APNU to hone in on vexatious issue of Mining in demarcated lands

Jan 16, 2012 News

By Gary Eleazar

With the formation of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, coupled with the fact that A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) does not have enough seats to Shadow each of the members of the other side of the aisle in the National Assembly, the main Opposition party has taken to oversight in clusters.
This was explained to this publication by Dr. Rupert Roopnarine, who was recently sworn in as a Member of Parliament for APNU after campaigning as its Prime Ministerial Candidate at the last General Elections.
He said that members of APNU will have under their portfolios, a cluster of areas, and one such page of responsibility, which falls under him, would be the newly formed Ministry headed by Robert Persaud.
Dr Roopnarine said that one of the ‘vexatious’ issues that he is looking to tackle in the immediate foreseeable future is that of mining in lands demarcated and titled to Amerindians.

Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai discusses mining among other things with Toshaos during a recently held conference

The APNU Executive told this publication that the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission seems to lack an enforcement capability, pointing out that there have been cease orders for miners operating in lands that have been prescribed to Amerindians.
This he said is a sore issue that has been plaguing Amerindians for a long time now, with some miners seeking to use loopholes to continue wreaking havoc in the form of exploiting the lands.
Dr Roopnarine told this publication that some of the affected persons have sought to take the matter to the courts and he will be using his influence and access to the parliamentary system to have this matter addressed also.
The APNU executive also alluded to the fact that the plight of the small miners in the Omai area is one that he would be seeking to address too.
In the run up to last November’s General Elections, APNU had stated that Amerindian development issues are treated in a “paternalistic manner, being completely dictated by tight Government control”
APNU said that it would have reversed the trend, if it had managed to unseat the incumbent PPP/C.
But having lost the election, the coalition is still bent on using its parliamentary clout to effect some change in favour of Amerindians.
APNU executive, Lance Carberry had told media operatives that every Amerindian development issue seems to be couched under the Ministry of Amerindian Affairs, when the constitution provides for the Amerindians to make decisions that affect their own lives.
“APNU is convinced that the Indigenous peoples should be empowered to exercise control over developments affecting their livelihoods, lands, territory and resources.