AMERINDIAN Affairs Minister, Ms Pauline Sukhai has indicated that she was reliably informed that a handful of residents from the Lethem community had tried to pressure the council by engaging in discussion of a proposed protest against the mining lottery, which is expected to engage those interested in mining and other issues in a transparent manner. She asserted that she has inquired into this report, and the facts reported to her stated that there was indeed a meeting in the Aishalton (Region 9: Upper Takatu/Upper Essequibo) community, at which the council was not present.

She was informed that this meeting had been called by key leaders and residents who have a certain amount of influence in the village, besides an interest in mining in the Marudi (Region 9) area, and those residents are also quite interested in the recent Marudi tragedy involving residents.

Minister Sukhai said the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) has received numerous reports of illegal mining talking place in the area, and this has affected the villagers and other legal mining entities. The committee that has been organising these protests has now moved to influence the villagers to “cry foul”, she said.

She explained that the meeting with the villagers was convened in the village, and the mining lottery, the envisaging of a new company on the verge of coming in to the Marudi area, and a planned trip to the Lethem area to demonstrate against the mining block have all been discussed.

Reports are that the ringleaders have recently added the issue of the roads in the community and conduct of the village council as additional items on their agenda.
For some reason, she said, the mining issues in Marudi have had some impact on those persons’ business activities, so they have gone beyond the council’s leadership and have ganged up against the council.

The minister believes that those persons want to move to the Lethem community to demonstrate and call attention to the list of issues they have devised.
She pointed out that the council, the legal authority, is in no way a part of those activities; and if the council has not sanctioned the protest, it is considered illegal, as permission needs to be obtained from the council for any protest to be held.
She emphasized it must be clear that the Aishalton Village Council, which represents the villagers of the area, is not part of this protest. Persons involved in the planned demonstration, the minister believes, are driven more by self-interest, and are using the Amerindian population as pawns in the whole fiasco, and victims in respect to land and mining laws and traditions, when indeed the group is involved in mining and are also enjoying the linkages out of mining.

She said the group has long gone past mere traditional activities and are now planning and engaging in illegal activities, and she is urging them to desist from so doing.