The New Patriotic Party (NPP) Minority Caucus in Parliament has accused President John Dramani Mahama of using publicity stunts to mask his failure in tackling the galamsey menace.
“Instead of dealing decisively with this looming crisis, as promised when in opposition, the government has resorted to publicity gimmicks to sway the minds of unsuspecting Ghanaians from its failures,” the Minority group emphasised.
The Ranking member on the Lands and Natural Resources Committee of Parliament, Mr. Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, in a statement issued on Monday, expressed disappointment over the President’s recent meeting with Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), describing it as a calculated move to downplay the urgency of the issue.
“The government’s actions are mere rebranding of policies introduced by the previous administration, without showing real commitment to addressing the issue, ” Mr. Ampratwum Sarpong who is also the NPP Member of Parliament (MP) for Mampong bemoaned.
The Minority questioned the government’s political will to fight galamsey, citing the worsening state of water bodies, forests, and the health and livelihoods of Ghanaians.
According to caucus, the government’s responses at the CSOs’ encounter downplayed the urgency of the issue.
“Without a doubt, this government lacks the political will to fight galamsey and has merely resorted to the renaming of policies and programmes introduced by the Akufo-Addo government,” the Minority stated.
The group highlighted measures taken by the previous NPP government to combat galamsey, including establishing the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining, Operation Vanguard, and training small-scale miners in environmentally sound practices.
It also mentioned the amendment of the Minerals and Mining Act to enhance punishment for offenses related to illegal mining.
The Minority Caucus urged CSOs, traditional leaders, and all stakeholders to speak out against the government’s inaction.
“The nation requires competent and effective governance in the public interest… Anything less would be a grave abdication of duty to the people of Ghana and to future generations,” the statement noted.
“It is obvious that the galamsey menace keeps worsening by the day. We are, therefore, surprised that amid increasing turbidity levels and the glaring browning of our water bodies, the heavy contamination of soils and food crops, as recently confirmed by the joint
Report by Pure Earth and the Environmental Protection Authority, the wanton destruction of our forest resources, and the indiscriminate degradation of our lands, the President of the Republic could look into the eyes of Ghanaians and tell us he is winning the fight against illegal mining.
“Instead of dealing decisively with this looming crisis, as promised when in opposition, the Government has resorted to publicity gimmicks to sway the minds of unsuspecting Ghanaians from its failures.
“Without a doubt, this Government lacks the political will to fight galamsey, and has merely resorted to the renaming of policies and programmes introduced by the Akufo-Addo Government,” the Minority reiterated.
Efforts by Akufo-Addo Government
It would be recalled that when the Akufo-Addo Government came into office in 2017, the galamsey menace had reached a crescendo, and there were warnings that Ghana would have to import water if the destruction continued.
To deal with this, Government put a six month moratorium on all forms of small scale mining (legal or illegal), which was extended for a period of one and a half years.
During this period, under the outstanding leadership of President Akufo-Addo, Government among others:
* established the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM) to coordinate the fight against illegal mining;
* launched Operation Vanguard to rid our water bodies and forests reserves of mining;
* in partnership with George Grant University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa (UMaT), trained some four thousand (4000) small scale miners to undertake responsible and environmentally-sound small scale mining practices; and
* amended the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703) to enhance the punishment for offences relating to illegal mining.
These measures, according to the Minority, helped the then Government to come to grips with the illegal mining menace.
Subsequently, the Government adopted a two-pronged approach to deal with the canker, combining law enforcement with regulatory, operational, and policy reforms.
Under law enforcement, which was aimed at ensuring compliance with the law while punishing those who engaged in irresponsible and unsustainable mining practices, Government:
* declared water bodies as Red Zones for all mining activities, and banned all reconnaissance, prospecting and/or exploration activities in Forest Reserves, except in exceptional circumstances, to prevent the wanton destruction to Forest Reserves and water bodies in the country.
This remained in place until the Akufo-Addo Government left office, and the Red Zones are now being rechristened as “security zones”;
* introduced Operation Halt II, in partnership with the Ministry of Defence, to rid river bodies and Forest Reserves of illegal mining, arrest persons engaged in these illegalities, and, where necessary, decommission mining equipment found at these illegal mining sites, and we established a Situation Room with a call centre to receive reports of illegal mining. This has now been renamed as “NAIMOS”.
By Collins Adu-Gyamfi
