A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) executive member with shadow responsibility for Public Works and
Transportation, Joseph Harmon, is contending that the concerns that the Amerindians have over the Chinese company Bai Shan Lin having logging concessions on their land title, is a legitimate one.
Amerindian leaders of communities along the Rewa and Essequibo Rivers in Region Nine are demanding to know the nature, location and scale of proposed logging concessions for Bai Shan Lin.
They want the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) to “cease forthwith” any further processing of the Bai Shan Lin permit.
Their demand is contained in a letter sent to the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) following a meeting in the village of Maruranau.
According to Harmon, APNU had asked for the information concerning the operations of Bai Shan Lin to be provided to the National Assembly. “We have asked for that and all this information the Minister has to provide us with.”
He said that the Amerindian communities have a right for consideration over licences “which can actually touch and concern over areas they have title.”
Harmon is arguing that Government should not wait until the information has to be presented in Parliament for it to be released. It should be divulged to the Amerindian communities so that they can know if they will be affected by the actions of the Chinese company. He said he is willing to lend his voice to that cause.
“They should’ve consulted with the communities before, if these permits were likely to affect the villages. These people should have known and the fact that they don’t know is saying to me that the Forestry Commission is not doing its work properly,” said Harmon.
According to Harmon, they would know “so all of these things about the permit and the environmental work which has to be done, the community should be consulted once they are likely to be affected.
“You don’t have to wait until then because Bai Shan Lin will feel they have a legitimate expectation to be granted this permit once they have satisfied the requirement.”
“You can’t grant a legitimate expectation when the constitution and a land right is going to be affected in that way,” said Harmon.
On Monday, Commissioner of Forests, James Singh, confirmed that Bai Shan Lin has two state forest permits, one of which is located in Region Nine. But the 17 communities of South Central and Deep South Rupununi, claim that they were not informed of the move.
From the information they have received, the village leaders said that they are concerned that the proposed concession may affect their traditional lands and natural resources within proposed land title extension areas for the Wapishiana people.
The proposed concession area in Region Nine spans over 150,000 hectares. The Amerindian communities are demanding that the Forestry Commission meet with them and share all maps and other relevant information pertaining to the proposed concession.