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OVERWHELMING VOTE AGAINST GOLD MINING IN GUATEMALA, BUT GREED CARRIES THE DAY.

Article Excerpt
On July 27, more than 27,000 people in five municipalities in Huehuetenango, Guatemala, voted in popular consultations to reject mining projects. Meanwhile, one mining company agreed to start paying taxes early, while another received a new license to start mining. Taken together, the events point to a disconnect between peoples and the governments that rule them. Gold, that most historic of culprits, is again playing its traditional role. In the consultations in the Guatemalan highlands between July 25 and July 27, 99% of the 27,292 local residents taking part rejected mining projects proposed for their areas. The turnout for these consultations was higher by far than the turnout for the 2003 general elections. The project of the Tenango Mining Company upon which the consultations were held entails the extraction of eight different minerals over 92 sq km. Mining now involves 10% of Guatemalan territory, but 90% of these lands are inhabited by indigenous people. No particular reasons have emerged to suspect that the massive rejection registered in Huehuetenango would be any different anywhere else.

Communities denied notification

What is agonizing about the outcome, however, is that the consultations occurred long after the license was granted to Tenango. Local authorities, leaders, and populations were not consulted at that time. Some said they were informed on Feb. 3, the deadline the government had set for raising objections....