Mrs Khan was receptive to views from Toshaos during her presentation on constitution reform

Dear Editor,

I have noted an article on page 13 of the Friday October 11, edition of Stabroek News under the headline ‘Toshaos urged to study constitution ahead of planned reform consultations’.

Editor I was present during this session and I find the article to be misleading and a clever hatchet job on the presentation made by Mrs. Tamara Khan.

Mrs. Khan’s session lasted for approximately 90 minutes yet Stabroek News sought to misrepresent her comprehensive and thorough presentation with an article that selectively, and it would appear, purposely, cherry-picked certain aspects to create a certain negative impression.

I found Mrs. Khan was receptive to the views and suggestions from Toshaos and senior councillors and responded respectfully and engagingly to questions posed. The Stabroek News article, disingenuously sought to portray the opposite as having taken place. I am aware that several Toshaos, obviously pleased with both Mrs. Khan’s presentation and her style, have extended invitations to her and her team to visit their villages to make similar presentations to the people of the villages.

In fact, Chairman of the National Toshaos Council, Mr. Nicholas Fredericks, who is also Toshao of Shulinab Village in the Rupununi is among those who have invited Mrs. Khan to make presentations in the villages.

Had Mrs. Khan’s presentation been offensive to the Toshaos as Stabroek News sought to insinuate, surely, she would not have been invited to the villages to make further presentations.

Mrs. Khan pointed out in her engagement with the Toshaos and senior councillors that everyone must have a seat at the decision-making table because the constitution affects all Guyanese and the constitutional reform process is therefore for all Guyanese.

Based on Mrs. Khan’s presentation Toshaos offered initial suggestions for what they would like to see included in the constitution and so the idea of workshops being held in various villages was shared.

Toshao of Awarewaunau Village in Region 9, Mr. Vitalis Alfred, read excerpts from the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and stated that in the constitutional reform process efforts should be made by the Indigenous Peoples to ensure the inclusion of specific provisions from the Declaration in the Constitution.

Yours faithfully, Carla Mendonca

Editor-in-Chief’s note: Stabroek News stands by its report. There was no attempt by the newspaper to insinuate that Mrs Khan’s presentation to the toshaos had been offensive. This was a straight report on the key issues raised by Mrs Khan and the contributions of the toshaos. Of course, a 90-minute presentation on constitution reform which the government has signally failed to deliver is quite a stretch.