The Ministry of Amerindian Affairs (MoAA) is not taking criticisms of its operations lightly and in a strongly worded statement lashed out at critics for registering concerns over its functioning.
On Tuesday, the Ministry said that it has noticed “misinformation” being peddled surrounding the resolution of issues that exist in some Amerindian villages while calling out “well-wishers” for highlighting these issues. It accused persons shedding light on issues in the villages of spreading misinformation as well as undermining the progress of indigenous peoples while “sowing seeds of division and reducing their power to determine their own issues.”
Former Parliamentarian Mervyn Williams has been penning letters to this newspaper highlighting issues in some of the villages. Without naming Williams, the ministry’s statement addressed several of the issues he highlighted in his letter while informing that its actions have been consistently guided by the law.
In his latest letter published in Monday’s Stabroek News under the headline ‘Major problems at Ministry of Amerindian Affairs’, Williams said that the residents of Hururu Village have alleged that Minister Pauline Sukhai or her representatives have refused to approve the community’s budget for the last three months.
“The residents are saying that the money is theirs and is required to pay wages to Village employees and to cover other expenses. Employees remain without wages/ salaries for three (3) months. This situation reportedly remains unattended and the villagers are unhappy,” he said in his letter.
In response, the ministry said that the Council failed to comply with the law which required it to present a budget approved by the general meeting in order to expend funds.
“As a result, only payments related to wages for Village employees were recommended for release. This step was necessary in keeping with the principles of accountability and transparency and in the best interest of the community,” the MoAA said.
In the same letter, Williams also questioned the resignation of the key personnel in the ministry along with breaches in the procurement process. The MoAA accused Williams of trying to “resuscitate his tardy image” while defending its procurement practices.
“The procurement of goods and services by the ministry remains in compliance with public procurement process and practices. The Ministry makes every effort to avoid the pitfall of the APNU+AFC regime which has been flagged for the most flagrant violations of our procurement laws and failure to account for hundreds of millions just a short few years ago.
“The author of these mischievous claims knows of the ills of the APNU+AFC as he was one of the architects… Amerindian and the hinterland communities can rest assured that the Ministry continues to work in their best interest to deliver on the PPP/C’s manifesto promises in keeping with their desires and aspirations, including secured livelihoods and enhanced living conditions,” the statement said.
More recently, the Auditor General flagged the MoAA for breaching the procurement process when it sole-sourced 112 Mahindra tractors and trailers on the grounds that market research had revealed that it was the most economical of its type. The cost of the tractors was pegged at $466.880 million.
Minister Sukhai had defended the breach of the procurement law by ignoring questions asked by the Parliamentary Committee of Supply in December of 2021 when she sought $434 million for the procurement of additional tractors.
Sukhai has remained silent on a number of issues raised about the operations of the ministry. When this newspaper questioned her, several times, about the operations of the Amerindian Purpose Fund (APF), after being repeatedly flagged by the Auditor General for poor management, Sukhai had said that it was the “wrong time” to discuss those issues. She also claimed ignorance of the Auditor General’s report highlighting those issues.
One of the more recent issues is Sukhai’s removal of the Warrau migrants from the Region Two community of Kabakaburi. She had reasoned that the decision to remove the migrants, fleeing the economic crisis in Venezuela, was in the interest of their safety. However, that was criticized by residents of Kabakaburi village who argued that the living conditions of the migrants were far better than what they are now forced to endure at Khan Hill in Region One.
First Lady Arya Ali recently visited the migrant centre and found that the Warraus are in need of food and other supplies.
“In addition to housing, we realized that adequate food and clothing are on the top of the list of priorities for the migrants. As such, my team and I have begun mobilizing those resources which we will have delivered to them very soon. It was important for us to conduct a needs assessment of the group because of the cultural differences,” a statement from the First Lady’s Office had said.
Also, the ministry recently came in for some criticisms in the handling of a petition to remove the toshao of Wikki/Calcuni Village in the Berbice River. The residents there have accused the ministry of ignoring the petition even after it was hand-delivered to the Minister during a meeting.
The petition was reportedly signed by almost 100 residents and levelled serious allegations of mismanagement against toshao Ezard Fredericks.
