This is is the sharp end of the hot air abour climate change and Low Carbon Development Strategy
on Derek and Trudy (Guyana), 03/Feb/2010 11:22, 34 days ago
On 12th December 2007 the Honorable Robert Persaud , the Guyanese Minister of Agriculture sat down with  Junior Minister Pat Woolgas ( Department  for International Development ) in Bali to discuss the handing over of the Guyanese rainforest ( the size of England ) to the British government for preservation in return for 'carbon credits'.He was acting on behalf of the President of Guyana Bharat Jagdeo. It was headline news in Britiain just before we left for Bartica and I became excited by the Reduction In Deforesrtation and Degredation of forests REDD) policy.Two years and one month later the Honourable Robert Paersaud ( still Minister of Agriculture and now acting Prime Minister when the PM is out of the country) and the Honourable Robeson Benn Minister responsible for Mining came to Bartica to one of our schools on Saturday 30th January to meet with gold miners to try to cancel a proposed day of action. The Day of Action ( or inaction ...the call was to shut down Bartica for Monday 1st February) was called by a group of gold miners in Bartica becaus of impending new regulations which appeared to suspend mining operations for small and medium sized mining operations for up to 6 monhs as they applied for new mining permits. The Saturday meeting came as a result of a meeting the previous  Wednesday 27th January which  was attended by about 500 persons. Non political in flavour it outlined the government's intention to impose new mining regulations and indicated the strong feelings that Barticians had ..No wonder...The bulk of activity in the town depends on the money coming in from gold mining and on Monday the town shut down.The protest march on Monday was trouble free, well organised , non political and bright yellow...the colour of support.Support came from the riverain communities as well as Linden and Mahdia, towns that depend on mining of one sort or another. Amazingly the 6 o'clock news on the government controlled channel showed no footage of the action and tried to portray the day as politically inspired by the opposition party. I saw no one shred of evidence for this view.The schools had few pupils attend and everyone in the town either joined the march around the town or stood by the side and gave their support. l