…education, improved working conditions priorities on her agenda

TWO months after being transferred to the Ministry of Natural Resources, Minister Simona Broomes is ready to button her shirt, lace her boots, and move in the Guyana mining sector to bring assistance and order, and just to ensure that in the not-too-distant future the mining sector in Guyana will benefit all the players and will become a model industry.This Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources is quite aware that it is an uphill task, one that she cannot achieve on her own; but for her, the vision of the David Granger Administration is quite clear, and with the leadership of the Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, Minister Broomes is confident that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Initially appointed Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, during her months there, Minister Broomes established herself as a highly effective lead advocate for workers’ rights and a healthy and safe work environment. Her visits to workplaces and engagements with wrongfully dismissed workers have resulted in the righting of a number of wrongs.

President David Granger’s move to re-appoint her to the Ministry of Natural Resources, where her primary responsibilities include providing oversight for the maintenance of best practices in the mining sector, is rooted in the fact that she is a miner and businesswoman by profession.

Noting that she is not afraid to confront any issue, Minister Broomes, who, prior to her entry into mainstream politics was the prime mover behind the creation of the Guyana Women Miners Organization (GWMO), in January 2012, said the claim of conflict of interest when she was appointed to the Ministry was just that — a mere claim. She revealed that the Ministry would have received legal advice on the issue from a lawyer, who made it clear that the issue of conflict of interest does not arise in her instance.

NOT TRUE
Another claim being peddled by some sections of society and the media is that Minister Broomes has mining properties in an Amerindian area, but this is also not true. Minister Broomes told this newspaper that she acquired the land in 2005, and the Amerindian community applied for an extension covering that area in 2013.

“I really don’t want to get into the details, except to say that 90 per cent of the area the community applied for as extension is owned by miners,” the Minister said.

She indicated that both claims are politically motivated, and pointed out that she has served the mining industry at every level, including being a member of the Special Land Use Committee set up by then President, Bharrat Jagdeo.

The Minister does not demur to admit that she was one of the female miners who stood out in the industry, as she was a miner who ensured that she read and understood the regulations, and never ‘rolled over and died’ when faced with an obstacle.

Since moving to the Ministry — and even while she was at the Ministry of Social Protection — Minister Broomes has seen and heard the stories of countless miners during what is called ‘open day’, held every Wednesday.

“I think me being at the Ministry of Natural Resources serves the country well…,” Minister Broomes said in a recent sit-down with the Guyana Chronicle.

At last Wednesday’s open day, she had a particularly poignant moment when a visually-impaired woman walked into the room to tell her story of not being allowed to pay for claims her husband had died and left. The woman, who with the assistance of a granddaughter kept meticulous records, said she almost gave up when a daughter who was overseas returned to fight the matter, but subsequently died due to illness. Surrounded by her relatives, the woman said she saw Minister Broomes as a second chance, and the Minister vowed Winifred Garraway will be assisted; and once it is proven she had been wronged, it would be righted.

“This woman was pushed around several times…it really touched me and caused me to want to be there and do my best… There are several women whose husbands died and left properties and they just lose them because of lack of knowledge, and that is a sad reality,” the Minister told the Guyana Chronicle.

She said plans are in train to have ‘open days’ in the interior locations, so that miners who have difficulty travelling to the City would be given opportunity to have their grievances heard. This, she said, will feed more accurate information and assist the Ministry in making informed policy decisions.

The technical persons from the various agencies, particularly from the GGMC and the Guyana Forestry Commission, will be at those outreaches.

EDUCATION NEEDED
Minister Broomes said the mining industry is at a juncture where education is needed, and that will be a primary focus for her.
“I am pleased to announce that our target and aim of how we will educate persons will be done in a more direct manner; meaning that we will take the education to the fields, which I think was what was lacking for many years,” the Minister said.

She pointed out that miners are not in Georgetown “sitting by waiting for a meeting to be announced”. They are in the fields, and for decades it appeared as if Guyana is about the coastland.

Her aim is to work in conjunction with her colleague, Minister Trotman, to achieve the vision of the Government in the sector. She pointed out that, as Opposition Leader, President Granger would have heard and seen so much about mining; and as the Head of State, he continues to hear and see which brings concern to him.

He wants to see a positive change in the industry, and, Minister Broomes said, with Minister Trotman at her side, it can be done, as all the players in the industry will get on board.

LAND AVAILABILITY
On the issue of making lands available to small miners, Broomes said that, in this area, which was addressed publicly by Minister Trotman, the Ministry will be looking at all the available lands, and the right decisions will be made.

She pointed out that the Ministry cannot inform miners which land has gold, but they will know what land is available and would be given time to prospect the said lands before they even apply.

She warned against miners receiving properties then selling same out and “continue to cry foul that they don’t have mining properties”.

“I think better days are ahead for miners, but they have to be more responsible,” the Minister said as she added that miners cannot “just go on people’s properties and raid, and don’t see a position from GGMC and get your permission to work”.

In the past, there was not such a rush, but “now it is a different time, and you have to step it up”, the Minister said. She pointed out that there are certain basic guidelines that miners must follow, and they must take the steps to safeguard their investments.

“You know the right thing, you do the right thing; and once you do the right thing, you make it easier for yourself. So I would want to encourage miners to do the right thing; and be reminded that mining is not a hustle, mining is a business, and they have to see it as a business and work within the rules and regulations,” the Minister said.

She declared that some miners are fully aware of the regulations, but they continue to flout them, hoping they would be given a pass.
She pointed out that if a miner is breaching the law, she, as a Minister, cannot ask the mines officer not to apply the regulations. “If we do that, then we will be guilty of doing the same things that happened before us,” she stated.

The Ministry is in the process of creating a Compliance Division, which already has a Director in the name of Derrick Lawrence. The Minister made it clear that the division is not about “being police and soldiers and going out there with batons and guns”, but over the years, compliance with mining and forestry regulations has been lax.

FIGHTING TIP
In recent times, and before she was appointed Minister, the primary purpose of Broomes’s GWMO was raising public awareness of the scourge of trafficking in persons (TIP), which is prevalent in Guyana’s gold-mining regions. Under her leadership, the GWMO rescued a number of girls and women who were alleged victims of trafficking. She told this newspaper that she will continue to fight to address this issue.

The Minister noted that TIP falls under the National Task Force headed by the Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, and the Ministry of Social Protection. She pointed out that she is a member of the taskforce, and, as such, will assist in the fight against this crime.