Dear Editor,Â
I wish to remind the Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, during his recent address at the National Toshaos Council (NTC) Conference, mentioned of the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan’s engagement with Amerindian communities as though it were the genesis of national outreach and recognition of Indigenous peoples in Guyana.
While it is important to acknowledge Dr. Jagan’s contributions to our country’s development, it is far from the truth to suggest that the engagement and empowerment of Amerindians began with him.
In fact, the historical record tells a different story—one that Vice President Jagdeo seems either to have forgotten or deliberately omitted.
Long before the Amerindian Act No. 6 of 2006 was assented to under Jagdeo’s presidency on March 14, 2006, a solid foundation had already been laid by Guyana’s first Executive President, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham.
Burnham’s administration recognized the unique status and struggles of Amerindian communities and took tangible steps to address them. He introduced measures aimed at recognising Amerindian land rights and ownership at a time when many Indigenous communities had been displaced or denied legal land titles.
Burnham implemented national programs specifically tailored to the needs of Amerindian communities—initiatives that focused on building infrastructure, improving access to education and healthcare, and uplifting these historically marginalised populations.
Equally significant was his commitment to preserving Amerindian cultural heritage, including language, traditional arts, and music. It is Burnham who placed the Amerindian headdress at top of our coat of arm, also known as the Cacique’s Crown.
These were not symbolic gestures; they were real policies that had a lasting impact and formed the bedrock upon which all subsequent Amerindian-related policies, including the 2006 Act, were built. To ignore this legacy is not just disingenuous—it is a distortion of history.
Vice President Jagdeo, as a former head of state and now a key figure in the PPP government, bears the responsibility to speak truthfully, especially when addressing the very people whose rights and heritage are in question.
His recent remarks not only diminish the role of past leaders who worked toward Amerindian inclusion but also insult the intelligence and memory of the Amerindian people themselves.
It is disappointing—and frankly shameful—that such revisionist narratives are being presented at forums meant to empower and unify. One would expect better from someone in such high office. But perhaps, as history has shown, manipulation is a tool some find difficult to set aside.
Let us remember our history accurately and honour those who laid the groundwork for justice and equity in Guyana—especially when that groundwork was as critical and transformative as that laid by President Burnham.
Yours truly,
Pt.Ubraj Narine, JP, COA
Former Staff Sgt.(GDF), Mayor
City of Georgetown
