Even after a late night confirmation on his availability to address the commissioning ceremony of the US$120 million Kiln #15 and Metallurgical Grade Bauxite (Maz) Project of the BOSAI Minerals Group (Guyana) (BMGG) Inc, l Chairman of Region 10, Deron Adams, said he was removed from the programme.
He opined that it was a clear case of the PPP/C government attempting to muzzle leaders from the Region. Incoming Mayor of Linden and former Region 10 Chairman, Sharma Solomon, also shared similar views and said the organisers of the event spoiled an excellent opportunity to repair relations between the local and central governments.
Despite these claims, BOSAI Public Relations Officer Sherry Domer when contacted by the Sunday Stabroek in a terse reply said, “BOSAI does not wish to make a comment.”
Adams, in a live Facebook video on Friday said he was shocked to learn his address which was scheduled for 9:15 am was taken off the programme. “It was a quick deviation from it being necessary for elected officials to deliver remarks… to them being informed the programme was amended and we are no longer going to giving remarks,” he said.
A letter posted on Facebook by Adams and seen by this newspaper showed that he was invited to deliver remarks at the commissioning by BOSAI General Manager Eric Wu.
“It is with great pleasure that the Management and Staff of Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Inc., extend to you a formal invitation to attend the commissioning ceremony of Kiln #15 and the launching of the MAZ Project. The event is scheduled for Friday, July 7, 2023, at 09:30 hrs in the Bauxite Plant, Kiln #15 Site which is located in Mackenzie, Linden, Guyana. Kindly be informed that it will be necessary for you to provide remarks,” Wu said in his letter to Adams on July 1st.
In his address which was later posted online, he said he viewed the commissioning of the new bauxite kiln as an indicator of the improved fortunes of Linden’s residents.
“Continued development in the bauxite sector could only mean good things for our community if it is done responsibly and safely. As such, I would like to commend the management and staff of BOSAI Minerals for this investment, which I am sure will provide greater economic benefits to their principals and to Lindeners as well,” he added.
According to him, the new technology and the employment of machinery such as wet scrubbers and dust collectors, is an illustration that every consideration is being given to the safe and sustainable operation of this project.
“Be assured that the Regional Democratic Council will continue to monitor these developments on behalf of our constituents, and pledge to work in partnership with the company to encourage good community relations as we address these concerns, as we continue to discharge our responsibilities as elected representatives of the people of Region 10,” he emphasised.
Meanwhile, Solomon yesterday told the Sunday Stabroek that the leaders of the community value the relations they have built with BOSAI in the community. However, he stated whatever transpired at the event was a clear case of political interference.
Nonetheless, he explained that they interacted with BOSAI officials and the Chinese Ambassador to Guyana, Guo Haiyan on the sidelines of the event. During that interaction, he said that he along with current mayor Waneka Arrindell, and Adams, offered their congratulations to the company and pledged to maintain their good working relations.
He noted also that when they arrived at the event, he observed a large majority of the audience to be candidates and activists of the PPP/C. In light of this, Solomon said he decided to leave before President Irfaan Ali, who commissioned Kiln and the Maz, took the podium.
“I felt it was best to leave because of the audience and it felt like he was going to address his comrades,” he explained.
Local leaders
According to Solomon, he thought that it was important as local leaders that they have an understanding of BOSAI’s position in the community, how the kiln will solve the dust pollution issue in township, and China’s government’s views on the BOSAI investment in the region.
“We were satisfied with what we heard so I decided to leave and I informed the Regional Chairman and they followed behind. We are okay with the President wanting to speak with his party comrades. The issues relating to us were addressed by the General Manager and Chinese Ambassador,” he stressed.
As an elected leader, Solomon explained that he wants to have an idea of the future of the company in the township, the possibilities it offers for employment, how the new kiln will address dust pollution, whether it is the final installation, and if not, what was the company next move to deal with the dust pollution.
The incoming mayor stated that these were pertinent questions to be addressed since the issue of dust pollution is a decades-long one and many residents have since developed respiratory issues.
Additionally, the Mayor and Regional Chairman also raised concerns that reporters from Region 10 were locked out from the event. They eventually assisted in escorting the reporters into event. INFO10 reported that it and Kaieteur News were not allowed in and were told that only state-owned NCN would be allowed to enter.
The kiln #15 and Maz Project is expected to operate at 1.5 times the capacity of its predecessor and create some 500 direct job opportunities for Guyanese.
President Ali in his address called the bauxite project by the Chinese company a “massive investment” while highlighting his Government’s commitment to ensuring its viability.
Haiyan, in her remarks highlighted the importance of occupational health and safety, environmental protection, and climate change, and noted that Chinese companies are encouraged to fully abide by Guyana’s laws and to operate in good faith.
A recent report into the death of a bulldozer operator at BOSAI faulted the company and the Ministry of Labour over the failure to ensure safety at the Linden bauxite operations. Recommendations made have also not been addressed.
“The primary cause… was BMGG’s failure to conduct a risk assessment of the reclamation dump construction methodology. The risk assessment would have identified the possibility of liquefaction simply based on the stratigraphy of the dump and the consequences associated with a highly impermeable layer underlying a loose granular soil with no ability to dissipate ground and surface water inflows into the granular layer. Another contributory factor is BMGG’s failure to address geotechnical engineering/ groundwater hydrology issues in its operations,” the report seen by the Stabroek News stated.
