The Chief Executive Officer
Newmont Goldcorp Corporation
Denver.
Dear CEO,
Petition against Newmont Goldcorp Ghana
intimidation to avoid due structure compensation and incompetent and trustless
Social Responsibility Manager -Joseph Danso
As you may be aware, in November 2019, Newmont Ghana declared
moratorium over Beposo area where key stakeholders were involved and details of
property owners and their structures were taken and signed off indicating the
structures were going to be compensated as per mining regulation and the
company’s land access known(through practices 2004 and taught during
stakeholder engagements). instead of dialogue to resolve the impasse between
the company and the affected property owners on compensation/resettlement has
rather hired military and police to molest the property owners and the
community and get their way out. How long would the security personnel be
guarding the company? Can these security officers continue to guard the
company’s activities through the construction of resettlement houses while
the community continues to agitate alongside? Children and women run away from
homes for seeing the military and the police presence. The fear and panic among
the innocent community citizens are uncalled for. It is very clear on
compensation process as far as the laws of the country and the compensation
process of Newmont is concerned that, the company has committed itself in the
process and the affected people know the law and the company’s process which
cannot be possible if the later still insist not to compensate part of the area
in which all properties have already undergone through the process to the final
stage of signing off with witnesses from the government of Ghana.
One would have thought that since Newmont is a signatory to most
international human rights organization including the Voluntary Principle on Human
Rights, would have acted in good faith than to employ the services of military
and police to intimidate the rightful property owners for demanding for their
rights so far as compensation/resettlement is concerned. This approach is a
clear indication that the company has lost grounds on community engagement.
Joseph Danso as a stakeholder engagement leader has lost trust with the
community so he is impotent to lead the company to manage and resolve aggrieved
stakeholders' concerns. So can’t Newmont in general see what Joseph Danso can’t
see? Can’t the threat on the company so far as this impasse is concerned to be
identified timely and resolve accordingly than depending on Danso’s criminal and
killer advice on some of these matters? Since Joseph Danso assumed the social
space in Ahafo mines in 2016, the trust of the community stakeholders has gone
absolutely down. The records are there. What has worsened the situation is
Danso personally called for an arrest of an elected assemblyman of a project
area and processing to take the case to court (as informed by the Ahafo
regional crime officer). This is appalling and quite astonishing to be
associated with Newmont which pride itself with responsible mining and relates
well with host communities. Can the company through the leadership of Joseph
Danso engage the community again? Danso cannot engage the OLA resettlement and
Dokikrom community any longer! Any message that comes being it directly or indirectly
(through his reports) from Danso shall never be accepted by the people. Indeed
we are not prepared to meet with him again! Danso has marred myriads' numbers
of the relationship between stakeholders since he assumed office as the social
responsibility manager. The company that is “believed” to respect dialogue,
now, is inciting stakeholders against each other and opposing the community for
its selfish interest. Can a company that is genuine and serious with community
relations do these?
The Ahafo management may not be willing to give your outfit many
details but the entire process shows vividly that the company has no right to
maneuver their way not to compensate the people. If the company was not
interested in that particular area, why should they have gone there for even
the first place? Wasn’t any due diligence done? Why should moratorium be
declared at the place and unique numbers are given to each property followed with
full assets survey where details of the properties were taken; measurements of
the property, pictures of the properties were taken, formed were filled and
signing off took place with the government representative indicating that the
process has been completed as it always been the case of all the previous
compensation process since 2004.
The company cannot oppress and suppress us as affected property
owners and subvert our own laws and their normal process accepted by all
stakeholders.
We wish to conclude and reemphasize us follows;
- The company has committed itself in the compensation process and the affected property owners need to receive their compensations
- The presence of the military and police to guard you is causing fear and panic and is the highest form of suppression and intimidation which must stop to pave way for a peaceful atmosphere
- We wish to remind your outfit for been a signatory to the Voluntary Principle on Human Rights and other international treaties on human rights
- We declare that we, the property owners felt intimidated, suppresses and oppressed and shall not relent our effort to demonstrate till we are compensated/resettled.
5.
Danso should
relieve from his position to build trust and confidence among stakeholders with
the company
Yours
faithfully
Signed
For
and on behalf of unit committee members
Domaa
Electoral Area
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