GGDMA pushes back against criticisms of low declaration, damage to environment

Aug 19, 2024 News

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Kaieteur News – Amid growing concerns over low gold declaration here despite massive concession to the sector, the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) on Sunday sought to justify the largesse saying it welcomes the continued commitment to the sector given by the Government of Guyana.

The statement comes weeks after the Guyana Human Rights Association in a scathing statement denounced what it described as the extensive incentives granted to the gold-mining sector by the Government particularly in light of environmental and human toll of the industry. The GHRA’s statement was in response to a press release by the Ministry of Natural Resources, which highlighted the massive incentives that were put in place for the mining industry. The ministry’s statement dated July 31 outlined the various perks, concessions, and privileges extended to the gold-mining sector, such as tax reductions, duty-free concessions, and simplified licensing arrangements.

However the GGDMA taking a swipe at head of the GHRA, Mike McCormack said it: “…does not recognise “one-man” organisations or lobbyists with questionable motives and sources of funding from biased international interests that seek to take “bread” out of the mouths of Guyanese thereby depriving the nation of socio-economic advancement.”

The GGDMA added: “These ideologues seek to vilify Guyanese miners as they do the bidding of certain forces who would much prefer to see our nation stay “green” and poor rather than maximize the benefits of our natural mineral wealth. The GGDMA is a pro-mining Guyanese organisation and our membership embodies the independent entrepreneurial spirit of Guyana. Over the years, miners have moved from battel to excavators to crusher plants and we will continue to fight for the advancement of the mining industry in spite of certain anti-mining detractors whose relevance is inextricably linked to continually maligning Guyana’s extractive sector.”

The body noted that recent positive statements by the Vice President and the Minister of Natural Resources regarding the critical importance of the mining sector to Guyana’s current and future development is well received by miners.

In its statement, the GGDMA said the sector feels buoyed by the support and understanding demonstrated in relation to the contributions and struggles facing the sector. The GGDMA said it has always maintained that mining is a major contributor to Guyana, noting that the Guyana gold and diamond mining industry employs tens of thousands of Guyanese and is also the generator of billions of dollars in disposable and discretionary income that energizes businesses in all other sectors of the country. “Over the years, the GGDMA has advocated for improvements in environmental stewardship and the sector has made several significant strides in this area as a consequence of partnering with recognized environmental organisations such as Conservation International and the World Wildlife Fund on various projects in the past. The GGDMA remains a non-political organisation that will continue to lobby for the interests and benefits of miners and the industry, we are ready to work with any credible agency to advance the interest of mining and miners in Guyana.”

The GGDMA said that it continues to encourage its membership to declare their production accurately, to only sell their production to the Guyana Gold Board or licensed buyers, collect their receipts and regularly request statements from the Guyana Gold Board of all royalties and taxes paid to ensure that your declarations are reflected accurately. “The Association also wishes to reiterate the recent advisory to mine operators to desist from paying staff and suppliers in gold as this practice is not in line with the law. This year has been a slow one thus far for the sector, however the GGDMA remains hopeful that miners will accelerate production and make significant strides for the remainder of 2024 to close the production gap and achieve the nationally set targets,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the GHRA in its statement had labeled the government’s support to the industry as inconsistent and detrimental to the country’s welfare. “…expansion of available mining properties in conflicted areas such as Marudi Mountains and removal of protective regulations are exhaustively listed. Road-building in interior regions has become mining-driven rather than influenced by community or environmental considerations,” it was stated. The organisation stated that while the Environmental Protection Act of 1996 mandates Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Environmental Permits (EP) for every mining operation, the Guyana Geology & Mines Commission (GGMC) has failed to enforce these requirements for years, allowing extensive mining activities to proceed unchecked. To this, the statement draws attention to the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GY-EITI) annual reports, which document these failures.

“Most of Guyana’s prized large rivers have been reduced to health and safety hazards by gold mining,” GHRA said as it points out the severe degradation of Guyana’s rivers due to gold mining.  It was stated too that river banks and the actual course of rivers have been altered by illegal hydraulic mining and by failures to apply the several GGMC Codes of Practice to the waste in mine tailings now spilling polluted sediment into the creeks and rivers. Notably, GHRA stated that no effort has been made to apply penalties for these transgressions despite the River Navigation Act (cap. 50:01, 1998) and the State Lands Act 1903/1972 (Section 22) states, “Everyone who willfully causes any impediment to the free use or navigation of any river or navigable creek, shall be liable to a fine of ninety-seven thousand five hundred dollars, unless he has previously obtained permission under this Act or the Forests Act to cause the impediment.”

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• Diamond, Government, Guyana Gold, Miners Association, natural resources, organisations

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