more Amerindian communities get land titles
Saturday, March 11th 2006
Land titles were handed over yesterday to Toshaos of six Amerindian communities - Arukamai and Kamwatta in Region One (Barima/Waini), Tapakuma and Kabakaburi in Region Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam), and Campbell-town and Micobie in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) at the Office of the President.
And following the handing over, President Bharrat Jagdeo gave the assurance that government will ensure that all Amerindian communities receive titles to their land. He also urged Toshaos receiving titles to encourage others to allow government's survey, demarcation and extension policy so that their communities can also receive security of tenure.
The six communities now have legal ownership to their land, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
"One would think that it's very important that we ensure that our Amerindian brothers and sisters have security of tenure. They have a title for the lands that they're hunting on, fishing on, and with that title, ensure that they can safeguard the environment and create a livelihood for their people. Unfortunately, this activity took a very long time, although it was so simple in purpose and one has to wonder why," the President is quoted by GINA as saying.
According to GINA, Jagdeo said that the reasons for this are firstly, lack of political commitment to the indigenous people and secondly, artificial difficulties created recently.
"We have been in government for some time and since 1995 when we launched our policy towards titling, we have had a struggle to get to where we are today. Some communities have been working with us and others have been urged not to work with us," Jagdeo stated.
He said that because government did not want to hold back communities that wanted to move forward, the policy was again changed along the way. Jagdeo pointed out that it was as a result of the policy change that government has been able to move ahead and process recent titles and extensions handed over to communities, GINA reported.
"It is important because it shows that this is not an activity that is today's activity. Many people would think that elections are a few months away and that's why we're hearing this today.
You know, the Toshaos know how long we've been working at this. We've been working at this for years," the President said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues, who made brief remarks prior to the handover of the titles noted that once again government was demonstrating its commitment to address outstanding Amerindian land issues.
The minister noted that the land grants that Arukamai, Campbelltown and Micobie received amount to 71 square miles.
She also commended the Guyana Forestry Commis-sion, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission for their work as they had been in consultations with the communities for more than two years during the process.
Rodrigues observed that Campbelltown and Micobie had been mentioned in the 1969 Lands Commission Report, while Kamwatta, Tapakuma and Kabakaburi were granted legal ownership of their land in 1976 under the 1951 Amerindian Act and subsequently received land grants in 1991. However, the areas were simply described and never surveyed and had resulted in confusion regarding land size and shape. And the areas in some communities had also been discovered to be different and sometimes less than what was described during the time grants were given.
The land titles handed over yesterday, GINA stated, will add to those already handed over to Amerindian communities by government.
On September 22 last, Toshaos of five communities received titles for their villages.
© Stabroek News
Saturday, March 11th 2006
Land titles were handed over yesterday to Toshaos of six Amerindian communities - Arukamai and Kamwatta in Region One (Barima/Waini), Tapakuma and Kabakaburi in Region Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam), and Campbell-town and Micobie in Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni) at the Office of the President.
And following the handing over, President Bharrat Jagdeo gave the assurance that government will ensure that all Amerindian communities receive titles to their land. He also urged Toshaos receiving titles to encourage others to allow government's survey, demarcation and extension policy so that their communities can also receive security of tenure.
The six communities now have legal ownership to their land, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.
"One would think that it's very important that we ensure that our Amerindian brothers and sisters have security of tenure. They have a title for the lands that they're hunting on, fishing on, and with that title, ensure that they can safeguard the environment and create a livelihood for their people. Unfortunately, this activity took a very long time, although it was so simple in purpose and one has to wonder why," the President is quoted by GINA as saying.
According to GINA, Jagdeo said that the reasons for this are firstly, lack of political commitment to the indigenous people and secondly, artificial difficulties created recently.
"We have been in government for some time and since 1995 when we launched our policy towards titling, we have had a struggle to get to where we are today. Some communities have been working with us and others have been urged not to work with us," Jagdeo stated.
He said that because government did not want to hold back communities that wanted to move forward, the policy was again changed along the way. Jagdeo pointed out that it was as a result of the policy change that government has been able to move ahead and process recent titles and extensions handed over to communities, GINA reported.
"It is important because it shows that this is not an activity that is today's activity. Many people would think that elections are a few months away and that's why we're hearing this today.
You know, the Toshaos know how long we've been working at this. We've been working at this for years," the President said.
Meanwhile, Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues, who made brief remarks prior to the handover of the titles noted that once again government was demonstrating its commitment to address outstanding Amerindian land issues.
The minister noted that the land grants that Arukamai, Campbelltown and Micobie received amount to 71 square miles.
She also commended the Guyana Forestry Commis-sion, the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission for their work as they had been in consultations with the communities for more than two years during the process.
Rodrigues observed that Campbelltown and Micobie had been mentioned in the 1969 Lands Commission Report, while Kamwatta, Tapakuma and Kabakaburi were granted legal ownership of their land in 1976 under the 1951 Amerindian Act and subsequently received land grants in 1991. However, the areas were simply described and never surveyed and had resulted in confusion regarding land size and shape. And the areas in some communities had also been discovered to be different and sometimes less than what was described during the time grants were given.
The land titles handed over yesterday, GINA stated, will add to those already handed over to Amerindian communities by government.
On September 22 last, Toshaos of five communities received titles for their villages.
© Stabroek News
