Latest update April 19th, 2024 12:59 AM
Apr 20, 2017 News
During the meeting of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources yesterday, Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes was questioned whether there are measures in place to prevent large scale miners from infiltrating mining syndicates.
Also present at the meeting was Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman.
Held in the Parliamentary Chambers, the meeting was made possible following a request for the Natural Resources Ministry to update the Committee on the mining issue of syndicates with small miners; on the oil and gas Industry in Guyana and the status of Chinese logging company Baishanlin and its operations in Guyana.
Following the presentation by Minister Broomes on the mining syndicates, Member of the Committee, Odinga Lumumba asked whether there is an income analysis which is done to ascertain whether someone qualifies to obtain membership in a syndicate.
He went further to ask if billionaires in Guyana can become members of syndicates. Broomes said that once a person is a Guyanese they have rights protected by the Constitution of Guyana allowing them to engage in mining as an economic activity.
However, Lumumba said, “My understanding of a syndicate is to assist small miners or the small people. If you are a billionaire, you should be able to go on the open market and bid for land or purchase land like anybody else.”
He said that the syndicate programme can only make sense if it is limited to the small miners and as a result, a part of the system should be a well-defined limit concerning economic capacity.
Lumumba said that without a limit, eventually the syndicates will be dominated by large miners from whom the programme is intended to protect small miners.
However, Broomes said that persons can only become members of syndicates if they own no more than 10 blocks of mining land.
She said, “To prevent them (small miners) from being overrun or overruled by the larger miners, there are provisions in there for that, and the syndicates are well aware.”
She said that the persons that comprise the 15 syndicates which have since been formed are small miners who operate the regular four-inch dredges. Further, she said that the syndicates are required to submit the names of its members and the equipment that they own.
Lumumba said that he supports those measures, but insisted that to protect the small miners, there should be fixed rules and regulations stating clearly that if a person is above a certain income level, he or she cannot be a part of a syndicate.
“It doesn’t make sense having a miner in a syndicate who has the capacity to own 10 dredges and six Hymacs (excavators). He is going to dominate the syndicate at some point in time and there goes the small miners off the floor.”
He stressed the point that government must ensure that the syndicates remain solely for small miners. He suggested that the equipment used in the operations of the syndicate should be owned by the group and not individuals, since those who own the machinery can attempt to dominate the syndicate.
With that point made, Broomes said that it must be understood that the creation of the syndicates is government’s response to a plight expressed by small miners who already had their equipment parked with no land to work.
She assured the committee that provisions are in place to ensure that the syndicates are not overrun or used as any machine or vehicle to only benefit certain persons. Broomes encouraged Lumumba and members of the Committee to feel free to offer their suggestions and ideas in the future, since the process is open.
In her presentation on syndicates, Minister Broomes defined a syndicate to mean a group of people coming together to overcome their different challenges that they face in the mining sector.
Broomes informed the Committee that gaining membership in a syndicate is not the only way persons can get access to mining lands. She said that there are other avenues such as the lottery and auctions.
Broomes also told the Committee that syndicates were created to answer the plight of small miners not having sufficient access to mining land and being subjected to bullyism by larger miners, whereby they would be forced off of mining land belonging to larger miners after finding considerable gold and diamond. The initiative is considered to be the answer to the issue of landlordism within the mining industry.
Please share this to every Guyanese including your house cats.
Apr 19, 2024
SportsMax – West Indies Women’s captain Hayley Matthews delivered a stellar all-round performance to lead her team to a commanding 113-run victory over Pakistan Women in the first One Day...Kaieteur News – For years, the disciples of Bharrat Jagdeo have woven a narrative of economic success during his tenure... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]