THERE is a legitimate place for the scrap-metal trade in Guyana’s economy. It creates employment, supports small and micro businesses, generates foreign exchange, and contributes to recycling and environmental preservation. The Ministry of Tourism, Industry and Commerce itself recognises those benefits through the Scrap Metal Unit, which exists to regulate the sector and support what it describes as a “clean” trade.
But there must also be a line, and that line is crossed when public infrastructure becomes a source of inventory.
The recent theft of copper cable from the Demerara River Bridge should trouble every Guyanese, not simply because of the value of the material stolen, but because of what such acts represent. Public infrastructure is built with taxpayers’ money, and exists to serve the entire country. When copper is stripped from a bridge, utility installation or other national asset, the loss is not confined to a government agency. The public ultimately pays twice: once to build the infrastructure, and again to repair what has been vandalised.
That is why the Government’s warning to the scrap-metal trade is justified.
The Ministry has made clear that no licensed dealer will be allowed to purchase, receive, sell or facilitate illegally obtained copper, and that any licensed operator found doing so faces cancellation of their licence, and prosecution. It has gone further, warning that if illegal practices continue, the State is prepared to shut down the scrap-metal trade altogether.
That should not be viewed as hostility towards legitimate businesses. In fact, the opposite is true. A regulated industry cannot survive if illegal operators are allowed to undercut responsible dealers by purchasing material with no questions asked. The Guyana Metal Recyclers Association has itself stressed that the persons linked to the recent bridge cable theft were not registered dealers and has called for stronger enforcement against unregistered operators.
The law already provides considerable regulatory authority. The Old Metal Dealers Act requires registration and licensing, provides for inspection of businesses, and allows the Minister to suspend the export of old metal. The Scrap Metal Unit also monitors the legitimate acquisition and transportation of material, requires 24-hour CCTV surveillance at registered yards, and oversees container loading for export.
Those safeguards exist for a reason.
A dealer should know who is selling copper, where it came from, and whether there is a reasonable explanation for its possession. A length of specialised cable, utility equipment or material obviously associated with public infrastructure should immediately raise questions. Profit cannot become an excuse for looking the other way.
Guyana is investing billions of dollars in bridges, electricity systems, telecommunications, roads and other infrastructure as the country modernises. Those assets must be protected with the same seriousness with which they are being built.
There is room for a thriving scrap-metal industry in modern Guyana, but there is no room for an industry that becomes a ready market for stolen national assets.
The Government is, therefore, right to put the sector on notice. Legitimate operators have nothing to fear from stronger enforcement. Indeed, they should welcome it, because protecting public infrastructure and protecting the reputation of lawful businesses are ultimately part of the same task.