Chairman of the International Decade for People of African Descent Assembly – Guyana (IDPADA-G) Coordinating Council, Vincent Alexander today said the recently announced money that will be given to 55 Afro Guyanese organisations by the Government does not relate to the subvention that should be paid over to IDPADA-G.

Hours after the High Court took a decision on Friday to hear, the case filed by IDPADA-G against the State, over the withholding of the group’s subvention, the Attorney General, Anil Nandlall announced that the Government will be disbursing the 2023 subvention to 55 organizations representing Afro-Guyanese across the country.

Minister Nandlall said the organizations are the founding members of IDPADA-G and the funds are intended to support the objectives of the decade.

But while Mr Alexander did not dispute the organizations’ membership, he contended that the “grant” to be given to the 55 organizations is separate and from IDPADA-G’s subvention.

“Our position is that, what the Government is doing is not giving the subvention to organizations; it’s giving them cash grants. The question of the subvention is still a matter before the court and unlike what has been in the public domain, the motion that we have filed in the court does not address 2022, it addresses the entire period unto 2024. So, the matter of the subvention is still a contentious matter,” Mr Alexander explained.

Alexander said three of the Afro-Guyanese organizations represented on the Council have indicated that they will not accept financial grant or subvention from the Government over its decision to withhold funds from IDPADA-G.

“When our coordinating council met, there were members of the council who took that position, that they will not be recipients of handouts, and that was unsolicited, that was unsolicited,” Mr Alexander told reporters during a press conference today.

Mr Alexander said the Coordinating Council intends to present the facts to the 65-member organization when the General Assembly meets this coming weekend.

“It is for them to decide as individual organizations whether they will take a cash grant from government. We will not be prodding them one way or the other. We will, however, be making it clear to them that what they are being offered has nothing to do with the subvention,” he said.

IDPADA-G was established in 2017 as the Country Coordinating Mechanism for the United Nations Decade for People of African Descent through a process involving 31 member organisations at that time.

Mr Alexander said the work of IDPADA-G takes place within the framework of the United Nations Resolution.

IDPADA-G, he pointed out, has set up an efficient office with transparent and accountable management systems, developed a strategic plan, and notwithstanding the COVID-19 pandemic and executed several projects.

Apart from the issue of funding, Alexander said the Government has misconstrued the initial intent and vision of IDPADA-G.

“In our role as Country Coordinating Mechanism for the Decade, in July 2022, we wrote to the President seeking a meeting to discuss issues of concern to the African community. No response.  After two in-person reminders directly to the President during chance meetings, resending the original letter at the request of his office and a second note from the IDPADA-G’s Chair, we have not had even the courtesy of a response.  This, in addition to the withdrawal of the subvention and the denial of the use of tax-payer funded public space for our Black history Month community forum on issues of land ownership affecting African Guyanese – – are unmistakable signs of contempt” Mr Alexander said.

The Government has accused IDPADA-G of misusing its resources – a claim, the organization has refuted.

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