Latest update November 5th, 2024 1:00 AM
During controversial China trip…Harmon gets cozy with future owner of BaiShanLin
President David Granger had made it pellucid that to his best knowledge, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, was
Minister of State, Joseph Harmon
sent on a trip to China to deal with the State’s business.
The Head of State had said, “I know that he went to China on NICIL business. I saw the Cabinet decision.”
Even though Harmon was on a trip to China to conduct business on behalf of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited, he found the time to be part of a courting process with four Chinese companies.
In a statement to the media last week, explaining his trip, Harmon said that the Ambassador of China to Guyana, who was in the country at that time, made arrangements for him to meet officials of four companies.
These companies he said had signaled their intention to make significant investments in Guyana. These Companies he said were located in Beijing, Shanghai, Hebei and Heilong Jiang Provinces.
The Minister of State said that because of the significant distances involved and the limited time available on that trip, the Ambassador made arrangements for these companies to provide transportation, both air and land, for him to travel to their respective Head Offices.
Significantly, the Minister of State noted that one such arrangement included a visit to Long Jiang Forest Industries Group, a state-owned company that had acquired 55 percent of the shares in Bai Shan Lin. This company is poised to take full control of BaiShanLin this year.
Harmon admitted that two officials from the Long Jiang Forest Industries Group, along with two officials from Bai Shan Lin, accompanied him on the aircraft from Beijing to Heilong Jiang Province to attend the meeting. The photograph was published on the front page of the Kaieteur News last Sunday.
During the election campaign Harmon was the one who said, “Bai Shan Lin mimics the behaviour of a bacterium called spirogyra. This bacterium gobbles what it wants and keeps splitting and spreading. That is exactly what Bai Shan Lin is doing.”
The Minister of State even lashed out at the company for avoiding parliamentary scrutiny for almost two years.
He continued, “But let it be known that once the laws of the country are breached by foreign or local companies, we will speak about it and we will take action. The level of examination and action to follow will surely arrest this wanton destruction of our forests.”
Harmon had given his word to the nation that he would be unrelenting in his fight to ensure that the company is held accountable for its actions and that those responsible for allowing this abuse to continue be exposed.
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