On the second day of the budget debates, the dire needs of the indigenous people are once more brought up. Hon. Vincent Henery eloquently posited that the administration should take their “feet off the necks of the Amerindian” people of the nation. He stressed the importance of the indigenous peoples stating that they “are on the front line of our borders” and found it quite disheartening that they were left out of the initial planning and strategizing in response to the Guyana Venezuela Essequibo Border issue. Against this backdrop, he mentioned that community policing groups geared at protecting its residents are severely underpaid.
He further expressed that Budget 2024 will leave the people “scraping for survival” while “fattening the rich”. Henry stressed that there is a great need for financial accountability, noting that the indigenous people received mere “pittances for carbon credits” blaming poor governance of the presiding bodies and management.
Henry praised the APNU/ AFC coalition Government for their management of the funds allotted which allowed for better living conditions for the indigenous and called for collaborative efforts to make the lives of indigenous people better.
In contrast, Hon. Yvonne Pearson argued that the APNU/ AFC during their tenure, failed to meet the needs of the Amerindian people. She stated that meals provided by the previous government were not up to nutritional standards
According to Ms. Pearson, there will be ongoing initiatives to advance the health, education, and agricultural sectors in Amerindian villages, mentioning that Guyana is on its way back to being the breadbasket of the Caribbean, as many subsistence farmers have been able to transition to commercial farming. Noting that work is currently being done on irrigation and drainage in several farming-based Amerindian settlements, the agriculture sector is still developing.
Pearson argued that due to several training programs, there are now licensed heavy-duty machine operators and cage fishers in many communities
She ended her presentation by positing that “gone are the days when indigenous peoples are left behind”.