Dennis Miracles Aboagye, a leading communicator of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of politicizing the fight against galamsey when they were not in power.
He recalled how, during their time in opposition, the NDC criticized the then NPP government’s approach to tackling illegal mining, only to find themselves struggling to deal with the same issue now that they are in power.
“Today, everything they said in opposition is coming at them really fast and hurting them which in turn is hurting the entire nation. GALAMSEY IS ON THE RISE at a faster pace in the last three months.”
Dennis Miracles Aboagye
Aboagye also reiterated his long-standing position on the issue of illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, noting that his stance on the matter has remained consistent both in government and in opposition.
He described galamsey as “a canker that must not be allowed to fester else it will extinct the entire nation.”
Accordingly, Aboagye called for a bipartisan effort to combat the galamsey menace, urging Ghanaians to support the current administration in its fight against illegal mining rather than engaging in the same political games that the NDC once did.
“There are several things this ‘settings and packaging government’ cannot do and does not know how to do in bringing true development to the people, and several of them will get them out of office in no time. We do not need to politicize galamsey like they did for any political gain. We won’t be like them.”
Dennis Miracles Aboagye
However, he also urged the NDC-led government to fulfill the commitments it made during the election campaign, insisting that they now have the responsibility to implement the policies and reforms they promised.
He stressed that his party remains open to supporting these initiatives if they genuinely serve the best interests of the country.
NDC’s Galamsey Strategy Under Scrutiny
Furthermore, Dennis Aboagye outlined key recommendations that the NDC had championed before coming into power and insisted that they should be implemented without delay.
These included declaring a state of emergency in areas severely affected by illegal mining, temporarily banning all forms of small-scale mining, and prohibiting mining activities in forest reserves.
He also pointed out the NDC’s past calls to release arrested illegal miners, return their seized excavators, and shift law enforcement efforts from targeting small-scale miners to prosecuting the financiers and masterminds behind the operations.
Additionally, he highlighted their proposal to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) for monitoring and combating illegal mining.
Aboagye questioned why, despite the NDC’s strong stance against illegal mining while in opposition, the government had yet to act on these very recommendations now that they are in power.
“I agree not all of these can be done within 90 days, but of course, most of them can be done within hours of having political power since it was their own recommendations.”
Dennis Miracles Aboagye
He further stated that if the NDC truly believed in their proposals while in opposition, they should have declared a state of emergency within their first few days in office, given how quickly the galamsey situation has deteriorated in just three months.
Aboagye continued his critique by asking why the NDC government was still arresting small-scale miners instead of targeting the high-profile figures behind illegal mining operations.
He accused the NDC of deceiving Ghanaians with promises that they are now failing to fulfill.
“You bragged a lot in opposition, lied your way through the process, encouraged and promised galamseyers of your full support for their illegal trade should they vote for you, and then you win power and you are doing the same things that have been done for years and haven’t given us results. Today, your party chairman is fighting our army in the galamsey pits.”
Dennis Miracles Aboagye
He also pointed out that Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia had outlined a comprehensive approach to tackling galamsey, yet the NDC dismissed his ideas.
Instead, he said, the current government had resorted to ineffective strategies such as deploying what he termed the “blue water guard with Alomi helmets” to fight galamsey.
A Call to Action
Moreover, Dennis Aboagye stressed the urgency of taking decisive and effective measures to address the galamsey crisis.
While recognizing that the electorate had already made their choice in the elections, he called on the NDC government to step up and deliver on its promises.
He remarked that although Ghanaians could no longer reverse their decision, the focus now should be on solving the problem, assuring that his party was willing to support efforts to tackle illegal mining despite past political disagreements.
He also criticized certain individuals whom he accused of misleading the public into believing that the NDC had the best solutions to the galamsey issue.
“As for your NDC members like Ransford Gyampo, who misled an entire country into following them under the guise of being neutral and pushing your NDC agenda even days to elections using galamsey as a tool only for you to win and then they quickly run to you for their juicy political appointments, we leave them to God. Their canes are being soaked in water in heaven.”
Dennis Miracles Aboagye
Aboagye stressed that he had condemned illegal mining in the past and continues to do so today.
He warned against using galamsey as a political weapon and urged all stakeholders to focus on finding lasting solutions to the crisis.
Meanwhile, the fight against galamsey remains a critical national issue that demands collective action beyond political rhetoric.
While past promises and criticisms resurface, the real challenge lies in implementing effective policies to protect Ghana’s environment and future generations.
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