Stop galamsey or it sinks country
The Ghanaian Times should have felt disenchanted talking about the fight against illegal mining (galamsey) in the country because it appears the powers that be have refused to tackle the menace with all the force deserved to be employed.
However, the paper has decided to sustain its support for any action that can stop the illegal activity, which is destroying the very fabric of human survival in the country – the lands and water bodies.
There is no doubt that successive political administrations have attempted to stop the heinous activity, but all the attempts, including the war waged by the Akufo-Addo administration, have failed.
When President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo waged his fight with all manner of promises to stop the illegality, the whole country heaved a sigh of relief in the hope that the ultimate was going to happen to bring in all the benefits.
Today, there are countless calls, including demonstrations, asking the government to stop galamsey or….
Everything is clear that the citizenry is disappointed and some untenable remarks by certain politicians are increasing the anger of the people.
For instance, media reports have it that the New Patriotic Party (NPP) Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akim South, Kwaku Asante-Boateng, has made it clear that the government would not do anything to stop galamsey two months to elections on December 7 and risk losing votes or even the elections at a time the NPP wants to “break the 8”.
The Asante Akim South MP, who told journalists this on October 2, explains that in 2020, the NPP’s firm stance against galamsey led to it losing significant votes in mining communities.
Asante-Boateng is even quoted as saying the fear of losing power can happen to any party at all.
The declaration by Asante-Boateng that the government will not risk losing power demonstrates clearly that the Ghanaian politician is selfish and as such places his parochial gains above the national good.
Anytime The Ghanaian Times has to talk against galamsey, it does not mince words in its stance that there are three groups of people who are front liners in the fight against galamsey – politicians, the chiefs and the security services.
This is confirmed with research evidence referred to by Dr Steve Manteaw, the Co-chair of the Ghana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative GHEITI).
He says, for instance, that during the period 2009 to 2018, the World Bank and other development partners supported Ghana to implement the natural resource and environmental governance programme to attempt to deal with the illegality in the mining and forestry sectors.
He says that the progress report on the programme, among other issues, found out that ‘vested interests’ constituted the reason the fight against galamsey had failed because people clothed with power to stop the illegal activity were either the perpetrators or beneficiaries, with political actors leading the charge.
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has shown the way that chiefs or traditional leaders can give the necessary support to fight galamsey by destooling three chiefs under his jurisdiction who were engaging in illegal mining in their communities.
What are the government, including the district assemblies and their District Chief Executives; and the security services doing to create the opportunity for the courts to apply the law in prosecuting perpetrators of galamsey, who have now grown wings to the extent of even daring innocent people with guns.
It is now time for serious reflection and the government in particular should heed the advice of the Institute for Security Studies, Africa posted online on September 24, 2024 that “Ghana must stop galamsey before it sinks the country”.
