GGMC corruption charges …
– elicits call to review agency’s leadership
THE recent utterances by head of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), William Woolford, as reported in a Stabroek News article last week, has prompted a response from Minister of Transport and Hydraulics, Robeson Benn, a former commissioner himself with the mining agency. Minister Benn said he is “extremely surprised at the utterances,” and is hoping that Prime Minister Hinds, who has overall responsibility for the mining sector, “would look to a rectification of this type of statement, and that the GGMC sets about doing an urgent review of its leadership… particularly the problems in the field and the effectiveness on the ground.”
Mr. Woolford’s remarks stemmed from recent statements made by President Bharrat Jagdeo on charges of corruption at the GGMC.
The President, who at the time was addressing the annual Army’s Conference at Base Camp, Ayanganna, in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief, called on senior and junior officers present to lend their support to public service agencies, particularly the GGMC where “the corruption in the field is unbelievable,” in light of the high price of gold these days. “I need some soldiers in there…,” the President said.
Reacting to this, Woolford told the Stabroek News in an inclusive interview that as far as he knew, there is no evidence to substantiate the President’s claims, and that while there have been allegations to the effect, those making them have not come forward with the necessary proof.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have the evidence of that at the moment; we’re prepared to act on any of the evidence presented,” he was quoted as saying in Friday’s issue of the Stabroek News.
“We’re a rules-based organization as you’d expect us to be. We want to follow due process as you’d expect us to do, and people who make the allegations and don’t step forward tie our hands,” Woolford said.   
Surprised that Woolford should take such a stance, Minister Benn said in response:
“It appears as though the leaders in the GGMC are in a different world, which has no basis or no relationship with the realities on the ground in the fields. We have to deal on a weekly basis with issues arising out of the mining sector, which has to be advised and referred to the GGMC and or to the Prime Minister.
“There are frequent issues which miners come to my ministry, as former commissioner, to deal with, and to advise on, and one would have hoped that the commissioner would focus more on the issue of doing an urgent review of the complaints, not only from persons who may not want to give a statement, given the issues of victimization, perceived or otherwise, but particularly, too, because the President himself spoke on this issue publicly.
“I think it’s a most unfortunate occurrence… As a former commissioner, I am disappointed myself with the lack of sustainability of certain initiatives that we undertook to improve, and to work with these situations, and there are continuing issues in respect of verification of claims; of claim jumping; of reports of seize-work orders being issued and not being readily dealt with; of favours being granted, or requested or demanded with respect to acting in one way or the other; and the enormous delay in dealing with certain simple issues.
“The delay in themselves, when they go on for months at a time, in the presence of nearby mining stations and mines officers, and when the officers and persons in the GGMC themselves have been notified as for request for verifications and examinations on the ground would only lead to the suggestion that if you neglect the issues, it allows for lead to corruption.
“If you don’t deal with a matter in a timely fashion, it allows for corruption, and people’s livelihoods in the fields are destroyed or tremendously upset.
“So I think it’s a most unfortunate headline in the Stabroek News of today (28th January), and I hope that the Honourable Prime Minister would look to a rectification of this type of statement, and the GGMC sets about doing an urgent review of its leadership… particularly the problems in the field and the effectiveness on the ground.”
Minister Benn was last year appointed to chair a Special Land Use Committee (SLUC), established  by the President, to examine issues affecting the gold-and-diamond-mining sector.
This was after gold and diamond miners had expressed concerns that the Low-Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) would affect their operations and their livelihoods.
Following its establishment, SLUC held discussions with miners at Bartica and Mahdia and at Port Kaituma in the North West District.
Prior to setting up the committee, the President had met with miners on February 11, 2010, at the Guyana International Conference Centre where issues such as land reclamation, support for exploration and infrastructure were discussed.
Some small-scale miners had also sought the opportunity to apprise the President of other happenings in the mining field, including alleged acts of corruption involving GGMC officers in the field.