Dear Editor,
What could Colombia with a particularly undesirable reputation, all the way over there, possibly have in common with Guyana and its noisy, disputatious existence down here? Down here as in the very bottom of a political quagmire of its own making? Perhaps, more than we would like to think; more than we wish to discern.
As context, I refer to an article in the New York Times dated August 30 and titled, “How Tainted Gold May Have Ended Up In Your Phone.” Specifically, it is from Episode 12 of the paper’s television series called “The Weekly”, which is rather aptly called “Apple’s Gold.” The details indicate that, “If you’re reading this on your phone, you may be holding illegally mined gold from Colombia, where the precious metal has replaced cocaine as the main source of income for organized crime. The growing demand for gold as a conductive metal used in phones and other electronic products has helped spawn a deadly illegal trade that’s harder to track…”
The troubles (and politics) of Guyana relative to cocaine need no repeating at this time. The record speaks for itself. But with gold as a (the) leading contributor to the Guyanese economy, this adds another burden to existing vigilance regimes. That such “tainted gold” originates from storied Colombia is not helpful in the least. This is so, especially given intelligence of some travel precedents and local destinations involving this precious metal. Now there are these additional complexities, which compound the nation’s fulfilling of international obligations. The official struggle to give this country a sheen (a sheen only, for a start) of cleanliness through robust compliance is menaced.
In its heyday, and for the longest while, cocaine devastated this hapless, helpless society. The international transhippers enjoyed much help from locals in all walks of life and at every level. It is easy to recognize them; easier when they open mouths to speak, be such political people or commercial ones. Church ones and civil society ones are not excluded either. The overseas narcotics were more than a way of life; it became the epitome of Guyana itself in all of its corruptions, peoples, and gaudy extravagances. Now gold has replaced cocaine as the commodity of choice. It is the perfect cover and with the same troubles.
According to the New York Times, in Colombia, “violent paramilitary groups have infiltrated every level of the supply chain, extorting prospectors, gold traders and some of the country’s top mining officials. Spirited domestic denials aside, this sounds like what happens out there in the Wild West that is Guyana, doesn’t it? Further, there was discovery of, “a route from illegal Colombian mines to the source that Apple and other major companies use to buy metals to make phones and other products many of us carry in our pockets every day.” That could mean me and you, and millions of other people globally, who are part of the criminal story. For its part, Apple was quick to emphasize that it does audits and is mindful of illegal supplier sources.
But this development is not as simple as that, but much more sophisticated. The Weekly again, through the New York Times, reported that, “Illegal gold is melted down and mixed with other gold at various points in the supply chain, masking its criminal origins. Like blood diamonds that finance warlords, this tainted gold helps fuel extortion, violence and even murder.” Though somewhat tamped down of late, all the destructive ingredients incorporated in the preceding sentence are now staples of the local environment, and to which I add pervasive corruption.
This mix and mystery of illegal and legitimate metal, just saddled the gold business in Guyana, from the perspective of the state, with additional exposures, because of the sophistications employed, the associated challenges, and the dangers to the national economy. Because already the gold sector in Guyana is rated medium/high risk and with all manner of enhanced diligences mandated. And because Guyana has rigorous responsibilities regarding mine to market oversight. And because again, gold is still a big fish in Guyana’s current economic streams of income.
As a quick digression, public promises have been made about taxes and other eases. That is, shall I say, both tactical and strategic. In view of what I recognize in local political powers, I must ask what else has been hinted at (if not outright promised also) as to regulations and oversight and compliance. We all know how much of a priority those were, don’t we? And how much of a conflicted presence the metal represents in everyday reality, including political ones.
If gold has gained ascendancy over cocaine as the favoured money laundering outlet (and from, so far, only one Latin American source), then part of the many routes and programmes, as a matter of business smarts, business continuity, and business visions must account for Guyana on Colombian and Guyanese drawing boards. In fact, the word is that those drawing boards are no longer hypothetical. Remember: this is more than about Apple and phones; it is about this society and every facet of what it is today.
Yours faithfully,
GHK Lall
