Latest update April 18th, 2025 8:12 AM
Women miners protest arbitrary land repossession by Govt.
Government’s arbitrary repossession of lands owned by miners
Members of the Guyana Women Miners Organization picket outside Parliament Buildings
came in for serious criticism yesterday as members of the Guyana Women Miners’ Organization staged a picketing exercise in the vicinity of Parliament Buildings.
According to the organization’s president Simona Broomes, the group took their grievance outside Parliament so that Members of Parliament heading to participate in the National Budget 2012 debate would read their placards and understand their position.
The members were disappointed that they were restricted to a corner and were not allowed to be in full view of Parliament Buildings.
According to Broomes, owing to Government’s policy governing Amerindian land extension, many miners have been displaced. While some miners were given new lands others were only promised.
While the group is concerned about those lands that were repossessed, future land extension for Amerindian communities is worrisome.
Miners are also faced with the unfortunate possibility that the new lands given to them would not have the same amount or more minerals as the previously owned claim.
Broomes stressed that Government needs to revisit that policy and make necessary changes following recommendations from miners and villagers. She added that when that policy was created, miners who would be most affected were not consulted. This has created some problems between the miners and villagers; a situation the organization hopes will stop.
According to a Mahdia miner whose land was repossessed, Noreen Mendonza, in 2009 Government took away eight claims she inherited from her mother, who passed away in 2002. She noted that the claims were owned by her mother since 1987.
“These lands were verified and they are in the Official Gazette… Then if your land is in the Official Gazette and they say the land isn’t valid then the Official Gazette wrong,” Mendonza said emphatically.
The distraught woman noted that she spoke to several officials of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission but to date her only compensation is a promise to receive land equivalent to her claims.
According to Broomes, this situation also affected small miners who had engaged in business deals with foreign investors. She added that Government’s authority to take away lands arbitrarily is scaring away foreign investors from the industry.
Broomes emphasized that women need fair opportunities to develop themselves in the male-dominated industry. She noted that for decades, women have worked tirelessly beside men in the mining industry to have it as one of the major contributors to this economy.
The mining sector creates wealth and job opportunities to Guyana, and as such, Government should invest in advancing this growing industry as it is investing in the rice and sugar industries, Broomes said.
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