SKULDUGGERY STILL GOING ON AT GGMC

Aug 15, 2017 Letters

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Dear Editor,
I have been waiting for too long for GGMC to address our five-mile radius situation. We were promised that plot of land in 2011 by the then Commissioner (ag.) Mr Woolford. We were anxious to have it for our hundredth anniversary as a mining community, which was in 2013. GGMC was petitioned twice to get this done; first with sixty eight signatures of community residents and then one hundred and seventy two. We even sought assistance from high authorities but to no avail. The reason for this delay has to do with those corrupt officials at the GGMC who are deliberately stalling the process to cover-up their atrocious behaviour.
Why would they take vast swathes of lands that were already allocated to us the bona fide residents of Kurupung and give it to wealthy companies in the form of Mining Permits? They rescinded some controversial Mining Permits that are situated in the area and allocated prime lands to a wealthy company in breached of the Mining (Amendment) Regulations, 2007.
There is enough evidence to support our contention that there was a concerted effort in 2009 to get rid of the burden of the settlements from those large swathes of land that have been owned by those wealthy land grabbers. There are documents in circulation from as early as the 21st November, 2009 publication of the Legal Supplement—B of the Official Gazette. There is also correspondence from the GGMC which includes statements of the five-mile radius and maps from the commission depicting the five-mile radius area. Yet still, the GGMC is bent on stalling the process.
The publication of the 21st November, 2009 Official Gazette of the legal supplement—B; chapter 5 (2) clearly states that land which falls within a five-mile radius of settlements shall only be subject to claim location. Chapter one (1) has made the duration period ambiguous. All the authority has to do is clear up the ambiguity and deliver on their promise. Without that, we will continue to suffer at the hands of those corrupt officials at the GGMC as we are already box in, due to the distribution of those large swathes of land to wealthy companies.
GGMC has two sets of rules: one for the poor and the other for wealthy miners. The poor has to comply by the strict Mining Regulations while the wealthy has the right to flaunt all the rules. For instance; the wealthy was given large swathes of land (PL) without it being published in the Official Gazette, a prerequisite according to the Regulations; under sections 38 (1) and 44 (1).
There is the rescinded of Mining Permits (MPs) for lands that were already given to us the bona fide residents of Kurupung and against the Mining (Amendment) Regulations, 2007. Thirdly, the allocating Mining Permits to companies in 2014 (which is parts of lands that were already allocated to the bona fide residents of Kurupung in 2009) as ‘The Third Disposal of Mineral Properties 2009’ without offering a closure for residents creates a clear conflict of interest.
Those lands given to the wealthy companies are situated in the heart of the five-mile radius that has been promised to residents. Fourthly, Claims are deemed Null and Void for the reason of overlapping with no physical evidence of existence of the other person’s claim, during the period which GGMC has claimed to have verified those wealthy women’s claims. It is highly impossible to survey/verify only one claim and to make such a pronouncement.
What is most disturbing is those wealthy women’s claims were verified five (5) months after GGMC had made the pronouncement that my claim has overlapped the woman’s claim. In GGMC’s correspondence there were drawings on maps depicting the area to show how my claim is overlapping the wealthy woman’s claim. A clear sign of a ghost verification process.
Fifthly, I was issued with a license for a claim I did not verify at the time. The unverified claim information was being used to place it at the location of the verified claim. Reflecting that my claim was being moved from one location to the next which brings it in alignment with what my wealthy opponent was contesting. When all that was done, the file for my verified claim has gone missing. Three years has since passed and a very senior officer had promised to rectify the situation but up to the time of writing it isn’t done.
Sixthly, portions of land in the form of a Mining Permit (MP) appeared to have been given in an area demarcated as Kurupung—B which was allocated for claims only. The area was never closed since its initial opening in 2001. In all appearances, he seems to be the son of one of the wealthy women whom GGMC had given preference to, over an area, where they claim the overlapping is taking place. GGMC has done so much to me that time and space would not allow me to explain my plight in this single letter.
GGMC is very selective in their responses to claim holders’ issues, especially those of the five- mile radius and the closing date for the Third Disposal of Mineral Properties 2009 for the bona fide residents of Kurupung. After I made some claim locations and sent to make payment, it was being mentioned by the Chief Verification Officer that the area is close and my claims will be deemed Null and Void for that reason.
He has not provided proof and the office of the GGMC commission has not been able to provide such for over the last four (4) years although there were numerous attempts made to seek resolutions to those issues. Our then lawyer Mr. Joseph Harmon had wrote the GGMC to put closure on the closing date issues but up to the time of writing there was no response to his letter. I am of a firm belief that he is in a better position now, to have clarity on those matter, as he had promised to get down to the bottom of it.
If these matters do not resolve quickly, we will continue to suffer at the hands of the few heartless and highly corrupt officials who are placed in positions to make decisions which can affect the lives and lively hood of persons, especially when it is being bias against the poor and in favour of the wealthy.
Within weeks we poor families could receive replies to correspondences from our beloved President Mr. David Granger but for the same situation we cannot receive a single reply from the GGMC’s Commission. It’s a shame to see the honourable leader taking time off of his duties to respond to letters from poor families and GGMC has the audacity to do the opposite. At the end of Mr. Granger’s tenure he will be remembered as one of the best leaders to ever rule this land of ours.
Small miners

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