SMALL-scale gold miners deserve the good life too. As Guyanese, they are entitled to that, says Minister of Governance and Head of the Department of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman.He made the observation recently in relation to the plight of small-scale miners at Marudi Mountain in Region 9 (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) who fear they might be evicted from the land on which they work in favour of a foreign large-scale miner.

The miners last week called on the government to take urgent action to regularise their mining of gold-bearing lands at Marudi. The group, organised under the Rupununi Miners Association, raised a racket last week because they said they were aware of recent moves by a foreign-owned mining company to resume operations in the area, which could see their being harassed and subsequently evicted.

THE ISSUE
The company at the centre of the controversy, the Canadian mining firm Romanex, was granted permission some years ago to mine at Marudi Mountain, but had ceased operations there over a year ago. Then, just recently, the company indicated a renewed interest in resuming operations there, thereby sparking concerns among the subsistence miners about possible eviction.

Asked what he thought of the situation, Minister Trotman said the government is in sympathy with the small miners, and is fully supportive of them, particularly those seeking to regularise their operations.

He said the President has always said there are three classes of miners in Guyana, namely: The small-scale miners who subsist by mining for their families; the medium-scale miners; and the large-scale miners, such as Guyana Goldfields Limited and Troy Resources Inc. And since all three categories of miners are considered bona fide, then the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) will therefore have to make provision for them.

PAST BIASES
Trotman is, however, of the opinion that the mining administration had been too biased towards supporting medium-scale mining. “I think that, generally, the support was leaning too much towards medium-scale mining,” the minister said, adding: “I believe that, in the past, the scale had been tipped too much towards medium-scale mining. We don’t want to get rid of medium-scale mining, but we just want to balance the scale.”

He has every reason to believe that the government will slowly but surely bring back some degree of balance to ensure that the small man and woman can get somewhere to mine. And this is not to just put bread on the table, but also to set up a good life, because they are entitled to it as Guyanese.

“It is our duty, as the government, to set up the good life for the small man and woman who sees mining as a worthy activity. And you can quote me on that,” Minister Trotman said.

In regard to the request by small-scale miners to have their subsistence operations regularised, Minister Trotman said: “At Marudi, what some people are calling subsistence mining others are calling illegal mining.”

Noting further that the situation at Marudi is presently engaging the attention of the GGMC Board, Minister Trotman said: “We are looking to see how we can set aside lands for small miners, even if it means taking back some. But right now, the matter is being discussed by the Board.”

FAVOURABLE OUTCOME
And while he did not wish to pre-empt the decision of the Board by commenting further on the matter, Minister Trotman said he was confident that, in keeping with the policy of supporting all three categories of miners, including small miners, the concerns of the miners there will be favourably considered.

During a meeting organised by the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) last week, the miners at Marudi admitted that their operations were illegal, since the relevant authorities have not granted them requisite mining permits, but they portrayed their case as assistance on humanitarian grounds, since employment hardly exists in the area, and they have been forced to resort to small-scale mining to feed and raise their families.

“If we are evicted, where do we go? This is our country, and we have a right to live and work here. Guyanese should, and must, be given preference over foreigners,” they reasoned, adding: “Instead of fighting us down, the authorities should regularise our operations so we can operate legally and make our contribution.”