[www.inewsguyana.com] – Environment Minister, Robert Persaud has made it abundantly clear that his Ministry intends to venture in new areas to conduct exploration activities, following the pull – out from Muri Brasil Ventures Inc.
Muri Brasil Ventures Inc was authorized to conduct Permission for Geographical and Geophysical Survey (PGGS) in South East of Guyana (New River).
The Company in announcing its pullout on January 4 had said that although the process was legal and transparent, this decision is due to the misinformation, prejudice and hostility to this proposed survey by persons and agencies which are fostering an adverse investment climate in Guyana.
During a meeting with sand miners at Splashmins Resort Conference Room on Saturday, January 11, Minister Persaud said that the Ministry will continue to venture in new areas.
“We will be venturing in new areas and I make no apology for this, absolutely no apology for this in looking at new areas and looking at new activities. They can say what they want, as long as things are done in a legal and in a transparent way,” Persaud said.
Opposition Member of Parliament Joseph Harmon was one of the persons from the opposition benches who became very critical of the permission, credited the Media, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) and the Political Opposition for causing Muri Brasil to scrap the deal.
The Opposition also received credit in a Surinamese newspaper for influencing the pullout.
Muri Brasil Ventures Inc is registered in Guyana under the Companies Act whose shareholders and directors are Guyanese citizens and have substantial experience in the mining industry.
Following the announcement by Minister Persaud of the permission granted for Muri Brasil to survey the area, a series of articles published in relation to the survey being conducted in the New River Triangle was published placing the agreement in a bad light. Objections to the survey were also raised by several opposition members, particularly Harmon.
Following these objections, Minister Persaud expressed the view that it was an environmental scare that was being peddled by certain sections of society and deemed it to be “profound ignorance.”
