Dear Editor,
A few days ago I asked the question whether Minister Trotman is the right man for the job as Minister of Natural Resources (Guyana Times Fri, Jan 15, 2016). I beg to ask the question again.
Minister Trotman’s latest blunder was made to the Norwegian delegation here in Guyana when he said we are doing a “fairly good job of maintaining the forest cover and we have clamped down heavily on logging by Chinese companies… and I did put a ban on the export of logs which was sufficient to curtail the large scale cutting of logs that was previously taking place” (Guyana Times Fri, Jan 29, 2016). This statement from Minister Trotman made the Norwegian Ambassador to assert that Guyana is doing an excellent job in preserving its forests.
But has Minister Trotman never followed the annual reporting on deforestation that was done being consistent with the Norway agreement which formed the basis of receiving payments from Norway? Total deforestation over the last 20 years has never gone past 0.08 per cent (approx 12,000 hectares) and 95 per cent is as a result of mining activities and not forestry. Forest activities account for less than 500 hectares of the total of 12, 000 ha. This is despite all the logging that was done by the Chinese, Guyanese, Malaysian, Asian and all others who have logged our forest for decades, prior to the APNU/AFC coming into Government.
So for Minister Trotman to make a statement that he had to stop the Chinese from logging and exporting and inferring that this had to be done to curb large-scale logging is grossly reckless, inaccurate, a misrepresentation and speaks of someone who has poor knowledge of the forestry sector.
Now after being in the position for close to one year it begs the question: is he the right person for the job? One may assume he is deliberately playing down the forestry sector for the mining sector knowing fully the mining sector is thought to have supported the APNU/AFC heavily at the last elections.
What is most interesting is that a few days ago Minister Trotman said more lands of some 3 million hectares will be made available to small miners in the various mining districts. Now he is saying to the Norwegians that this is not the case and that the same lands will be recycled. I would ask if this is what the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Associated (GGDMA) understands from the Minister’s promise to them?
It is my hope that the Chinese Ambassador and the Chinese Government are paying close attention to Minister Trotman’s accusation and reckless conclusion of Chinese logging companies operating in Guyana. Please relook at your aid programme here in Guyana if this is the way Chinese companies are being branded.
If the APNU/AFC loses the next election it will be because of the way Minister Trotman and Minister Broomes are harassing the Natural Resources Sector.

Yours sincerely,
Carl Lucas