National Toshaos’ Council elections will be held this year

After spending more than 30 minutes debating the need for greater cooperation among elected officials, Deputy Speaker and Opposition Parliamentarian Lenox Shuman assured Guyanese that an election for the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC) will be held this year.

This body is a semi-autonomous body comprising all indigenous leaders in Guyana.

In 2021, indigenous leaders met at several regional meetings since it was not advisable that the more than 200 leaders gather in one location as is normally done. And at those regional meetings, the leaders had discussed challenges faced, concerns and priorities for the upcoming budget.

“Yes, there will be a NTC this year.

“And yes, there is money in the Budget for the NTC,” Shuman said just before he ended his presentation in the National Assembly on Friday.

Shuman later told the News Room that he was referring to an election for a new Executive Committee for the NTC. He also said that COVID-19 continues to present a challenge, hindering the hosting of the conference.

During his Budget Presentation in January, the Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh did not mention an allocation for the Secretariat but the establishment of this secretariat has been in the works for a number of years.

Meanwhile, unlike the preceding presentations from other opposition parliamentarians, Shuman commended the 2022 National Budget presented by the Finance Minister.

“We have to work in the Cooperative Republic of Guyana not the combative Republic of Guyana,” Shuman emphasised.

Shuman, who is also the leader of the Liberty and Justice Party (LJP), after the March 2, 2020 Regional and General elections, had formed a joinder with The New Movement Party (TNM) and A New and United Guyana (ANUG) to claim one parliamentary seat.

The other opposition parliamentarians are all from the APNU+AFC coalition.