Renowned Lawyer, Tsatsu Tsikata, has said the fight against illegal mining is not being won due to vested interests by those who are in a position to end the menace.
He made this statement while contributing to discussions on TV3’s Agenda on September 30.
“It’s a shame indeed, that we are where we are. I think there are some hard facts. One is that clearly, there are vested interests that are protecting the situation that we find ourselves in. There are vested interests which are trying to prevent any serious combating of what is an untenable situation,” he stressed.
Illegal mining, otherwise known as galamsey is destroying water bodies and degrading land in forest reserves. Recent reports indicate that food items have become contaminated by metals in the soil resulting from use of mercury and arsenic for gold mining.
Calls by key stakeholder for President John Mahama to declare a state of emergency have not yielded the desired result. The Lands and Natural Resources Minister, Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah, has instead declared water bodies and forest reserves as security zones.
Mr Tsikata emphasised that not much may be achieved if the persons with vested interests are not stopped.
“You ask yourself, if we all proclaim that this is something terrible, why is it that there are some people who are able to mine in forest reserves?”he quizzed.
According to him, “Clearly, some of these people have felt protected politically. Let’s call a spade a spade. in the last 8 years, look at the mining licenses that were granted, including for mining in reserves. it doesn’t make sense.
“Why is it possible that just before handing over to a new government, licenses were issued. Why?” he asked.
