THE Home Affairs Ministry has sought to clear the air on statements made by the President of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association, Mr. Patrick Harding, in sections of the media recently. In an article in the Guyana Times newspaper of January 11, 2012, captioned “Miners to beef up own security in support of police – Harding”, Mr. Harding stated that “several requests made to the Home Affairs Ministry for miners to train their own security officials have elicited no response. That aside, the issuance of firearms is another issue awaiting the attention of the Home Affairs Ministry”.
The Ministry of Home Affairs said it considers the above statements erroneous and strongly abhorrent.
The ministry’s interest in seeking to support the mining community, particularly in relation to security, is evident in the many past meetings convened at the ministry and other levels.
The ministry said it wishes to clarify that it does not issue firearm licences, although it is involved in the process leading up to the approval of firearm licences. More importantly, the ministry said it is not in possession of applications for firearm licences from miners, submitted through the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association to the Ministry for its consideration.
The ministry said it is pleased to inform that, over the last three (3) years, it issued “no objection” for firearm licences for approximately thirty-five (35) miners/or dredge owners, some of whom live on the coastland but work in the interior. This amount does not include those approvals that would have been issued independently by the Guyana Police Force.
It is to be noted that, in some instances, multiple licences were issued, i.e. for both handgun and shotgun.
The ministry also assured the mining community of its commitment to providing the highest level of security possible, and welcomes the interest of miners to be integrally involved in this process.