Miners have operated at Waini for 20 years, Barama must find a reasonable solution with their road

http://www.stabroeknews.com/index.pl/article?id=56530575


Miners have operated at Waini for 20 years, Barama must find a
reasonable solution with their road
Stabroek News, Monday, October 8th 2007

Dear Editor,

I would like to make a contribution on the issue of miners using the
Barama Road going to Waini and government's proposal/decision on the
issue of mining licences and mining claims and blocks in this area and
within the area of Barama.

Mining areas like Bartica, Mahdia have been developed and created jobs
basically because of mining activities within these areas. Miners from
the Essequibo Coast commenced mining at Waini. This was possible by
miners using the Onderneeming Sand Pit Road to a road then linked to
the Barama Road at Buck Hall.

With this introduction lots of Essequibians who have ventured into
mining, and invested millions of dollars, and established mines
ventured more into that field by accessing the Barama Road. They can be
at home more regularly with their family. For the past few months with
the introduction of this area and access road and mining at Waini job
creation in Essequibo has risen and business houses benefited a lot
too. If that continues Essequibo will develop a lot quicker and people
will earn more money. We cannot depend too much on agriculture.

Guyana is ours and foreign companies/investors must compromise and
accept that they don't own Guyana. We can't go overseas and do those
things. I support the miners in this scenario.

Concerning the issuance of mining claims/licences by way of lottery and
auction for abandoned claims this will not be good and convenient for
miners, it will cause confusion. In the long run what will happen to
small and medium scale miners? Only big miners will benefit because in
an auction they will be the winner and end up being the owners of
claims. They will call the shots in terms of requiring up front payment
before issuing permission to mine on their claims.

This whole scenario is building up tension within miners, their
families and business people who now rely on mining to create a
circulation of dollars. These small miners are the ones who buy locally
and spend their hard earned cash locally while those big miners invest
elsewhere and don't do much locally. I invite the government officials
to come and visit the Essequibo Coast now and see how many bush trucks
are on the coast operating from here to Waini, mechanical shops have
re-opened, houses being built, people are living honestly and
employment rising all due to mining.

I ask our President to understand that mining is not a new thing in
Waini and people have had claims there for twenty years and have
invested a lot. Barama must find a reasonable solution.

Yours faithfully,

John Trevor Albert