Granger unveils 10-point plan for indigenous communities

-job scheme for youths, transport for primary students on the cards

Asserting that the hinterland faces a “huge human development crisis,” President David Granger yesterday unveiled a 10-point plan for the development of hinterland and indigenous communities which focuses on education, poverty reduction, jobs and a new Lands Commission to deal with long festering indigenous land issues.

Addressing his first meeting of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) – the annual gathering of indigenous leaders from across the nation – at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre yesterday, the president urged the attendees to consider the plan seriously “as a compact, as a covenant between central government and this Council.”

In unveiling the Plan, the President highlighted the issues faced by hinterland and indigenous communities. He said that the Plan is aimed at ensuring that indigenous communities become thriving economic units, focusing as well on eradicating extreme poverty, reducing unemployment and increasing prosperity.

David Granger
David Granger

In unveiling, the Hinterland Education Support Programme (HISP), Granger said that the single biggest problem which has dire, long term implications for the future, is the broken public education sector. It is producing an increasing number of illiterate and innumerate youth, he declared while adding that government’s priority is to ensure that everyone gets a solid education to prepare him or her for a satisfactory job.

The president said that his government shall ensure that every child is able to attend school and the HISP will support the goal of keeping children in school by providing meals, uniforms, schoolbooks, transportation and when they graduate, providing scholarships for them to attend secondary schools.

“No child should be prevented from attending school because of parental poverty,” he said adding that government will ensure progressively over the next five years that every single primary school child is transported to school by boat, bicycle or bus. “We shall reward every family that keeps its children in school,” he said. “ECIS, that’s our motto, Every Child in School.”

The president also disclosed that on September 1, a Hinterland Employment and Youth Service will be launched which is expected to provide sustainable jobs for young people. “We do not wish to promote a culture of handouts. This is demeaning. We will ensure that although jobs are scarce, young school leavers will be provided with the skills” that will allow them to be employed, he said while adding that the economy has not provided employment opportunities for them. He said that this programme will replace the Youth Entrepreneurship and Apprenticeship Programme (YEAP) initiated by the previous government and which he said expired in April.

“We are going to ensure that through the Hinterland Youth Employment Programme, young people who were employed as CSOs (Community Support Officers) and who wish to join our programme will be registered and will continue to receive their stipends”, he said to cheers. The government had dismissed the CSOs after questioning the work they were doing and the action is now the subject of a lawsuit by the opposition PPP/C. The new initiative, Granger said, has been designed to replace the YEAP and they are sure that it can be a success.

The president also announced that a Hinterland Poverty Reduction programme will be introduced. He said that social protection is in a crisis and too many very young and very old persons are classified as extremely poor with an expenditure level below what is required to purchase a daily minimum low cost diet. He said that poverty can be decreased and maybe, eventually eradicated with good governance and sensible public policies in the hinterland.

 

Bridge the gap

Further, Granger proposed a Hinterland Infrastructure Extension Programme (HIEP). “Your government intends to bridge the gap between standards of living on the coastland and the hinterland. We want economic development for you,” he told the indigenous leaders. The president said that the physical infrastructure will have to be improved and the HIEP will be led by a highway between Lethem and Linden.

In terms of energy security, Granger proposed a Hinterland Energy Development Programme and he spoke about solar farms to power hinterland communities. He said that the small solar panels allocated to hinterland households by the previous government was not enough.

“Your government intends to introduce the Hinterland Happy Household Programme”, Granger told the toshaos, explaining that it intends to ensure that investments in economic projects yield substantial and sustained benefits and create long-term job opportunities in indigenous communities. He highlighted economic ventures that can be focused on such as agriculture, agro-processing and small enterprise development.

Government will also promote the safety and security of communities and work to ensure that they are free from crime and harassment. “Your government will strengthen law enforcement in indigenous communities bringing an end to the exploitation of people particularly trafficking in girls,” the president asserted.

In terms of land, he said that a Hinterland and Indigenous Peoples Lands Commission will be established. The president said that over the last 49 years, there are still unresolved land claims and issues. According to him, the Commission will investigate all complaints and claims with regard to land titling and land demarcation. “We understand the land issue and we want to bring the complaints to an end by setting up this commission to sit with you and determine how best we can resolve” the issues, he told the indigenous leaders.

Granger also proposed a Hinterland Public Service Provision Scheme. He recalled that during the campaign for the May 11 general elections, he received many complaints about the limited government services such as the National Insurance Scheme, available in the hinterland. He declared that public services must be extended to all corners of Guyana to better serve the people. He told the toshaos of government’s plans to provide better trained nurses and doctors at health centres and hospitals as well as sharing public information through the Government Information Agency, the National Communications Network, national radio, and newspapers, to the entire nation.

The president also declared that the primary health care system has failed women, children and the aged and this failure has been most evident in hinterland and rural areas. Among other things, he highlighted problems experienced by persons coming to Georgetown for treatment and difficulties in getting birth certificates and pledged that these will be tackled.

The president also said that government will establish a Hinterland Language, Cultural and Sports Service. “Your government intends to do more to preserve indigenous languages and culture, to develop sports and improve access to information technology,” he said.

He also revealed plans for a Hinterland Tourism Service. Granger said that government intends to establish eco-tourism on a sound economic footing and pointed out that Guyana’s tourism production is underexploited.

The president urged the toshaos to consider the plan seriously and view it as a covenant between central government and the NTC.

In reiterating the importance of education, he announced that the Waramadong Secondary School has bene renamed after indigenous educator, the late Dr Desrey Fox.