Why is Minister Trotman keeping this monstrosity alive?

May 28, 2017 Letters

Dear Editor,
I penned this letter with great concern as the President of the Karrau Mining Syndicate. In May 2016 we made application for some lands in Kurubrang. After much pushing around and many phone calls to the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Permanent Secretary, the “closed area committee” eventually called us to a meeting in November 2016.
The Karrau Syndicate endured expenses of over one hundred and sixty thousand dollars to attend this meeting which we were led to believe would resolve the issues concerning our land application. Instead we were asked a number of irrelevant questions of which two need to be highlighted
(1) What do we want the lands for?
(2) What mining equipment do we have, etc?
After answering we were told that we were the wrong “set of people” which they had called to the meeting, but we would still hear from them. This meeting was an absolute waste of time. As a matter of fact, the entire “Closed Area Committee” is totally corrupt. This was bureaucracy invented by the PPP Administration to manipulate the distribution of lands to the detriment of small miners. Everyone is now wondering why is Minister Trotman keeping this monstrosity alive?
In March 2017, we attended a meeting between Minister Trotman, Minister Broomes, several GGMC officials and the executives of all the mining syndicates. During this meeting we were informed that our land was approved for prospecting and published in the Gazette dated March 16, 2017 by a special order from The Minister. However, to date we have not received any formal documentation that would permit mining, which is required by law before we can start working.
I assure you that all Syndicates are prepared to be compliant, but corruption continues to be the order of the day because of GGMC and its bureaucracy. Mr. Editor, the matter is urgent because while syndicates are waiting on GGMC to process our land applications, the said lands are being raided. If this is not resolved quickly the lands will be worthless by the time they are licensed to the syndicates.
Judith Blair
President
Karrau Mining Syndicate

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