Shirley Melville Rallies Indigenous Support: “Our Voices Must Be Heard”
By Antonio Day | HGP Nightly News.
Georgetown, Guyana – In a passionate address to a large and diverse crowd of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) supporters over the weekend, Shirley Melville, member of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), made a resounding call for respect and representation for the nation’s Indigenous peoples.
Speaking on behalf of Guyanese of Indigenous descent, the former Consul General emphasized that under a potential APNU-led government, the principles of free, prior, and informed consent would be fully respected and upheld.
“Our citizens will not only sit and listen to politicians and then not be allowed to ask questions, as is done by the PPP government,” Melville declared to loud applause.
Melville criticized what she called the political hijacking of the National Toshaos Council (NTC), stating that the annual conference has become a platform to amplify government narratives rather than address the real concerns of Indigenous leaders and their communities.
“The entire operation of the National Toshaos Council will not be controlled by politics. It is a great embarrassment to us that our people are being misrepresented,” she said.
Melville also spoke out on unresolved land titling and demarcation issues, which have plagued many Indigenous villages for years. She said that the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) has neglected these longstanding concerns, leaving communities in limbo and without proper recourse.
“We are not a one Guyana,” she said. “We are one people, one nation, one destiny.
Vincent Henry, leader of the Guyana Action Party, echoed her sentiments in a recent interview with Nightly News, saying the PPP has co-opted the current structure of the NTC to carry out political campaigns “at all levels,” leaving many Indigenous leaders disillusioned.
A Toshao who requested anonymity also told Nightly News that Indigenous leaders are increasingly frustrated with the erosion of their rights and the politicization of their representative bodies.
As the September 1 general and regional elections draw near, the calls for Indigenous empowerment, accountability, and depoliticization of the NTC are likely to become central campaign issues.
