Interior residents should file lawsuits against large mining and logging companies

Jul 17, 2022 Letters

Dear Editor,

The desecration and depletion of Guyana’s interior lands for mining and logging by large-scale foreign companies have caused concerns to be raised by the residents of Guyana’s interior. Their concerns have been verified by the images coming out of the area. The livelihood of the once independent interior citizens is now being threatened by the destruction of the forests, rivers, wildlife, plants, land etc. from the pillaging for minerals and timber by large-scale foreign companies. What is happening to the interior’s citizens, particularly the Indigenous Amerindians and the natural environment is unconstitutional, lawless, evil, and inhumane.

Complaints filed by these affected citizens to local councillors, the Minister of Amerindian Affairs and other elected officials for the last several government administrations, have fell on deaf ears and no one has come to represent them in their plight as they struggle for justice.
The government when asked to provide the details on the mining and logging contracts have resorted to dodging, lying, hiding, and bobbing and weaving, instead of providing the details of the contracts as they should, as they themselves proclaim to be a govt. of accountability and transparency.

We want government officials to update the Guyanese people on the business affairs of the country, but every time they say something, it sounds so stupid to our ears, it would be better if they just shut up, maybe they should have their speeches proofread before making them. If you deal in scampishness however, speaking rubbish can’t be avoided; if you speak the truth, it will sound good even if you did not prepare a speech, truth is a word missing from the vocabulary of our current parliamentarians.
So interior citizens, it’s up to you to fight for your survival and your environment as the elected officials will not come to your aid, since Guyana’s Judiciary is independent, your option to fight back is to file lawsuits against the large-scale foreign mining and logging companies, claiming damages for your livelihood, destruction of the environment and allocation of your land to foreign companies without your consent or approval. See if you can get the Honorable Ms. Melinda Janki or another lawyer who has knowledge of environmental laws, to file the lawsuits.

These lawsuits will bring forth the contract information the government is hiding, we will get to know who owns what, who signed off the contracts and who give what to whom. We will also know if these foreign companies are overstepping the boundaries of their concessions which is a violation of Guyana’s laws and as such they should be prosecuted.
Foreign companies which want to do business in Guyana, should work with a rate of depletion and deforestation that will preserve the environment, provide a sustainable livelihood to the locals, pay their fair share of taxes, duties and royalties, respect the Guyanese people and if they can’t, then they should pack up and leave. So Interior Citizens, get some will, spirit and motivation to “STOP TAKING CRAP! – TIME TO FIGHT BACK!”

R. David

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