Dear Editor,
I would like to make a contribution on the issue of miners using the Barama Road going to Waini and government’s proposal/decision on the issue of mining licences and mining claims and blocks in this area and within the area of Barama.
Mining areas like Bartica, Mahdia have been developed and created jobs basically because of mining activities within these areas. Miners from the Essequibo Coast commenced mining at Waini. This was possible by miners using the Onderneeming Sand Pit Road to a road then linked to the Barama Road at Buck Hall.
With this introduction lots of Essequibians who have ventured into mining, and invested millions of dollars, and established mines ventured more into that field by accessing the Barama Road. They can be at home more regularly with their family. For the past few months with the introduction of this area and access road and mining at Waini job creation in Essequibo has risen and business houses benefited a lot too. If that continues Essequibo will develop a lot quicker and people will earn more money. We cannot depend too much on agriculture.
Guyana is ours and foreign companies/investors must compromise and accept that they don’t own Guyana. We can’t go overseas and do those things. I support the miners in this scenario.
Concerning the issuance of mining claims/licences by way of lottery and auction for abandoned claims this will not be good and convenient for miners, it will cause confusion. In the long run what will happen to small and medium scale miners? Only big miners will benefit because in an auction they will be the winner and end up being the owners of claims. They will call the shots in terms of requiring up front payment before issuing permission to mine on their claims.
This whole scenario is building up tension within miners, their families and business people who now rely on mining to create a circulation of dollars. These small miners are the ones who buy locally and spend their hard earned cash locally while those big miners invest elsewhere and don’t do much locally. I invite the government officials to come and visit the Essequibo Coast now and see how many bush trucks are on the coast operating from here to Waini, mechanical shops have re-opened, houses being built, people are living honestly and employment rising all due to mining.
I ask our President to understand that mining is not a new thing in Waini and people have had claims there for twenty years and have invested a lot. Barama must find a reasonable solution.
Yours faithfully,
John Trevor Albert
