The woes of small miners

Dear President Granger,
FOR the past 23+years, this one year of your government, small miners have continued to suffer from the continued corruption at GGMC; bullyism by gun criminals who claim to be miners; and exploitation by landlords, to name a few scenarios.Mr. President, there is a particular large-scale miner who owns the most lands in Guyana, and for decades he has continued to exploit small miners and workers. I pen this letter in tears, because I am one of the miners who are suffering because of the said miner, who gives permission to work at Puruni; who collects monthly rentals; and with the same attitude has 100+ small miners parked because he is demanding an increase of rental to seven ounces of gold, work or no work.

Mr. President, we still await a process to have land allocated to us to work. Instead, after the meeting with Minister Trotman at the Conference Centre, where the situation was made clear to him, we are now faced with a process which brings even more distress to small miners. This process is one in which you are made to fill an application form as if you are about to attend university; then you are left to wait for months; then you have to travel from as far as Port Kaituma to Georgetown to attend a 6pm meeting with celebrities, which is called The Close Area Committee.

Why are we at this time operating as if we are begging for a piece of land? And may I remind you that this land is state-owned land? It is wrong! Wrong! And it is the worst ever condition we have had to endure. I pen this letter because it seems that the only hope we have is the hope of death (debt?), and it brings tears to my eyes. Is this the good life we are speaking about?
Regards,
MR. MANGAL