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The Chairman of the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly-Guyana (IDPADA-G), Vincent Alexander, says the Irfan Ali/Jagdeo administration has once again displayed its hand on its disposition to IDPADA-G and the People of African Descent.
In a statement Saturday, the IDPADA-G Chairman says the Ali/Jagdeo Administration has unceremoniously withdrawn the group’s access to the public venue where it has traditionally held its meetings.
Mr. Alexander explained that IDPADA-G had organised a town hall meeting at GITC on Sun., Feb 26 to discuss land issues affecting the people of African descent. However, on the eve of the meeting, IDPADA-G has been advised that the venue is no longer available. Alexander said no explanation has been offered by the government as to why the group can no longer use the facility.
Mr. Alexander explained that IDPADA-G from its very inception, in 2018, had held its public engagements at that venue and “this denial has come in the wake of the withdrawal of the Government subvention as of September 2022 and a smear campaign against the organisation,” Alexander lamented.
“In that campaign, IDPADA-G has been accused of not delivering to the people of African descent,” he said.
According to Alexander, the withdrawal of permission to use a public space is in fact an attempt to hamper IDPADA-G from carrying out its mandate by those who have publicly accused IDPADA-G of not carrying out its mandate.”
He said “It also flies in the face of the constitutional rights of association and assembly, and IDPADA-D will not wilt under this relentless attack.
In August last year, Alexander filed a more than $150 million suit against Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, who he says has defamed him. Alexander said that Jagdeo, on a programme aired by the Department of Public Information (DPI) on August 19, falsely accused him of having a pecuniary interest in, and misusing IDPADA-G’s funds.
Alexander said that what was said about him by Jagdeo has impugned his character by ascribing to him illegal, corrupt and perverse dealings with the organization’s fund; without affording him an opportunity to respond.
Alexander said the issue of land acquisition was among issues affecting Afro-Guyanese, which are peculiar to them and require the state`s attention since they were occasioned by policies, actions and facilitation of the state, and require state intervention, if they are to be fixed.
He noted that the meeting would deal with “the manner in which lands acquired by Afro-Guyanese, by way of their hard work, thriftiness and post emancipation purchase, have been transferred into the hands of the state, and can be, or have been further transferred into the hands of others without reference to the rightful inheritors; or compensation for the rightful owners/ inheritors is a peculiar circumstance of the Afro-Guyanese.
“It has nothing to do with the land tenure status of the other ethnic groups, where they justly acquired lands. It is but an example of an issue affecting Afro-Guyanese, which needs attention. It flies in the face of Recognition, Justice and Development of a people. It epitomizes what the decade is intended to address,” Alexander said.
The IDPADA-G Chairman explained that “other ethnic groups may also have their issues and reserve the right to champion them.
However, the fact is that” the United Nations has declared a decade for the People of African Descent, similar to what was previously done for the indigenous peoples, and as a leader of an organisation which was established to pursue the goals of the decade, I am obligated to identify and champion the cause of the People of African Descent, Alexander concluded. (WiredJA).
