Minister of Natural Resources David Abiamofo says that many reactions on social media regarding the issuance of mining concessions to friends and family and Ronnie Brunswijk appear to be more like selective outrage. The minister spoke to journalists at the Office of the Vice President.
He notes that society has known for years that Brunswijk holds the concessions being discussed. According to Abiamofo, these are not new concessions and they also concern small-scale mining.
Abiamofo states that Brunswijk told him that third parties would apply for the concessions when he became vice president. He says this is what happened. According to the ABOP leader, small-scale mining means that a maximum of 200 hectares of land may be exploited for a period of no more than two years.
That means that if he has held the concessions for more than 10 years, many ministers have come and gone, and they have also extended concessions for him. The concessions were in the name of Ronnie Brunswijk before he became vice president, Abiamofo says. “That outrage arises when Abiamofo grants those concessions to Brunswijk or people affiliated with Brunswijk.”
The minister states that the fact that Brunswijk flaunts gold on social media is not a matter for the Minister of Natural Resources, David Abiamofo. He emphasizes that he is merely responding to the outrage that has arisen and to the fact that Brunswijk has concessions for a longer period and that all of Suriname is aware of this.
