Small miners intensify calls for sacking of top GGMC officials

– to continue protest action today

Emotions flared as the small miners continued their fight for lands to mine and renewed their calls for the sacking of Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) top officials, as they continued their protest in front of the GGMC Brickdam office.
They are also pleading with the Government to intervene as soon as possible. The small miners are contending that they are being neglected by the GGMC and are accusing the organisation of being corrupt, hence calling for the sacking of acting Commissioner, Newell Dennison and his Technical Adviser, Donald Singh. The miners allege that they have been unable to mine for years since their applications are not being looked at.
“We in the mud day and night, with cassava bread and butter, fighting to feed our kids and give our children a better life and the ‘big boys’ them in GGMC, soon as a gold bore them get some big friend and the land suddenly become them own, all the time they deh in big fancy bed, AC and nice bed and never see what the bush look like. All the ‘big boys’ we calling ayo come join we in the jungle and let you see what we does go through day and night, toiling in the mud and you only want hear a gold bore and suddenly is ayo one,” a very upset Juliet Parsram lamented.
Berbice small miner, Lloyd Moore, said they are fighting for fairness noting that they feel discriminated against by the GGMC. He called for immediate action to be taken by President David Granger or Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, to assist in alleviating the sufferings of the small miners.
“We expect fairness, a level playing field for everyone, we trust that the authorities, the Minister and the President should intervene so that at least it can alleviate the unemployment that is presently existing in Berbice,” he said.
Moore said the impact of the level of unemployment is vast with various sectors being affected.
Secretary of the National Small Miners Association, Leon Moses, called on the Government to look into the condition of the Piruni, Region Seven, road. “The rainy season and the roads have deteriorated very badly this year; trucks cannot pass, goods and ration cannot get through between Itabali and Piruni crossing. Small miners are suffering, the industry in that area have come practically to a standstill, people take three or four days to traverse the road and what we are saying we are calling on the authorities, we are calling on the Government to do something and fix this road,” he said.
He added that Government should change the contractors if they are not up to the challenge to maintain the roads that are essential to the mining community.
The small miners will continue their protest today at the same location.