A group of APNU Members of Parliament was today blocked from entering the Marudi Settlement in Region 9 as part of an outreach to investigate concerns of residents in the gold mining communities.

APNU Parliamentary lead, Dr. Terrence Campbell, along with MPs Sherod Duncan, Saiku Andrews and Sharma Solomon, said they were on their way to visit their constituents in the area when they were blocked, and told that permission must be obtained before they could be given access to the communities in Marudi.

In a live broadcast on social media after being blocked from entering the area, MP Campbell contacted the Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, Newell Dennison, seeking permission to enter the area.

However, the GGMC Commissioner said the permission should have been sought earlier from the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources.

Campbell said while the Opposition MPs were blocked from entering the area, several Brazilian miners were allowed access to the area without questions being asked.  

“What is more offensive is that you can see the Brazilians have the authority to come into the Murudi settlement, they live in here and enjoying the best of Guyana. While we were here we get a fair understanding of why we are not being allowed to visit, I understand that at Murudi, the rights to mine have been taken over by two Guyanese and they have invited Brazilian criminals whom I understand are wanted by the Brazilian government and soon as we arrive they saw us on the camera and passed instructions for us not to enter,” Campbell stated.

Dr. Campbell said over the last several days, the APNU team has visited several other mining areas and did not encounter any issue with gaining access. He questioned whether there was something to hide in the Marudi area.  

Earlier this month, the APNU raised concerns over what it called, the Government’s move to seek approval from the Toshaos from the District for a lease to mine gold in the Marudi Mountain area.

The Marudi Mountain area has been a source of contention in recent years with residents there raising concern that their livelihood was at risk due to mining in the area.

Mining activities have been continuing, despite the official dissolution of the Rupununi Miners Association (RMA) Co-operative Society Limited, which previously held the permit. 

Campbell said he suspects that the APNU team was blocked from the area because of the fear that they might unearth corrupt activities.

“We were told here that more than US$5m day in gold is being smuggled out  of here and perhaps that is what they don’t want us to see, I understand that there is even a Brazilian city behind there where all the Brazilian lives, this is a rape of the Guyanese economy that is taking place behind here and they do not want us to go behind there so that we become aware of the rape that is taking place here,” Campbell said.

Meanwhile, APNU Member of Parliament, Saiku Andrews, said the planned visit to Marudi was at a request of the party’s constituents who wanted to highlight their issues of concern.

“Now, here we are, we presented ourselves, we identified ourselves and let the officer in charge know that we are here to visit our constituents and to see what is going on. We let them know that we have no interest in the mines, we have no interest in all of these things we need to talk to our constituents,” Mr. Andrews said.

The Opposition MPs believe that they should have been granted access to the mining area as they have been making representation on behalf of the people in the communities.

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