A former Presidential Staffer, Dennis Miracles Aboagye has said the New Patriotic Party (NPP) will not use the issue of illegal small-scale mining (Galamsey) as a political tool against the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) because the issue affects all Ghanaians.
He said that this is unlike the NDC which used galamsey as a political weapon against the previous Akufo-Addo administration especially ahead of the 2024 general elections.
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In a post on his Facebook page directed at President John Dramani Mahama, he said “You [President Mahama] and your fake neutrals weaponised and politicized one of Ghana’s biggest social canker, ‘galamsey’. Against all wise counsel, you milked it, lied on the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his Vice-President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and his government, called them thieves and galamseyers and swore that, you know for a fact it is the President himself and his officials involved in the Galamsey criminality. You promised the criminals who have been arrested, trialed and jailed for this wicked acts against nature, that you will grant them amnesty when they vote for you. You assured them of releasing all of them and given them back their excavators. Your party leaders, now ministers, said any president who wills, can stop Galamsey in a week. Insinuating the then President wasn’t willing but facilitating the wicked act. You told the people to vote for you so you fight Galamsey with Artificial intelligence (AI). Suffice to ask, what are you doing with physical force then in the forest and risking the lives of our security operatives. Is that AI deployed?
“We warned you, we advised you, we told you, not to politicize Galamsey because it is going to be the country’s nemesis, but you deliberately ignored and continued on your selfish quest for power using Galamsey as a tool. Two weeks to an election, you were calling for the government to shut down the country and declare a state of emergency. You did this not Becos you sincerely wanted Galamsey to end but simply Becos you felt it was your way of making the government unpopular so you win an elections.
“Now, you are reaping what you sowed, and painfully, the entire country has to suffer the consequences of your selfishness. Galamsey, has escalated in 90days at an alarming rate and today, like never seen before, galamseyers are facing off with security operatives brandisihing weapons and slashing them.
“What have you done to us! What have you brought upon the nation! But unlike you and your cohorts, we will not use Galamsey for politics. We will support you to end this nonsense once and for all to save our motherland. Whatever you need to do, let’s do it together to win this battle. Our survival is at stake.”
Miracles Aboagye’s comments follow reports that armed illegal miners ambushed and attacked members of the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response team wounding one critically.
A member of the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response team was reported to be struggling for his life after being slashed in the knee with a machete by armed illegal miners in the Offin Shelter belt Forest reserve.
Also commenting on this matter, a Research Fellow at the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) Dr Kwame Sarpong Asiedu has told President John Dramani Mahama to declare a state of emergency due to illegal small-scale mining.
He says that the galamseyers must be treated as hardcore criminals.
He was reacting to reports that armed illegal miners ambushed and attacked members of the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response team wounding one critically.
A member of the Forestry Commission’s Rapid Response team was reported to be struggling for his life after being slashed in the knee with a machete by armed illegal miners in the Offin Shelter belt Forest reserve.
In a post on his Facebook page, Dr Asiedua said “At this stage we are at war and we must understand it. Anyone who says we should treat these guys with kids gloves is part of the problem.
“Try this in China and see what the China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will do. There will not be a single thug brought out of the forest alive. Soon the Forest guards will refuse to enter these forests for the fear of their lives.
“They have families too. This is why a State of Emergency must be declared and these social misfits treated like the hardcore criminals they are.”
Similarly, Convener of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey Ken Ashigbey insisted that a state of emergency should be declared in the areas affected by illegal small-scale mining as part of the fight.
He believed that the state of emergency will provide more impetus to stakeholders charged with the responsibility to nip the practice in the bud.
“We still demand the imposition of a state of emergency in the illegal mining fight. We also need to put in place a system where we can track all active excavators in Ghana,” he said on the KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, March 22.
Ken Ashigbey further said that efforts should be made to unearth the real owners of the excavators brought into the country for illegal mining.
He suggested that the chassis numbers of the excavators can be used to track the real owners.
“If you take the chassis number you will be able to trace it to who owns it,” he said.
He added, “we should look for the sources of the funding for the excavators, they should trace the money…we are waiting for the Minister to publish the list of those who imported into the country then we know who are bringing it.”
The Executive Director of A Rocha, Daryl Bossu also said that a lot of the country’s forest reserves are currently under siege by illegal small-scale miners.
He says the number of forests captured by the illegal miners is more than the 44 put out by the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources.
“A lot of the forests are experiencing illegal mining, eating away the forests. We have more than 44 forest reserves affected by illegal mining,” he said on the KeyPoints on TV3 Saturday, March 22.
He further noted that the present government inherited the situation. “And I sympathise with them because it gives them a lot of work to do,” he said.