THE mining community of Bartica has been re-apprised of government’s commitment to working with the relevant stakeholders towards the development of the country’s natural resources. Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, Robert Persaud and officials from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) on Saturday evening met with the miners at the St John-The-Baptist Primary school, where they outlined the areas of concern in the mining sector that will be addressed as the industry moves forward under the purview of the Natural Resources Ministry.
The meeting in Bartica signalled the commencement of a national exercise of interfacing and interacting with the stakeholders of the natural resources sector, aimed at clarifying the structure of the ministry and setting goals and objectives towards the development of the sectors.

Sustainable utilisation
Minister Persaud told the gathering that government sees creating prosperity, opportunity and wealth for not only this generation, but the future generations and mining and mining communities as part of this vision of developing a prosperous and stable Guyana.
He however warned that as the industry goes forward under the umbrella of the Natural Resources Ministry, stakeholders must together work to create and develop an environment where there is sustainable utilisation of natural resources.
Persaud said, “The role of mining going forward will be very critical, but not mining as we know it… it will require mining where all of us will need to make some paradigm shift so that we can become a modern country, where we can present to international communities that we can develop and advance our mining sector, and at the same time, be in a position to preserve and sustainably manage our environment.”
He made it clear to the miners that Government’s international commitments and national policy in terms of sustainable development of its natural resources do not in any way hinder mining or other natural resources activities, but that Government will not in any way sacrifice one for the other.
“We believe that we can have harmonious development, that is the preservation of our environment, but also the maximum utilisation of our resources,” Persaud said, adding that the country must learn from the experience of other countries where they would have neglected one for the other and are now seeing the dire consequences.

Modernising mining
Minister Persaud told the miners that as the industry goes forward, constant attention must be paid to improving and modernising the sector, both from the industry’s standpoint and that of the regulating body.
“The challenge is not only out there, where the industry has to take stock of the its current state and what it needs to do going forward, but also from the Government’s standpoint and the agency’s standpoint, we ourselves are looking at how we can do our job better, to support our vision for the sector, but, more importantly, to support you,” Persaud said.
He said that in regard to the modernisation of the regulatory body, government has started the process by re-organising the GGMC to effect better support to the mining community.

Removing conflict
Persaud assured the miners that the ministry will work to remove the conflict between the large and small-scale miners, and create an environment where both can exist; stressing that there is a role for both groups.
Persaud said that government is currently developing a ‘Small Miner Policy Support Plan’ that will look, from the perspective of the government and GGMC, at what can be done to assist this group.
Government also plans to map the entire country, to look at mining areas available, and to work out an arrangement whereby miners, especially small miners, will be able to access these areas. Government’s support to small miners will also be focused on giving support to their reclamation activities, as well as providing access to equipment.
Government’s aim is to create a nexus between large and small mining, in which they can complement each other, so as to integrate the two, but not having one take advantage over the other, Persaud said. He assured that government’s assistance to the small miners will not in any way take way from the larger miners.

Corruption
Government will also be paying stricter attention to activities such as corruption and ineffective management, as it relates to the mining industry, Minister Persaud said.
“We will be moving in a direction of zero tolerance for those activities, not only in terms of the government’s standpoint and the agency’s standpoint, but from the industry’s standpoint,” Minister Persaud said.
“If persons are seeking in a way to manipulate our system, by offering inducement, bribes …we would look at ways to deal with those individuals… as well as to deal with our staff,” he added.
He also said that the ministry will deal with those persons who may want to hide under some arrangement, and believe that they are untouchable, and likewise companies and individuals who seek to undermine the ministry’s monitoring systems.
The price of gold and the opportunities available in the industry have created in some involved in the sector the belief that they can pay their way out of situations, Persaud said.
To counter this, in addition to the existing monitoring systems, the ministry will be creating ‘inspectors’ who operate outside of the day to day operations of the monitoring staff. These inspectors will make surprise visits to mining camps and will be given the authority to investigate and take the necessary action where required.

Illegal mining and Amerindian titled land
The issue of illegal mining by Guyanese and non- Guyanese, particularly Brazilians, is an issue that will be also addressed with the aim of bringing control to the issues, more so if the country is to realise the harmonised balance between the sustainable utilisation of the natural resources, and to bring the desired order to the sector Persaud said.
Miners must also be made to respect Amerindian communities’ titled land and to ensure that they follow the procedures and respect the laws in dealing with this, he added.
Persaud told the miners that the ministry’s job is to provide the kind of support that people can carry on their activities and sustain development, and that they do so out of respect and in compliance with the laws. (GINA)