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PM ADVISORS RED-MARKED

GRCLC PRESS | September 21, 2016


Gold Ridge LOs lash out at Sogavare’s counsels
WHILST appreciating the Prime Minister’s response, Gold Ridge Community leaders’ spokesman Dick Douglas said landowners no longer have trust and confidence on Government advisors.
“The Prime Minister has been ill-advised by his advisors and this has taken toll on many of the Gold Ridge Mine issues,” Douglas lashed out.
Mr Douglas was responding to a statement from the OPMC Press stating that with the significant potential that Gold Ridge can offer to the national economy does not warrant the government turning a back on the gold ridge project and neglecting the call of the landowners from the Gold Ridge community to continue dialogue.
Gold Ridge landowners, through the legitimate body Gold Ridge Community and Landowners Council [GRCLC] that represents the 16 tribal owners of Gold Ridge mine, had requested three meetings with the Prime Minister in a span of one month but were all turned down.
The Gold Ridge delegation, consisting of paramount chiefs, Principal landowners and the Gold Ridge Community and Landowners [GRCLC] wanted to meet with the Prime Minister to follow up on the promises that the Prime Minister made to the chiefs and people of Gold Ridge shortly after he became PM.
“Whilst we appreciate the support and assurance made by the Prime Minister, a meeting with the Prime Minister is important to fully brief him about the real issues of Gold Ridge, including our royalties that have been misappropriated by Government officials who acted outside of the regulations [2011] in the Mines and Minerals Act,” Dick Douglas said.
Douglas told this paper that apart from the long outstanding Gold Ridge royalty issue, all other issues pertaining to the reopening of Gold Ridge are being pushed around by the PM’s sectoral advisor.
“The Prime Minister needs to be fully briefed and listen to our side of the story because we have evidence that numerous advices to the Prime Minister about the mine’s reopening have been cooked up by so-called sectoral advisors.
“We simply want to tell the Prime Minister that the outstanding royalty issue needs a political will to resolve it, thus we want to go and have a dialogue with the PM to propose a cabinet paper so that cabinet deliberate and decide on it.
“This misappropriated royalty issue as everyone knows is a long outstanding one, yet my people continued to show patience and continue to wait patiently on PM Sogavare to fulfil his assurance to us that money is available to settle the misappropriated royalties,” he revealed.
Douglas also pointed out that requests to meet the Prime Minister prior to landowners taking over ownership of the Gold Ridge Mine was easier compared to after landowners owned the GRML through a partnership arrangement.
“There is something fishy going on, therefore as custodians of the land and resources of Gold Ridge mine that has contributed significantly to the development of this country, we have the right to meet with the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands to express our views and find a way forward,” Douglas added.
In a statement last week, Douglas said the action by the Prime Minister is very disrespectful towards the paramount Chiefs and leaders of the 16 tribes of Gold Ridge communities.
“It now seems that the Prime Minister is only entertaining selective groups of people who have his interests at heart, and not those who have contributed to economic development of this country,” he had said
Douglas also alleged that both the Mines Ministry, the Gold Ridge Sub-committee and officials of the Prime Minister’s office did not even respond to requests for meetings with them.
“The reopening of Gold Ridge Mine is a government priority but there is no commitment shown by the government as far as we are concerned.
“The work of the Sub-committee is yet to be fully utilised and realised. There have been no proper consultations with us to express our views about the reopening of the mine because we represent the 16 tribes of Gold Ridge who owns the PR title of all lands of the M/L 1/1997,” Douglas revealed to this paper.
Douglas also denied any misunderstanding as claimed by the OPMC.
“There is no misunderstanding as purported by the OPMC statement, the fact is we have no trust and confidence on the Prime minister’s sectoral and political advisors who rendered advice to the PM about the Gold Ridge mine issue.
“If one wants to add another ill-advice to the PM, you can count the reopening of Gold Ridge as one of them.”
He made reference to the Iron Bottom Sound resolution, where all parties agreed to work together to find a way forward for the reopening of the mine.
However, he questioned the meaning of working together as agreed by all parties, including the OPMC, Ministry of Mines, Ministry of Environment, Gold Ridge Sub-committee, GRCLC, Kolobisi Tailings Dam, Matepona Downstream Association, Paramount Chiefs, tribal chiefs and other community leaders of Gold Ridge and surrounding communities.
“In that meeting we all agreed to work together. Please show us what you mean by working together.”
Douglas told this paper that a meeting with the Prime Minister is timely and necessary to find a way forward.
“We fully understand the protocols but a meeting with the Prime Minister is timely and necessary to clear some misunderstanding created by the PM’s advisors regarding the Gold Ridge Mine, especially the reopening of the mine.
“If DCCG is serious about the reopening of Gold Ridge Mine then the head of DCCG, in this case the PM must be fully briefed to remain on top of the issue,” Douglas said.

http://theislandsun.com/pm-advisors-red-marked/