GOVERNMENT in a bid to better understand what is taking place in the mining sector, plans to meet with medium and small-scale miners weekly to address various issues affecting the industry, which contributes 10 percent to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).In making a commitment to enhance the mining sector, Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection Simona Broomes, Governance Minister Raphael Trotman who has oversight of the mining sector and Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) officials will be listening, investigating and promoting best practices to enhance the sector.
Broomes, who met with several miners at GGMC’s Brickdam Office yesterday, said it was the opinion of small miners that the previous administration had entertained only large-scale miners and neglected others.
She said she and the Governance Minister had agreed to set aside time to meet with those miners to listen to various issues affecting them and decide how government could assist.
Noting that documentation was done on all matters and each would be addressed on its own merit, Minister Broomes said government was committed to serving the people, as many issues had not been addressed under the previous administration.
“Persons with various issues will have them addressed within a specified timespan, and the way forward will be dealt with since we cannot operate as if we know it all,” she underscored. “When it is agreed upon, miners will know of a designated time and day that they can meet with the minister to have their concerns addressed.”
The minister, who is passionate about reducing and possibly eliminating social ills in the mining sector, said, there was a specific matter that was being addressed whereby a small-scale miner was being taken advantage of after following all procedures in conducting his business.
Noting that it was a case of landlordism, which is a practice whereby the holders of mining licences would rent their lands to smaller miners in return for a percentage of proceeds from the activities. However the regulations reportedly do not cater for such a practice
“The small-scale miner received permission from GGMC to work lawfully on a plot of land, however, the Act does not make provision for persons who don’t have property and are working on someone else’s land.”
She said in giving an example: “Now you’re a miner, you go to work on somebody’s property and there is a procedure, you apply to GGMC with the owner and GGMC gives you approval and in spite of that, if the man wakes up tomorrow and says he don’t want you there, the same GGMC comes to enforce and to say to you that you cannot be there. The only redress for small miners in such an instance is [the] court.”
Minister Broomes explained that with more consultation, the Mining Act will be amended, since the victim of the abuse even received an injunction from the court. Nevertheless, the owner of the land still abused, shot at and destroyed the small-scale miner’s operation.
“Another complaint was that the police didn’t deal with the matter sufficiently, and then the small-scale miner becomes suicidal because of the amount of money he lost amounting to over $60M. It’s as if the miner had no rights,” the minister emphasised.
She explained that all the relevant stakeholders and ministries would be making representation to ensure advantage is not taken of small-scale miners.
In advancing the mining sector, government last month granted small and medium-scale miners fuel-tax concessions, for which they have been clamouring to keep their businesses afloat.
This came about through the signing of agreements in the Ministry of Finance’s boardroom between the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), the Finance Ministry and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners’ Association (GGDMA).
Based on an agreement signed by the administration, small and medium-scale miners will now benefit from duty-free concessions on imported equipment, and a 40% tax reduction on fuel from a high of 50%. Miners are now required to pay only 10%.
One executive member noted that the association was pleased that the APNU+AFC government had made good on its promise.
It was during the lead-up to the May 11 elections that the APNU+AFC coalition had pledged to alleviate some of the challenges facing the mining industry;challenges that were considered to have been sidelined by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) despite the sterling contributions made by the industry to the country’s economy.