Region Seven miners in dire straits.

A POPULAR BARTICA MINER AND BUSINESSMAN MADE AN EARNEST PLEA
FOR THE GOVERNMENT AND COMMERCIAL BANKS to step in and help relieve the
agony of the sector’s extreme distress triggered by the ongoing global, deadly COVID-19
pandemic and the destructive local floods.
Miner and entrepreneur, Mr. Oswald Greaves senior, pleaded with the country’s banking system
give miners some breathing room to help them get back on their feet before demanding they
honour their debts to the financial institutions.
“We would like them (banks) to give us some space for at least some months until this thing
comes to an end and everything is back to normal and we start traversing again. The bank does
not know what is happening and don’t care,” a pained Greaves said.
He said Regional Chairman, Mr. Kenneth Williams, recently visited Mazaruni, one of the
hardest-hit community since the onset of the pandemic and raging floods and was concerned
about the chances of survival of businesses operating there.
“This is the kind of suffering that we are going through here and we would really like the
authorities (Government) to see what is going on. Our (Regional) Chairman visited the area
today, checking us out and he is really concerned to see what we are passing through,” the
popular Bartica businessman said.
He said now that floodwaters are abating, the extent of the damage left in its trail is now
becoming visible “and will take months for residents and business owners to be able to get back
on their feet”.
Mining activities have ceased in Mazaruni since persistent showers have inundated several
Cuyuni/Mazaruni (Region Seven) communities leading to flooding drying up miners’ earnings.

He wants commercial banks in Bartica to show extra compassion to miners now facing a crisis.
Greaves said they are currently finding it difficult to make loan payments and begged the lending
institutions to “cut them some slack” enabling them to revive their firms following massive
losses from flooding.
“We got a lot of losses but we can’t complain. I don’t think that the government will help us in
any form,” a pessimistic Greaves, who admits trying to remain optimistic under the prevailing
social and economic pressures, predicted.
Nevertheless, he still wants the Irfaan Ally administration to lend Mazaruni miners a helping
hand.
“We would like to see whatever lil help they can do for us as all the buildings are under water
and everything is soaked! Finished! We got to start fresh. So, we are kindly asking for whatever
help,” the government too can render to us, Greaves urged.
He continued, “Our primary concern is that we got to pay the bank. Everybody has their own
stuff that they have to pay, so we are asking the government if they can help us in allowing the
banks to give us some slack.”
Miners indebted to local commercial banks intend to honour their debts, but at the
moment it is an uphill task, Greaves stressed.