Trotman says ministry carefully restoring order in Guyana’s extractive sector

Even under the former government, the Ministry of Natural Resources was already a fairly new creation geared toward managing and protecting the country’s natural wealth. It was identified as needing a technically savvy character to go about articulating the arms of the sector.
As a result, the new A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) government had to be prudent in selecting a calm, calculated, yet forceful mind to fit the bill. But when Minister Raphael Trotman accepted his position from Minister of Governance to Natural Resources, he said that the first thing he noticed was that there existed a sense of “free-for-all”, that persons were starting up mining operations without the requisite permission and many without the required safety and operational know-how.
He said land management was an issue where it was found that some 10 or 12 miners owned or had access to large plots of land, and “… persons wanting to invest had to go to one of them.” Minister Trotman related that this caused disruption in moving the ministry’s work forward since miners were now demanding that the ministry address the situation.
Another issue was the environmental disregard that was being shown by mining operators. Trotman said that the pollution of waterways and the disruption of lives in Hinterland communities saw those residents also complaining about prostitution, drugs and guns coming into their communities. Since the government’s restructured policy, the ministry now focuses on land management, safe, technology, survey and the environment. The Natural Resource minister opined that work is underway to assist miners since many of them go into gold operations without the requisite training.
He said that they invest in particularly the gold industry, without assessing the cost to keep the operation safe and running. These include fuel, maintenance, tailing ponds to help protect the environment and the correct way to construct mining pits to ensure workers’ safety. This particular area had to be immediately addressed especially after a huge mining accident had occurred in Mahdia; one day after President David Granger was sworn in, leaving more than a dozen persons dead.
In the last three to four years ago, when gold price was fairly high, many persons went into gold mining, producing an overwhelming number of applicants at the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC). This caused a lack in the provision of other services such as safety practices and environmental safety. The idea of syndicates thus became necessary one since it was found that it would be easier to address miners attached in this way. These syndicates would allow GGMC to deal with blocks of persons and help in relation to small and medium scale miners directly receiving land.

Pollution
Where Hinterland communities complained about pollution and other issues, the Natural Resource ministry plans to work with them since it was found that some villages would give miners permission to mine, but call in the government when it gets out of hand.
Another area in the extractive industry that needed immediate attention was the logging sector where many complaints emanated over foreign companies dominating the industry. Some Chinese and Indian companies had come in for serious criticisms from the public since they had received land to log, while providing identified benefits to the country, that were never fulfilled. “I had to bring some order to the forestry sector which people had believed had become dominated by foreign companies taking our logs without much accountability,” the minister said.
However, to address these many inefficiencies Minister Trotman said several changes had to be made, including the firing and reshuffling of persons holding senior positions in sectors, such as forestry and gold mining. The addition of Minister within the ministry, Simona Broomes was also a key contribution as she intensely focuses her attention on issues such as safety, labour and human rights, Trotman pointed out. He said since becoming minister, he is proud to have helped in banning Styrofoam containers. The large benefit of refusing the environmentally undesirable material is already being seen. The passage of the Wild Life Bill and the ongoing preparation for the oil and gas sector are areas Trotman said he is personally excited about.
The minister said his ministry does not have all the answers, but has learnt enough so far to ensure a “better grasp and have a better sense of awareness.” Trotman, a former Speaker of the National Assembly, prior to being appointed a minister served as a Member of Parliament since the 1997 elections, and headed several committees. While the minister had provided his service in several civil areas, he engaged in private law. He studied fields such as national security, developmental economics among others. These two particular areas of study are expected to significantly contribute to helping him manage the extractive industry.