Dear Editor,
IDPADA-G has kept the public abreast with the Government’s treatment of IDPADA-G and its failure to honour its obligations as a signatory to the UN Resolution that resulted in the declaration of the Decade for the People of African Descent. One of our disclosures was that the public was being misled to believe that funds were disbursed to IDPADA-G’s member organizations. Now that this misinformation and inaction has been exposed, the Government is scurrying on the eve of Emancipation celebrations to disburse funds to member organizations of IDPADA-G. Meetings are being called with individual organisations and clusters over the next few days to meet and possibly disburse or intimate the intention to disburse. This is shady.
Without IDPADA-G’s existence or involvement, organizations were given grants for Emancipation celebrations in a timely manner. This time there is no certainty as to the status of what will be disbursed, but it is certainly a late disbursement for the organisations to prepare properly for Emancipation or belated for the work of the Decade since ten months have elapsed and the community has not been in receipt of funds to continue its work in pursuit of the goals of the decade. These meetings may also be used to suggest that the Government is in touch with the community.
Notably the Government for an entire year has reneged on the commitment of the President to meet with IDPADA-G the umbrella organization for the bodies that they are now hurriedly summoning to meetings. IDPADA-G will not stand in the way of its members having access to funds but notes the disrespectful and sleight of hand manner of the Government. IDPADA-G will continue to pursue the goals of the Decade which are doable given the standoff that the Government has engineered.
Sincerely,
Vincent Alexander
Chair
IDPADA-G
