Bigger Biggs stages protest outside House of Assembly

Leon “Bigger Biggs” Samuel earlier this week staged yet another protest outside the House of Assembly, in an effort to have his licence to mine at Rabacca reinstated.{{more}}

Samuel’s licence to mine at Rabacca was revoked in February 2011, with the Government saying the environment was being negatively impacted by Samuel’s operation and that the terms of Samuel’s licence had been violated. This led to the closure of Samuel’s EC$12 million block making operation.

On Tuesday, Samuel, accompanied by activist Frank Da Silva, stood beyond the Parliament gates, with a placard bearing the words: “Help little me (boy). I am still waiting on the promised specific condition from the mighty ULP.”

During a sitting of Parliament in August, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves disclosed that the Government had concluded that Samuel could recommence mining at Rabacca. Gonsalves, however, noted then that Samuel had refused to meet with Chief engineer Brent Bailey to discuss the terms.

“As you would have heard in the last Parliament, where the Prime Minister went into Parliament and said I am the one who is not cooperating because all I have to do is go to the technical people and sort out things.

“I have gone to them and that was September 26, based on the appointed date that they gave me to get this thing sort out. I went to the meeting and nothing at all was mentioned to me about these specific conditions,” Samuel told SEARCHLIGHT on Tuesday.

According to Samuel, the September 26 meeting proved pointless.

“I took my technical people with me and let them know the technical side of the story and from that time till now, no one has responded to me, up to now.”

Bigger Biggs, as he is more popularly known, said he has been taking several steps, including picketing, to keep the issue in the eyes of the public and will continue to do so if the situation doesn’t change.

“So hence, I decided unless they come out and let the people know the truth and that is what it is all about. Let the people know the truth.

“Let fairness, let truth guide us and everything will go forward; but nobody seems to want to take the responsibility for the unfair closure and injustice to me, my business and my workers,” he said.

“This thing is going on for too long now. It is not only bringing suffering on me alone as an individual, but I have a family too. And it’s becoming extremely difficult for me to take care of them,” Samuel added.

After what he describes as the “unsuccessful” meeting with chief engineer Brent Bailey and the technical staff, Samuel says he is now hoping that Prime Minister Gonsalves could meet with him to put closure to the matter, so that he could have his mining licence reinstated.

“I am willing to meet with the PM and I am going to try and get an appointment. He and I have not met face to face since then, because he said the matter is not a political one. It’s a technical issue, so I should speak to the technical people them.

“So, hence the reason I have not contacted him since; but the meeting I had was not successful and now I’m taking another approach, to see him in person,” Samuel stated. (AA)