determines a village, it must have over 150 persons living in that area, for at least 25 years before the Act became a reality.
