Dear Editor,
The health risks of the manganese mining venture in Matthews Ridge continues to outweigh the value to be obtained. The company, who has a questionable safety record, continues to be in the lower margin realm for net income and even if we have the better share of the margin gains we will still be receiving a lot of a little. This minuscule amount is far from sufficient to compensate for the human and environmental harm that manganese mining brings to the community of Matthews Ridge. We are already hearing of, and seeing the gross mishandling of mining operations resulting in damages to the environment and infrastructure. In addition, the lack of respect and care for local workers has been raised as a concern this early in the operation and one imagines this lack of regard for workers also extends to the safety and health of the miners. Events of the recent past should be raising alarms within the government and highlight the need for closer monitoring and increased regulation within this mining operation. Dishonesty by the company has also been highlighted and the jobs promised have not materialised.
If we consider the current gains from the Oil & Gas Sector, the proportionate amount to be allocated to the Matthews Ridge area is close to what can be obtained from this dangerous and unhealthy mining operation. Therefore, we must ask ourselves if this operation needs to continue given its high level of risk. I would submit that our unanimous answer should be a resounding ‘no’ and we should immediately start to take steps to shut down this dangerous and unhealthy mining operation. It is clear that if extensive contamination of the water system and the environment occurs that the little money gained from the mining will have to be spent on providing health care for those impacted in the community. This healthcare could extend to future generations and leave us with a mining project whose economic value over its life cycle would have been negative.
Our people are our most important and valuable resource. We must provide leadership that will ensure that their needs, health and safety comes first and foremost when investment decisions are being made.
Sincerely,
Jamil Changlee
Chairman
The Cooperative Republicans of Guyana