Retired Major General Joseph Singh has resigned as Chairman of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) Board, following strong agitation from the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners’ Association (GGDMA) which expressed no confidence in Singh and said it would not be participating in Mining Week activities had he remained as Chairman.
In a letter dated August 18, 2012, addressed to Minister of Natural Resources and the Environment Robert Persaud and seen by this newspaper, Singh said that he had not been informed that there was the vote of no-confidence against him. “I would not wish to be the excuse for the Association’s non-participation in the Mining Week 2012 activities and also an inhibiting factor in the much needed collaboration between the Association and the Commission and with your Ministry,” he said.
“As a professional who has strived to serve the interests of Guyana and all of its citizens to my utmost ability over the past 48 years of my working life, it is not difficult for me to make this decision to resign from the membership of the Board of the GGMC and as Chairman and I do so with immediate effect,” he said.
He noted that he telephoned GGDMA President Patrick Harding and advised him of the decision to resign and requested that he informs his membership so that the way is cleared for the GGDMA to participate fully in the Mining Week 2012.
A release from the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment today noted that Singh served as the Chairman of the GGMC from April, 2011 with distinction, commitment and integrity.
It said that the strides made under Singh’s leadership in “aligning the mining sector, and more particularly the GGMC for future opportunities and challenges will be consolidated.”
The release said that the Government, the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment and the GGMC will continue to value Singh’s wisdom and experience.
The Ministry said that to ensure the effective and smooth functioning of the Board, a new Chairman of the GGMC will be named, shortly.
Singh recently renewed his engagement at the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company as the Chief Executive Officer. He returned to that role at the end of June following a scandal surrounding payments by GT&T to state broadcaster NCN which resulted in the resignation of the former CEO Yog Mahadeo. This is a challenging position in light of the increasing pressure from Digicel for an end to the telecoms monopoly and stiffer competition for customers. After he resumed his role at GT&T he continued to function as Chairman of the GGMC.
Singh’s role at GGMC had come under the spotlight for two reasons. Critics had said that the Minister of Natural Resources, Robert Persaud had usurped key functions of the regulatory body and had been dictating to it. The public dressing down by Persaud of GGMC Commissioner Karen Livan at a meeting with miners several months ago had been cited as an example where the GGMC appeared ineffectual and did not assert itself in defending Livan.
GGMC had also appeared to embark on a role to end mining of river banks and rivers. The clearest expression of this had been the publishing of a notice by the GGMC saying that no further river mining concessions would be handed out. This sparked an uproar in the mining community and Persaud and the GGMC were later to say that there had only been a suspension of for a review of the situation based on reports of severe pollution by miners. That suspension is now over and saw strident criticism of Singh by the miners association which accused him of taking his environmentalist positions to the GGMC. Singh, prior to his role at the GGMC, had been an ardent spokesperson against the destruction of rivers by miners. He had played an important role in publicizing the severe damage to the Konawaruk River by miners. With the increasingly important role of mining to the economy the miners association has been flexing its muscle on policy positions.
Singh was also recently criticized by members of the public after it had been revealed that he had been one of the highly paid contract employees of the Office of the President where he was said to be advising on a range of matters. At that point it might have appeared to the public that he was receiving three salaries: one from the GGMC, one from GT&T and one from OP. Singh later clarified by way of a letter to the newspaper that he would not be receiving pay while he was at GT&T.
