BY BEN BILUA
GIZO
THE signing of Surface Access Right Agreement to kick start mining operation at San Jorge Island in Isabel Province has been done in a flash.
Most landowners were kept in the dark making the signing questionable.
Report reaching this paper states that the agreement was signed on 18th September, at the Far East Mining Camp in Bugusile.
Reports indicate that the San Jorge Landowners Association hand-picked certain individuals they labelled as “landowners,” transported them to Bugusile Camp, and instructed them to sign the agreement.
In an interview, chief Paul Fota of Talise village said he was not aware of the signing.
He said a meeting was held prior to the signing but not all the people so as resource owners attended the meeting.
Fota said the signing comes as a surprise to people of Talise as the community was busy with the consecration of Anglican Priests and deacons on the day that the signing took place.
“As chiefs and also resource owners, we should be properly informed about this development. I think this process has been executed by those who are in favour of mining not the majority,” he said.
Island Sun understands that such a process undermines the spirit of genuine consultation and meaningful participation, which are the very foundations of landowner consent.
Excluding rightful stakeholders not only violates traditional land governance systems but also plants seeds of division among the landowning communities.
The land belongs to clans and tribes, and decisions that will affect generations must be made collectively, not dictated by a select few. It is still unclear how much money the landowners received.
It is obvious that the signing of the SARA was driven by a faction of individuals within the San Jorge Landowners Association, rather than being a product of consensus.
The future of the land and its resources should not be gambled away in closed-door dealings.
Genuine development requires honest dialogue, fair consultation, and respect for the voices of all rightful landowners.
When agreements are rushed or manipulated in this way, they rarely bring about sustainable development; instead, they create conflict and mistrust.
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