in the Rupununi savannah, Region Nine stakeholders have strongly condemned the actions of the bus driver and the company. Reports are that the passengers were enroute to a We Invest in Nationhood (WIN) political meeting when the driver was contacted by a supporter of the ruling People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C). It is alleged that after the telephone call, the bus driver stopped the vehicle and left the passengers in the middle of the savannahs.

A cell phone recorded video was shared on social media of the passengers standing in the Rupununi savannah as the driver of the bus closed the doors, entered the bus and drove off. Last Saturday, the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA), the National Toshaos Council (NTC), the Alliance For Change (AFC) and WIN condemned the actions of the bus service. The APA in a statement last Saturday said it “vehemently condemns, in the strongest possible way, the decision by Greaves Transportation and Tours to abandon Indigenous passengers, including women and children, on the roadside in the open Rupununi savannah. Such an act is not only inhumane but it also constitutes a breach of duty of care and a serious violation of the rights and dignity of our peoples.”

The APA stated that no community should ever be treated with such disregard, and certainly not the Indigenous Peoples of Guyana, who continue to face marginalisation, discrimination and exclusion. The Association said that to abandon the passengers in the middle of their journey not only exposed them to danger and humiliation but also showed how the transportation services systems can be weaponised to further dehumanize the Indigenous Peoples.

“We have noted Greaves Transportation and Tours’ attempt to apologise, but that apology falls short of being meaningful. A deliberate choice was made to demand that our peoples disembark from the bus and be left there. The APA also notes the claims that this decision was made under political pressure and panic. This raises grave concerns about the use of intimidation in many instances, not only in the transportation services business, to manipulate essential services to Indigenous communities,” APA noted. (Kaieteur News)