Indigenous People should be more proactive in banking

DEAREDITOR,

Withthetoutedquantum of money that will be pouring into Indigenous communities in Guyana fromthecarboninvestments for our stewardships in caring for the forest, and from Oil, it is expected that such reality will prompt our people to take initiatives to seekproperinvestmentsand managementoftheirmonies.

This can be a challenge formostus,givenourunique worldview in relation to conventional banking. Most personswholiveinoutlying andtraditionalcommunities, they still practice the collective ownership to landsandapproachworkand business-oriented activities collectively l for a few communitiesthatareleaning towards urban lifestyle, some of their residents who a r e p r o g r e s s i v e entrepreneurs are already practising individual banking.

However, the former aspect that reflects our modus operandi shouldn’t hinder us, instead, offer a motivetobeindialoguewith western banking in Guyana to seek appropriate forms to investourcapital.

As clever people, perhaps we can initiate cooperative groups in Indigenousvillages.

This can be done firstly by conducting a feasibility study on the ambitious indigenous banking plan The enterprise must come fromthepeople,foundedon theircommunalstrengthand must be autonomous, but open to work with scientific and technological assistance from outside If such pioneering initiative in indigenous banking be successful,theenterprisecan be established across the interiorofthecountry,which eventually District Councils cansupervise.

Weknowthattheloveof moneyistherootofallevil, and there exist divisions in communities with the entry of cash flows but to combat all improper practices that surround community funds proper accountability, monitoringandtransparency must be included, as ethical rules,alongwithcommunity togetherness to govern the autonomous indigenous banking.

Editor, Indigenous People in Guyana are living in“interestingtimes”,where inevitable changes are impacting our lifestyles, hence the need to be proactive according to the signs of the times not to be left behind. In other words, we are not living in a vacuum, which means we need to be in constant dialogue with modern development as we keep the balance in maintaining our culturesandtraditionsinthe present times, and make properuseofcash-flowsand investments, but adopt them to be in sync with our worldview of development andforfuturegenerations.

Yourssincerely, MedinoAbrahamSJ