Strange support for Barama

Strange support for Barama
Guyana Chronicle, 30 October 2007

I find it very strange that some individuals, groups and political
parties are so supportive of Barama Company in light of the recent
investigation that found the company guilty of several forestry
breaches.

All of a sudden, this company has become ‘victim’ and it is the
forestry commission under scrutiny.
One may wonder why? If no action was being taken by government or the
forestry commission about the situation, it would have been another
scenario. The skeptics would have been screaming rape of our forests by
Asian companies.

So where are those persons who were campaigning in the newspapers
against unsustainable forestry practices especially by some of the
foreign companies?

Why are they not standing out in support of the GFC’s action to have
the companies found guilty of breaching the GFC’s guidelines, pay the
necessary compensation?

It therefore appears to me that these public campaigns are not exactly
focused on sustainable forestry, but rather these individuals or groups
are obsessed with the work of the Commission.

We must give recognition to the work of the GFC and the government of
Guyana for the many actions that have been taken especially in recent
years to protect, conserve and allow for sustainable development of our
forest resources.

Time and time again, Guyana has been lauded by various international
agencies for its good forestry practices and we must agree that while
there are few weaknesses, a lot of corrective remedies have been
applied.

So we all should be supportive of further actions to ensure that Guyana
maintain its forestry standards and pursue greater achievements.
A. WONG