TIGI laments lack critical reports on impacts of mining, oil and gas operations

Oct 13, 2022 News

By Davina Bagot

Kaieteur News – While other nations have put measures in place to track and monitor the marginalisation of Amerindians in their villages as a result of mining activities as well as negative environmental impacts on fisherfolk owing to oil and gas operations, Guyana is yet to put such systems in place.

This is according to President of Transparency International Guyana Inc (TIGI), Mr. Fredrick Collins. While discussing ‘The Oil Contract, Political Integrity, and the Role, Importance and Promotion of Transparency in Guyana’ on a recent Globespan 24×7 panel, the watchdog representative argued, “Governments cannot be trusted, people have to understand that they have to pay attention. They have to understand they are the shareholders of the company…we don’t know the extent of whatever marginalisation is going on because we are getting no marginalisation statistics. What is the economic state of our fishermen? What is the economic state of our Amerindian communities?”

President of Transparency International Guyana Inc (TIGI), Mr. Fredrick Collins

He said such data is lacking in the country simply because those in charge are “not interested” while other countries publish such data to inform policy decisions.

Meanwhile, he also knocked the Office of the Commissioner of Information as he explained that recently his colleague, Mr. Alfred Bhulai approached the department for information but was instead directed to another office where he should seek the information. Collins contended, “What is that office for?! Access to government held information empowers citizens to exercise their rights to hold government accountable and participate in decision making”. On the other hand, he pointed out that transparent fiscal management and public contracting discourages corruption and ensures that public funds are spent efficiently to benefit citizens.

The TIGI President was specifically asked to share which area he believes is mostly lacking transparency in the country when he explained that the petroleum industry is most impactful. According to him, “where the lack of transparency manifests and where it is of paramount importance is certainly in the oil industry.”

He then went on to explain that in managing this sector, government has failed to give a breakdown of how the money received for example will benefit each community and how much of the funds will be used on a specific project. To this end, he noted, “so that is where certainly, the biggest impact is felt, the lack of transparency in the oil industry. It is the economic activity that can destroy our country or build it.”

This newspaper had reported on the mining issues plaguing Chinese Landing, a Region One community. In July of this year, the failure of authorities to control miners moving into the titled lands of Indigenous persons living in that community morphed into a dire situation where threats were being made against residents and leaders of the community.

Toshao Orin Fernandes, in an invited comment told the Kaieteur News the villagers now feel “helpless,” being unable to get the intervention of authorities to prevent the continued invasion of their lands for the purpose of mining. Fernandes told this newspaper that Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukai, is the government official with responsibility for Amerindian issues and thus laid the escalation of the situation, squarely at her feet for failing to make representation on behalf of the residents of Chinese Landing. It is estimated that hundreds of “outsiders” had moved into the titled space of the Chinese Landing community, despite provisions within the Amerindian Act, stipulating the exclusive right of village leaders to determine who gets permission to enter the community.

Miners were entering the community with heavy machinery, destroying roads and other infrastructure. Helicopters and planes were also landing on an airstrip previously built by a local miner, who is said to have received State permission—minus village consultation—to operate at the location. “We don’t know who is coming, who is going or what they are bringing,” the Toshao told the newspaper.

More than that however, miners threaten “to do bad things to us if we continue to speak about them being here.” Likewise, fisherfolk have been complaining of lower catches since the startup of oil and gas operations offshore. Government said the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conducted a review of the situation but that report is yet to be made public though it was handed over to the administration back in May of this year.