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Govt. not closing industry down – Benn
– Barticians holding motorcade, rally to discuss issue
By Leonard Gildarie
As gold and diamond miners grapple with a six-month notice proposal being considered by a specially appointed committee, government yesterday assured that its intentions are not to shut the industry down.
Miners from Bartica yesterday announced that they will be holding a motorcade, rally and meeting in that community on Monday to discuss the proposal that they claim, effectively shuts them down.
But Ministry of Public Works, Robeson Benn, who is chairing the committee appointed by President Bharrat Jagdeo, yesterday assured that miners need not worry about the mining industry since it is one of Guyana’s biggest earners and stymieing its growth would have calamitous repercussions for the country’s economy.
The committee is expected to wrap up its work by next week and send its proposals to President Bharrat Jagdeo and Cabinet for consideration. The President is expected to meet miners on February 11 to discuss the proposals and other concerns.
The Minister gave assurances that the “Land Use Committee” has been working assiduously. He said that everything possible will be done to not impair but rather enhance the transparency and opportunities for both the mining and forestry industries. The minister noted that there are challenges for forestry concessions in which there is mining taking place. The proposals being worked on by the committee are expected to address these issues.
The Minister noted that the committee is close to a solution and the various stakeholders, including miners, forestry and mining officials have all been making an input.
However, the minister noted that some forces, with agendas opposite to the assurance of sustainable mining and forestry sectors, have been stirring “unjustified fears and anxieties with respect to the committee and the process.”
The Minister condemned the efforts and urged miners and others to await the outcome of the committee’s work which would “belie’ the mischievous representations coming from some quarters.
According to the Minister, the requirements of sustainable mining are already set in laws and are designed to be beneficial to stakeholders and the country as a whole.
He emphasized that there is no intention that the Guyana Forestry Commission will be given veto powers to say yes or no to mining activities. Rather, it is the intention that players in the mining and forestry sectors work collaboratively.
The Minister noted that since 1992, gold production has seen steady growth from 65,000 ounces annually from small- and medium-scale miners to last year reaching an unprecedented 300,000 ounces.
With such an impact to the economy, it would be unthinkable that government would do anything to hurt the industry, Benn stressed, predicting that production will only continue to rise.
Miners’ anxieties or concerns are being addressed by the committee, the official noted.
The minister, in response to questions, felt that there were a few persons with vested interest who are bent on misinforming and confusing miners about the facts.
“I want to say that we are a mining government.”
News that there was a proposal being considered for six months notice to be given before the commencement of any mining operations had seen the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) holding a meeting with miners who expressed concerns and indicated that the regulation would regulate them out of business.
Miners have since held meetings in Linden and Bartica to discuss the concerns.
On Wednesday, Minister of Agriculture Robert Persaud and the Guyana Forestry Commission had met with a Parliamentary committee to explain the implications of the government’s Low Carbon Development Strategy on the forestry and mining sectors.
At that forum, the minister had also stressed that the questions of forest concession holders and miners is an old one that needed attention, since both parties are being affected.
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