Businessman Stanley Ming is tipped to be the new Board Chairman of the strife-ridden Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), sources say.
A new board has been selected pending approval on Tuesday by Cabinet even as Commissioner of the agency, Rickford Vieira awaits a decision on his fate.
“As for a new board, those names have been finalised and it will be approved by Cabinet meeting next Tuesday,” newly-appointed Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman told a press conference last Wednesday. He did not reveal any names.
The last board’s tenure came to an end on December 31, 2015.
While he remained tightlipped about the composition of the new board, Trotman said that some of the old members will also be a part of it as there “is always a need for some degree of continuity.”
Stabroek News was told by reliable sources that while Ming is tipped to replace Clinton Williams as Chairman, long serving member Tom Dalgety has also been retained along with the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) representatives.
When Trotman was asked for an update on Vieira, he said that when he receives Vieira’s performance evaluation report a decision will be made.
“I was written to, as reported before, by the board to say that they had lost confidence in him. I was then asked to act on that. I have since done so by asking him to remain on while I have a performance evaluation conducted. Based on that evaluation, which has been sought and I am yet to receive before the end of this month, I will make a decision to cabinet one way or the other,” he explained.
The GGDMA had last year written Trotman informing of their no confidence in Williams following his push for government to fire Vieira.
There had been ongoing strife at the GGMC, with Williams as then Chairman, coming in for strong public criticism over the board’s advancing of a no-confidence motion against Vieira. It was exacerbated when details of Williams’ spending as Chairman were made public coupled with other alleged transgressions.
Vieira was among four senior GGMC officials who were facing dismissal via the board and Williams had said some decisions were being contemplated following internal inquiries and a systems review.
The then board proposed that recommendations be forwarded to the government, which included having the Manager of the Mines Division transferred to the Guyana Mining School and Training Centre to serve as a teacher as they believed that he did not understand his current duties or what was expected of him.
A recommendation was also made for the Manager of the Geological Services Division to be sent to teach at the Mining School as he had been operating in a capacity “above his competence and expertise.”
As for Vieira, some members of the group said he should be fired immediately and acting Commissioner Newell Dennison should replace him.
Their charge against Vieira was that he acted in dereliction of his duties as regards mines safety concerns and the provision of support to officers in the field. He was also being accused of bringing the board into disrepute by disagreeing with and disassociating himself from the board and its decisions in a public place.
Stabroek News understands that the disagreement related to Vieira objecting to the controversial pre-election plan to transfer over $3 billion in funds from the autonomous agency to the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) last year.
The scheme by the then People’s Progressive Party/Civic government was declared ultra vires and null and void by acting Chief Justice Ian Chang last May after a legal challenge was mounted by the WPA’s Desmond Trotman.
Sources say from then on relations between Williams and Vieira took a turn for the worse.
Further, the board alleged that Vieira had disregarded its lawful instructions.
Vieira has said that he has confidence that government would undertake a thorough and impartial investigation and therefore has opted to the media about the ongoing investigation. He believes that in the end he would be vindicated.
