— small miners urged to form themselves into syndicates

Small-scale miners operating in Mahdia and neighbouring communities were on Sunday urged to unite to benefit from concessions being granted by the administration. Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes and a team of officials from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) visited Mahdia to better inform miners of the benefits to be accrued from forming syndicates.

At a mid-day meeting held at the Desert Storm Nightclub and organised by the Central Mahdia Mining Association, Minister Broomes made it clear that the opportunity for small miners to work on land collectively through syndicates exists.
She told a gathering of miners that small miners can now move away from raiding lands belonging to medium and large-scale miners and work on their own lands.
“A syndicate is a group of people coming together for a common good… it is a nice foundation… from my own experience and institutional knowledge you were never offered land… I know of engines being parked, four inch pumps and housing being parked… I made a promise to small miners after the complaints and that promise is now a reality,” she said.
The minister, who has been a miner for over 20 years, told the gathering that forming syndicates would represent progress, and the birth of a new day for small miners whose hard work often go unrecognised.
But she cautioned, “the biggest challenge is you”, noting that while Government will provide the land, it is the miners who have to establish the rules that govern the operation of the syndicates, and the boundaries.
Minister Broomes reminded the miners of the importance of paying tax and informed the body of miners that it is their civic duty to give back to the country.
“This is not a scandal thing…the land is not for sale, or for kaimoos, or trafficking… it is for you to work. We are committed to helping you; we have delivered. Any problems you have, GGMC will assist, whether it is training in GPS or otherwise.”
The minister disclosed that the aim is to have each district establish a syndicate. She explained that because of the geographical set up of Mahdia, Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman has agreed for two syndicates to be formed in Mahdia. Another syndicate has been formed in Konawaruk.
EMPOWERMENT
“We have to start doing things in an orderly fashion. This good life we speak of comes with order. We are giving you an opportunity to empower yourselves and put food on the table for your families,” she said while quickly adding that the formation of syndicates is not the only way to acquire lands to mine.

“You can still get lands through lottery,” she stated. Minister Broomes made it clear that she understands the miners’ “excitement” at the prospect of being able to mine without interference but noted that “it is about money, not excitement”. She stressed the importance of unity among the miners and noted that safety remains high on the Government’s agenda.
“We don’t want any pit cave-ins like we saw a few months ago…we are going to work with you. GGMC is going to assist you with whatever information, guidance you need. This is not something you got to beg us for…we are committed to assisting you,” said Broomes.
At the conclusion of her presentation, miners expressed satisfaction.
“Nobody never had we interest at heart, don’t let we disappoint she,” one miner said, while another added: “This is the change we voted for… all the time we were suffering, being exploited and abused but now with this syndicate we will see we way man.”
Meanwhile, the vocal small miner Garfield Wint echoed the sentiments made by the minister. He told his colleagues that working together is by far better than being subject of the large-scale miners who allegedly take advantage of small miners.
‘WE NEED UNITY’
Wint spoke of the togetherness that existed in the past among pork knockers. “It grieve me heart now…we need to bring back the bush of 1984…we need unity; the love for the bush gone because of the machinery,” he said.

The miner, who is also a member of the Konawaruk Association (syndicate), urged his comrades to join the association with the intention of progressing as a team. He disclosed that the association has a constitution by which all miners must comply and noted that there will be no favouritism.
That aside, Wint made it clear that miners must pay royalty to the Government. “You have to give back to society; no country don’t run without tax… it is not going into my pocket, or minister’s pockets but will be for all of us to benefit.”
He told the miners gathered that “syndicates are the only way out” and urged them to “don’t run away from the syndicate”.
Meanwhile, Wayne Phillips, Secretary to the Central Mahdia Mining Association which was late last year read a motion which called for a thorough investigation into the GGMC’s Land Management Division, said that department’s manager Donald Singh should be removed.
The motion also called for “all lands that are being processed for the GGDMA in the name of small miners be cancelled and instead be processed for syndicates made up of small miners, all lands being processed for the president of the GGDMA in the Karrau area in the name of small miners be cancelled and the land be processed for the Karrau Mining Syndicate.”
Additionally, the motion called on the Ministers of Natural Resources to hold consultation with small miners who operate in Region 10 before there is an amendment to the mining laws.
“There be an investigation into all the missing geological data from the geological service department. The Government paid for this data and it is alleged that they were taken by staff and being sold to private entities. These persons must be investigated and held accountable for such actions,” clause 6 of the motion read by Phillips stated.
The motion as presented by Phillips received resounding support from the small miners from Mahdia and neighbouring communities and Minister Broomes asked the miners to put the motion to Minister Trotman.
Meanwhile, many of the miners took the opportunity to express some of the challenges facing them and Minister Broomes and the GGMC officers committed to investigate the complaints. In an invited comment, Minister Broomes told Guyana Chronicle that the APNU+AFC coalition Government made several promises to the people of Guyana and is in the process of fulfilling its mandate.
“We are in the process of fulfilling our promises and as a former miner I am pleased that small miners can now work together for their benefit.”
Broomes said she will continue to educate small miners about syndicates and the benefits that can be accrued from working together.