Politics and the National Toshaos Conference
The annual National Toshaos Conference took place during last week and was addressed by President Ali. In his address the President emphasised the contribution that his government has made to the development of Amerindian communities. He pointed to increased budget allocations, extensive distribution of land titles, direct allocation of increased earnings from carbon credits and other benefits advanced by his and previous PPP/C administrations. He contrasted his administration’s “significant improvement” with the “stagnation” under the APNU+AFC government between 2015 and 2020. The SN characterised his presentation as a “thunderous political speech.” In a subsequent editorial SN described the President’s speech as one “more suited to a political campaign rally.”
The Guyana Chronicle quoted Vice President Jagdeo as saying that “overwhelming positives” came out of the Conference. The VP spoke about the large-scale investments in indigenous communities, including billions of dollars on ICT hubs, internet connectivity, new schools, health care facilities and infrastructural projects. He informed that the Toshaos are leaving with $5 billion dollars from the LCDS. He said that the discussions were respectful, open, positive and focused on problem solving. He explained that the entire Cabinet was present at the Conference to deal with problems and answer questions. This, he suggested, was an example of good governance which occurs nowhere else. He criticized the attention given to contentious opposition activists and the APA.
The track record of the PPP in relation to the Amerindian communities since 1992 has lifted their living and working conditions to unrecognizable levels. A Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, established since 1992, elevated Amerindian welfare to Cabinet level. Land titling, ignored since Independence, began in 1992. Amerindians were also granted rights to additional lands upon proof of their occupation. The passage of the Amerindian Act in 2006 under the guidance of then Minister of Amerindian Affairs, Carolyn Rodrigues, was a landmark event in Amerindian history which transformed their governance by the establishment of Village Councils and the National Toshaos Council by elections. The Village Councils are responsible for a wide range of activity.
As is well known, Amerindians have been and are still today the most deprived communities in Guyana with the highest rates of poverty. Among the reasons that have been responsible for this situation are: the ignoring of their situation prior to 1992; inadequate accessibility to hinterland locations; failure to provide adequate State resources, including providing for enhanced governance systems, land titles and authority over their resources. From the latter half of the 1960s, when the United Force (UF) abandoned them after persuading them to ‘fight communism,’ Amerindians were not mobilized to make demands. In order to give Amerindians a voice, the PPP began to work in Amerindian communities. A pioneer in this work was Harry Nokta, former Organising Secretary of the PPP and a Government Minister. Thirty years of committed, dangerous work under an unsympathetic PNC authoritarian regime, enabled the PPP to mobilise the Amerindian communities, win their support and politically advocate on their behalf.
To understand opposition political hostility, including that of the APA, at the Conference, Amerindian support for the PPP which materialized over several decades must be considered against the historical background. In 1964, the last year of free and fair elections before 1992, the PPP gained 45.84 percent of the votes, the PNC obtained 40.52 percent and the UF 12.41 percent. In 1992 the PPP secured 53.45 percent of the votes. It has since consistently won over 50 percent support except for 2011 and 2015. The decisive factor in the PPP obtaining over 50 percent of the vote in most elections since 1992 is because it has secured a large percentage of the Amerindian vote. No one knows the extent of the Amerindian vote for the PPP, but it is so substantial that without this vote the PPP’s proportion of the votes will drop far below its status as a majority party.
In round figures Indians make up 40 percent of the population, Africans 30 percent, Mixed 20 percent, Amerindian 10 percent and Other 0.5 percent. It is believed that the PPP’s 50+ percent of the votes is derived principally from the support of Indians and Amerindians. Having regard to the fact that not all Indians or all Amerindians vote for the PPP, it is likely to be attracting some votes also from the African and Mixed communities. The PNC obtained 40.52 percent of the votes in 1964 and the PNC and PNCR have obtained in the vicinity of 40 percent in all elections since 1992. Its share of the vote in 2015 and 2020 is not known as it was in coalition with the AFC. It is believed that the PNCR’s vote is made up of Africans, some Amerindians, some Mixed and a tiny number of Indians. The Mixed community is not an identified ethnic group that is socially, culturally or politically organized to which political appeals can be made. But Amerindians are. The support of the Amerindian electorate is vital for the maintenance of the PPP’s majority. An expansion of support of Amerindians to the PNCR is vital if it is to increase its electoral support, perhaps to majority status. The political dimensions of the National Toshaos Conference in all their manifestations are a reflection of this political dynamic.