A participant at Media General’s Anti-galamsey forum on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, averred that President Akufo-Addo has indicted the Office of the President with his pledge on illegal mining.
According to him, the President promised Ghanaians he was going to fight the menace which is also known as ‘galamsey’, by putting his job on the line.
He explained that putting one’s job on the line means resigning from office if things don’t turn out as promised.
However, for President Akufo-Addo to still occupy the position despite the glaring destruction of forest reserves and pollution of water bodies with galamsey is an indictment on the presidency.
“And what does it mean when you say you put your presidency on the line? It means that you need to resign when you fail. So, being there up till now is an indictment to that office,” he stated.
He also rejected the claim that the fight against illegal mining should not be politicised.
He explained that the President has already politicised the matter with his ‘putting his job on the line’ comment, making the calls for the fight not to be politicised inaccurate.
Speaking at the forum on the theme: The Galamsey Fight, Beyond the Talk, What Next?, the Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Andy Kwame Appiah-Kubi, admonished Ghanaians to de-politicise the cause for a positive result.
The lawmaker noted that politicising the fight will make it difficult to win.
But reacting to the MP’s comments, the young man indicated that since the office of the president is a political office, that comment from President Akufo-Addo politicised the fight against the canker.
“The fight against galamsey is a political issue. The President has already politicised it. He put his presidency on the line and the presidency is political so if you put your presidency on the line, it means you are politicising it already,” he stated.
Government has abandoned the fight against galamsey leaving citizens to stage a protest to draw its attention to the menace which has caused widespread environmental destruction in the country.
Civil advocacy group Democracy Hub, organised a three-day protest against the government which escalated into a clash with the police leading to the arrest of protestors, including a minor, 10-year-old, amid growing unrest over illegal mining and economic hardship.
Many have criticised the police for the manner with which they handled the protestors, with private legal practitioner, Martin Luther Kpebu, calling for the resignation of the IGP.
But, the spokesperson for the Ghana Police Service, Grace Ansah-Akrofi, indicated after the arrests that, the police picked up the demonstrators because their assembly was unlawful, and the officers’ attempt to maintain order caused the clash between them.
“The demonstrators engaged in acts of lawlessness, damaging state property and obstructing traffic,” Ansah-Akrofi told the media, adding that “they disrupted the peace. Those responsible will face justice.”
Meanwhile, the suspects have been detained into custody for two more weeks, something many have condemned and described as out of place.
Galamsey: Pollution of water bodies is a war crime, environmental terrorism – Awula Serwah
