…want meeting with President to straighten out issues

THE National Mining Syndicate believes that a meeting with President David Granger will bring an end to many of the problems facing the body.

Speaking at a press conference held on Wednesday, President of the group, Renwick Solomon, told reporters that while small-scale miners are appreciative of the efforts made by the administration to ensure that they have lands to mine, the process is being frustrated by several within the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

Many miners are of the opinion that the Minister of Natural Resources is not pushing for them to receive the lands with alacrity. Solomon said there is lack of “proper coordination” relative to dealing with the body of syndicates, which results in the beneficiaries being frustrated.
“We would have applied for some land within the closed area, which has a closed area committee that deals with these lands. Thus far, the majority of syndicates that have applied for land were not granted the licence to operate in full compliance with government regulations on these lands,” he stated.

Solomon said the National Mining Syndicate has made its concern public many times, but nothing has been done thus far to alleviate the frustration.
“This is a bread-and-butter issue. Many families are depending on us and these decisions affect many lives. We expect this matter could be dealt with by the GGMC in a timely manner. Give it some sort of expedience. I know there is a system and rules by which to go by.”

A frustrated Solomon, who has been a miner for a number of years, said hundreds of dredges have been parked and noted that small miners are obeying the law by not mining without permission from the GGMC.
However, on Friday, Solomon told the Guyana Chronicle that he wrote Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman outlining the plight of the small miners within the syndicates.
Solomon also requested a meeting with Trotman, who agreed to the meeting pending a report from the GGMC’s Land Management Division.

BORROWED STAFF
Additionally, the Guyana Chronicle understands that the Land Management Division of the GGMC has staff constraints, and as such, borrowed staff from other departments to work on the documentation for the syndicates.
It is expected that by May 29, the same date, the Closed Area Committee is expected to meet; all documentation would be ready for approval or otherwise.
Meanwhile, former parliamentarian under the People’s National Congress (PNC), Judith David Blair, who is also president of the Karrau Mining Syndicate, spoke of the plight of members of the Berbice Mining Syndicate.
That group has applied to the Ministry of Natural Resources for permission to mine at Parish Peak, located in the Upper Berbice area. Minister Trotman informed the group that permission has been denied for them to mine there as the land has been reserved for conservation.

The letter dated May 10 and sent to the Berbice Mining Syndicate by Minister Trotman, said that the application made for the Berbice Mining Syndicate to be granted permission to explore mining lands at Parish Peak, Canister Falls, located in Mining District 1 after “careful review and consideration, I have been advised not to permit mining in the area and to have it remain as a reserve. You are accordingly invited to submit an application for other lands that may be available.”
The letter was copied to President David Granger, Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources, Joslyn Mc Kenzie and Commissioner GGMC Newell Dennison.

INCONSISTENT
But Blair believes that the decision is inconsistent. According to her, there are 58 mining licences and operations in that area and she believes if restrictions are going to be placed on the Berbice Mining Syndicate, then there is need for same to be put on all operating in that area.

“We cannot understand that a letter is sent to the syndicate saying they are not being favoured for the lands… but still have people working the lands doing logging and mining,” said Blair, who noted that there is involvement by a number of players who prefer to benefit from the area, said to be mineral-rich.
“We are tired and fed up of these people who are trying to make demands against the small people for bigger people…trying to oppress the small miners,” the passionate miner of 15 years stated.

Blair made it clear that dredges have been parked for far too long and something must be done to alleviate the struggles of small miners.
“We are asking for a meeting with the President of this country,” she said.
Meanwhile, Solomon said the Berbice Mining Syndicate does not have many options available to it and believes that a small portion of the land requested by the syndicate can be allocated to the miners.

“If they don’t want to give us all lands in Parish Peak, maybe just a small portion to come to a compromise — it would be really hard for the Berbice people to go somewhere else,” said Solomon, who added: “I am not saying that we must get every land we apply for… but natural justice must be considered alongside our natural patrimony which is for everybody.”