Gold Board is killing the golden goose

Apr 14, 2018 Letters

Dear Editor,
The Guyana Gold Board under the Chairman GHK Lall has become an institution misguided in its authority and functions. As a miner, I am convinced that GHK Lall has bluffed his way to the reins of the Gold Board and acts not in the interest of the gold miners and government but rather himself.
From your newspaper it is being reported about the board not having any wiggle room under the guise of conflict free gold. That is utter nonsense since the internationally accepted reference countries for conflict gold does not include Guyana.
Furthermore, conflict-affected and high-risk areas are identified by the presence of armed conflict, widespread violence or other risks of harm to people.
Armed conflict may take a variety of forms, such as a conflict of international or non-international character, which may involve two or more states, or may consist of wars of liberation, or insurgencies, civil wars, etc.
High-risk areas may include areas of political instability or repression, institutional weakness, insecurity, collapse of civil infrastructure and widespread violence.
Such areas are often characterized by widespread human rights abuses and violations of national or international law.
Guyana is not in any of the definition describe above and as such the Chairman makes these false statements contrary to the Gold Board Act. The board is now requiring from dealers and us miners unnecessary documentation under the guise of having to be compliant from international partners.
What is even more astounding being that GHK Lall seems to be usurping the function of the Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, and by his actions is killing the goose who lays the golden egg for Guyana.
Lall should understand that it is us the miners who keep the wheel of the industry and sector turning and being the largest foreign exchange earners, his continuous actions and words are causing unnecessary burden on simple miners.
This, in turn, has cause dealers to turn away miners as they say it’s the Gold Board requirements, for compliance all of which we have been using for years and no issue.
The Gold Board is being run like a cake shop, constantly changing their minds when it comes to what they require from miners.
While he may have had experience on Wall Street, the reality is that gold industry with its complexities is much different. In so doing, Gold Board has effectively sidelined the Minister of Natural Resources.

I urge the President and Minister of Natural Resources to seriously look into the mismanagement of the Gold Board as it seems, under the current board and chairman.
Mr. Lall’s seeming infatuations of power is impeding the progress made with stakeholders including miners, dealers and the association.
A concerned miner

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