The Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) is appealing to Linden residents to discontinue blocking traffic flow to the interior and causing damage to the road and bridge network since the social and economic impact is hurting a number of households in Linden and surrounding communities as well as in hinterland villages.
The Region Ten town of Linden up the Demerara River since March 30 has been suffering from poor electricity and water supply stemming from the breakdown of generators at the Linden Power Company.
In spite of contingency efforts with some intermittent improvements to these utilities, the crisis has virtually continued and distressed residents have kept up protests over the situation by blocking roadways and key bridges, affecting the flow of traffic to a number of business locations and communities in the interior.
The GGDMA says it recognises the poor condition in basic services faced by the people of Linden and support their need to have these addressed, but now that residents have gotten national recognition of their plight and the attention of policymakers, they need to focus on more specific measures to solve these problems.
And the Private Sector Commission says that while Lindeners are certainly justified in protesting against the poor supply of electricity and power in their town, the protestors are “shooting themselves in the foot” by preventing Omai Gold Mines Limited moving to and from their mine site in order to keep their mines in operation.
According to the PSC, this is so “simply because approximately half of Omai employees are from Linden and Omai through their parent company, Cambior, are the only viable medium and long term solution to the problems of poor electricity supply and unemployment that the town of Linden presently faces.”
A PSC release argues that after all, it is Cambior which is in the process of investing significantly in the Linmine operations and in the medium term has committed 3 3MW generators to the Linden community.
This will not only guarantee a long-term solution to the electricity supply, but also address the significant unemployment problems in the town, the PSC underlined.
The gold and diamond miners body said in a release that the road blockage has not only affected Omai Gold Mines Limited, but also most small and medium-scale operations have not been able to get supplies and medicine into camps.
“We urge those blocking the road to the interior to bear in mind that the workers in the mining sector and their families are from the region, which is dependent on mining,” the release from GGDMA president Stanislaus Jardine said. He also emphasised that “not only are their livelihoods at risk, but now many workers are sick with malaria and typhoid and need care.”
Jardine also noted that thousands of Linden residents make their living in the hinterland not just as employees but also as itinerant ‘small miners’ without any finances of their own.
Itinerants go to dredging areas where dredge owners take care of them with financial support, food, medicine, transportation and allow them to work gold around camps so continued blocking of the road will first and foremost hurt the families of the region, he pointed out in his appeal.
The social and economic costs of road closure, the release said further, will be felt in the households of Linden and the surrounding communities and it is already being felt in hinterland villages.
The association further underlined its commitment to national development and to working together with policymakers, residents of Linden and communities along the highway to support their livelihood and access to services, including proper and functional roads.
Meanwhile, the PSC also observed that the blocking of the Wismar bridge is not only affecting Omai, but a large number of private sector companies in the gold and diamond mining and forestry sectors where a large number of Lindeners are now employed.
Moreover, such action is also having a significant negative impact on the maintenance and upgrade of the road to Brazil since the company that is contracted to do the job (MMC Group) receives all of its revenue from the use of the road, which at present is non-existent, the PSC said.
The private sector body contends that the continued prolonged protests will have significant negative long-term effects not only on the Linden community, but also all of Guyana. The PSC, citing a budding joint venture between Guyanese and Brazilians in bus transportation between Georgetown and Boa Vista, declared that it “definitely sends negative signals to all existing businesses and potential investors who may consider further or new investments in Guyana in general and specifically in Linden.”
The PSC also remarked on the “unacceptability” of how the problems in Linden was allowed to develop in the first instance and chided the government for not being more proactive in addressing them before they could develop into crisis proportions and bring protest action.
But the release noted that the PSC is encouraged by the visit to Linden by President Bharrat Jagdeo and his subsequent meeting with PNCR leader Robert Corbin and their meetings with community leaders and the protestors in Linden.
“We hope that this initial encounter between the President and Mr. Corbin on the Linden crisis will develop into a meaningful working relationship between the government and the opposition in addressing the many problems facing our country,” the PSC noted optimistically.
President Jagdeo is scheduled to return to the community today.