The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) will meet with President Donald Ramotar amid widespread concern within the industry about the future of small and medium scale gold and diamond mining.
Officials said that they will communicate to the President their no-confidence in Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud and his management of the sector at the meeting tentatively scheduled for next week.
Over 350 miners attended the GGDMA’s Annual General Meeting at the Regency Suites yesterday and a number of them took the opportunity to air their concerns. There were expressions of no-confidence in Persaud and there were calls as well for Chairman of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), Joe Singh, to go. A pervasive theme throughout the meeting was for miners to unite to face the challenges. In his address, President of the GGDMA Patrick Harding spoke on several of these, including the impending ban of mercury next year as well as the moratorium on processing of river claims.
Persaud’s management of the sector was criticized and in a press statement via the ministry last night, the GGMC said that there is “a high amount of disinformation and scare-mongering about the plans, policies and actions of the Ministry and the Commission and this we intend to actively correct.” A series of meetings with miners in all the mining districts will take place over the next several weeks, the statement said, while defending the steps taken to regulate the sector as well within the Commission’s mandate. The permanent secretary of the ministry and GGMC commissioner Karen Livan were present at yesterday’s meeting.
Global ban
The gold mining industry here uses mercury extensively to purify gold but a global ban on the trading of the chemical, which can harm the environment, is scheduled to take effect in 2013. Alternatives to the use of mercury are being examined though none has yet taken hold widely in the sector. Harding questioned what are the alternatives and the plans for the ministry to mitigate the “pending disaster.” He said that there is no other method of recovering alluvial gold that is practical, safe and efficient for the small and medium scale miner to use. “As long as every gold miner uses a retort, there is no justifiable reason to prevent the use of mercury in alluvial mining in Guyana,” he said.
The GGDMA president said that from next year, they are not certain what is going to happen with regards to the availability of mercury. In relation to alternatives he said that “none of these alternative methods will be ready for 2013.”
In relation to river mining, he said that miners have over the years invested $17 billion in equipment and technology. He said that with new technology the rivers can be mined for at least 30 more years and miners intend to work using these technologies which would ensure minimal damage to rivers. “There is no question that there will not be some environmental displacement in extracting gold and diamonds and, as always, GGDMA will work with the relevant authorities to ensure that environmental displacement is kept at acceptable levels, that will make less of an impact and have better working practices to the benefit of all,” he said.
Auctioning
Harding also pointed out that since 2009, the GGMC has stopped the auctioning of state lands and with the exception of two lotteries, millions of acres of lands with mineral potential have been held up by the state instead of being offered to miners for exploration and development. Illegal mining activities are prevalent on these lands and the state is losing revenue, Harding said, adding that the people who are supposed to ensure that there is no illegal mining are not playing their part.
In relation to mining regulations, Harding said that GGDMA representatives have sat on the government’s Special Land Use Committee for over a year and submitted recommendations for changes to the mining regulations but these are not included in the new mining regulations signed by the minister.
He also declared that the GGDMA is concerned about the increase in crime, violence, murders, trafficking in persons and other illegal activities that have surged in mining communities. He said that although the association has met with the police, their response was that they do not have sufficient ranks to adequately police interior locations. He called for beefed up security and for more to be done in this regard.
Harding said that 2012 will challenge the GGDMA to find solutions to the problems facing the small and medium scale alluvial mining industry and cited the need to find an alternative/recovery system to replace the use of mercury and improvement in the recovery rate of the sluice box, among others.
He noted that the GGDMA has set up a task force for its restructuring including plans for taking the small and medium scale industry forward. Among the main objectives are the restructuring for the development of the industry, a strategic plan for the industry, and strengthening technical support for the industry.
Harding charged that the minister has shown disrespect for the industry and a desk will be set up at the GGDMA that will accept and process any letters of victimization and GGDMA will [protect and represent that miner. A slogan of “One for all and All for one’ was a constant refrain throughout the meeting. Harding emphasized that the industry is too big to fail.
Meantime, president of the Guyana Women’s Miners Association, Simona Broomes was robust in her call for the industry to be vigorously defended. “We want answers now,” she said declaring that the problems were discussed before and are well known. She said that GGMC chairman Singh must go since he was not representing the interest of the sector. Several miners took the opportunity to raise their issues of concern including some of those addressed by Harding.
Disgruntled
Meanwhile, the GGMC in its statement said that it notes that the GGDMA “continues to provide a platform for a few disgruntled persons in the mining sector to attack the Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment, the Chairman and members of the Board of Directors of the GGMC and the Commission.”
The statement said that the ministry and the GGMC remain resolute in the implementation of their mandate, in accordance with the Mining Act and Regulations, to ensure the effective management of the mining sector for the benefit of all stakeholders. “This is the only way there can be profitability and growth of the gold and diamond mining sector. We challenge anyone to show evidence where any step taken to regulate the sector is contrary to the mandate of the Commission,” it said.
“While, we remain firmly committed to close collaboration and even enhanced consultation and dialogue with the mining community, we will not be (intimidated) by the unwarranted attacks by a few individuals who want to manipulate the Commission to serve their own agendas and interests. Claims of lack of consultation and involvement between the regulatory agency and the stakeholders have no basis as there is documented evidence both in the public domain and from the series of meetings held to show (numerous) active and constructive … consultations. These will be made public in the coming period,” the commission said.
“We recognize that there is a high amount of disinformation and scare-mongering about the plans, policies and actions of the Ministry and the Commission and this we intend to actively correct. In this regard, the Minister and a high level team from the Commission will be visiting all the mining districts over the next several weeks to interact with miners and other stakeholders,” it added.
The statement noted too that the ministry has arranged a meeting in the coming week between the GGDMA and the President as well as Persaud to discuss issues of mutual concern and foster a greater working arrangement.
