By Antonio Dey | HGP Nightly News|
GEORGETOWN, GUYANA — Indigenous peoples across Guyana continue to face compounding environmental threats from large-scale extractive industries, including gold and uranium mining, prompting a serious warning from Jean La Rose, Executive Director of the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA).
Speaking at the APA’s “Listen to Our Voices” (Ina Maimu Yetatokon) forum held at the Marriott Hotel in Kingston, Georgetown, La Rose urged Indigenous communities and leaders to stand firm in defending their ancestral lands, asserting that environmental degradation and radioactive risks must never be dismissed as insignificant.
Risks of Uranium Mining and Extractive Industry Concessions
Addressing delegates and civil society stakeholders, La Rose singled out the issuance of mining concessions to foreign companies in sensitive riverine basins, focusing on the heightened ecological and health risks posed by uranium exploration:
- Radioactive Substances: La Rose warned that unlike conventional mining hazards, uranium mining involves radioactive substances that, if mishandled or improperly regulated, can contaminate essential watersheds and trigger long-term, catastrophic health crises across hinterland communities.
- Foreign Concessions: She criticized the granting of expansive state land concessions to overseas companies without robust, community-level consent frameworks or adequate environmental safeguards.
“You see a Canadian company getting a land concession… you see the mining of uranium,” La Rose cautioned. “We are talking about radioactive substances. If not properly handled, our people can face numerous problems and lasting damage to our health and waterways.”
Critique of the 2006 Amerindian Act and Ministerial Powers
A major focus of the APA Executive Director’s presentation was the ongoing dissatisfaction with the statutory architecture of the Amerindian Act of 2006.
- Undermining Self-Determination: La Rose argued that the 2006 legislation repeatedly overlooked key amendments proposed by Indigenous leaders, primarily by vesting sweeping veto and discretionary decision-making powers in the subject minister rather than in elected Village Councils.
- Concerns Over Legislative Reform: She voiced apprehension regarding future revisions to the Act and ongoing constitutional reform debates, questioning the extent to which grassroots Indigenous populations are genuinely included in the national decision-making process.
“We have constitutional reform being talked about; how much of our people are truly involved in that decision-making process?” La Rose questioned.
Call for Autonomous Stewardship
Concluding her remarks, La Rose emphasized that Indigenous leaders across Guyana must actively advocate for recognition, genuine autonomy, and the sustainable stewardship of their customary territories, ensuring that public policies prioritize environmental integrity and human safety over unchecked commercial extraction.
