The Convener of Media Coalition Against Galamsey Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey has expressed deep frustration with the government’s handling of illegal mining, popularly known as “galamsey.”
He questioned whether the media coalition’s call for a state of emergency had been in vain, emphasizing that the situation had been dire for years.
“Nothing that the media coalition had asked for a state of emergency? If you have a government entity assuming to tell us the problem, the minister has been in office for how long? Before he was in office, in August, all of us were pushing for this. The NDC, when they were in opposition, supported the state of emergency.”
“The reason why we were telling you to institute a state of emergency on our water bodies, the buffers, and the forest reserve was exactly because we knew that the illegal miners had taken over some of the forest.”
Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey Convener of Media Coalition in the Against Galamsey
According to Dr. Ashigbey, the illegal miners’ activities have essentially declared a war on the state.
“If you have a country in which the legitimate authority of this country is not able to access part of our geographical space, is that not a war that has been declared on us by these illegal miners?”
Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey Convener of Media Coalition in the Against Galamsey
He stressed that the response to this crisis should be equally aggressive, stating, “How do we respond to it?” Dr. Ashigbey lamented the fact that some of the very individuals who should be fighting illegal mining are themselves involved in the practice.
“We heard the Speaker of Parliament say in the last parliament that some of them in parliament were involved in the illegality as we speak.”
Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey Convener of Media Coalition in the Against Galamsey
Furthermore, he noted that politicians across party lines had been complicit, making it difficult to fight galamsey effectively.
The President Must Act Decisively
Dr. Ashigbey argued that the President must show strong leadership in dealing with the illegal mining crisis.
“If His Excellency wants to win this war, the first thing he has to do is not to be like Nana Akufo-Addo, who in Koforidua told me that Akonta Mining was not involved in illegality.”
Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey Convener of Media Coalition in the Against Galamsey
He called on the President to crack down on individuals within his own administration who were complicit in illegal mining.
Dr. Ashigbey highlighted the systemic corruption that has plagued the fight against illegal mining, emphasizing that power transitions have done little to address the issue. He referenced allegations against an MP involved in mining, which remain unresolved.
“Currently, there is an allegation against a sitting MP for being involved in illegal mining that we are currently with the IGP and the team, trying to unravel.”
Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey Convener of Media Coalition in the Against Galamsey
Dr. Ashigbey expressed disappointment in the Minister’s approach to addressing the illegal mining crisis, arguing that there was no need for further discussions on the issue. He also called for immediate action against laws that allow illegal miners to operate with impunity.
“The same way that we dealt with corruption by getting ORAL in, the same way we dealt with the issue of SHS when there was no food, the same way we dealt with the energy crisis that was imminent, it’s the same way that we should be dealing with the issues around illegal mining.”
Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey Convener of Media Coalition in the Against Galamsey
Minister’s Performance
Dr. Ashigbey expressed skepticism about the ability of the current Lands Minister to effectively handle the situation. He noted that urgent measures needed to be taken, including deploying the military to reclaim forest reserves occupied by illegal miners.
“The land minister should have been coming to us to say that there are nine Forest reserves that have been taken over by the criminals, and I have immediately checked the military in and we’ve taken it.’’
Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey Convener of Media Coalition in the Against Galamsey
Dr. Ashigbey concluded by calling for governance reforms to root out corruption and enforce the law.
“If we don’t deal with the governance issues, if we don’t deal with the law enforcement issues, we will not be able to get to the bottom of this.”
“The same attitude that we should use in dealing with issues of corruption and governance should be the same attitude we use in dealing with galamsey.”
Dr. Kenneth Ashigbey Convener of Media Coalition in the Against Galamsey
He emphasized that unless illegal miners, corrupt politicians, and law enforcement officers are held accountable, the fight against galamsey will remain an uphill battle.
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