The twin issues of ‘galamsey’ and corruption—both illegal, featured prominently in the just ended 2020 general elections. Although, the incumbent government led by Nana Addo-Dankwah Akuffo Addo won the elections by a hair’s breadth as compared to that of 2016, it lost most parliamentary seats. On the one hand, this may have been triggered by the government’s ‘good intentions’ to fight against ‘galamsey’. But also, for the wrong reasons—its association with corruption scandals.
In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) at the parliament house yesterday, January 5, 2020, the President-elect of the republic, Nana Addo-Dankwah Akuffo Addo made a passionate appeal to the citizenry, and more importantly, to members of the Legislative arm of government on the need for an open and honest conversation about the menace of galamsey.
The President underscored the urgency for this kind of conversation, hinting that such would not be undermined only if it is devoid of party-political undertones. There has not been a time when inter-party consensus has been reached in enforcing laws to fight against this menace due to the partisan politics that often shrouds such conversations.
In fact, in the last three years, since the president displayed his unfettered commitment to halt galamsey and protect the country’s water bodies and forests, not long afterwards, it emerged that, some 500 excavators that were seized from the clamp down on galamsey operators ended up in the hands of Party officials of the NPP. Also, mining concessions that were taken away from these illegal small scale miners were transferred to some ‘big men’ in the NPP.
Due to these unfortunate occurrences, the President’s fight against the menace seemed difficult, and thus created the impression that it was rather to enrich the NPP. Therefore, the opposition party used this as a major campaign tool for political power in the just ended elections— this featured in the campaign promises of the NDC.
For instance, the flag bearer of the NDC for the 2020 elections, Mr. John Dramani Mahama was found to have said that, if he gained power, he would grant amnesty to all arrested galamsey operators, because he finds them to have been remorseful towards the unlawful acts of engaging in galamsey.
“There is one subject about which I believe we, the people, need to have an open conversation, and that is galamsey. Should we allow or should we not allow galamsey, the illegal mining that leads to the pollution of our water bodies and the devastation of our landscape? As I have said often, the Almighty blessed us with considerable deposits of precious minerals, there would always be mining in Ghana.
“Indeed there has always been mining in Ghana. The problem we have is the use of modern technology that leads to the illegal mining methods posing serious dangers to our water bodies and the health of our environment. The pollution of our rivers and water resources has been so acute an occasion that the Ghana Water Company is unable to afford the distilling of water to make use of safe drinking. We have to talk about galamsey. We, who are leaders, owe it to the country to take the subject out of the party-political arena, and have an honest conversation about this menace to our future,” said the President.
While this appeal is in the right direction, the President left out an equally essential subject for ‘honest’ conversations, the fight against corruption. Corruption has been a big bane on the country’s progress and therefore requires a more holistic approach for a possible solution.
As earlier mentioned, several traces of corruption were found to have characterized the government’s galamsey fight when a whistleblowing film was aired by the investigative journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas and the Tiger eye PI two years ago in which several officials were implicated in corrupt practices.
Not to belabor the point, if there is any canker that has engulfed the country, then that is corruption. Specifically, the government’s failure to keep the independence of the special prosecutor’s office intact, which led to the resignation of Mr. Martin Alamisi Burnes Kaiser Amidu and has utlimately left the future of the country’s fight against corruption blurry must be of concern and also feature in this honest conversations too.
The gravity of these two issues and their impact on the country really matter and that is exactly what electorates expressed on the ballot.
The President in his speech also acknowledged that the next parliament is entirely different from what has been the norm in previous years. Therefore, he called for tolerance and a more accommodative environment, in order for parliament to “devise new ways of conducting its affairs in the interest of the good governance of our people.”
Such an atmosphere is what is required to tackle these twin issues and also the right path to accelerate inclusive growth and development of the country.
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