The Lands and Natural Resources Minister’s surprise at the scale of illegal mining activity in Ghana has been described as laughable by the Minority in Parliament.
“Why should anyone be surprised when it is clear that there were no practical actions to save our lands after the government’s several expensive conferences?” the Minority said in a statement.
It emphasized that it had previously expressed concern about illegal mining before it received renewed national attention.
“Twice this year, the minority, through the Mines and Energy Committee, called the government’s attention to a relapse in their fight against galamsey.”
“We urged the Ministers in charge to awaken from their long slumber and save our lands from selfish galamsay operators.”
According to the Minority, the government’s inaction has allowed illegal mining to continue, “with known government party supporters busily sinking machines into lands all over, including state reserved areas, polluting our fresh waters and destroying farmlands.”
“The ease with which private citizens, many of whom are of foreign origin, plunge into our lands and ravage them under this Regime is very concerning.” It explains why many citizens and civil society organizations are concerned about our country’s future.”
Find below the full statement
Stop lying about the fight against illegal mining and get serious about saving our lands and waters: A statement by the Minority Side of Parliament, 1st OCTOBER 2022
The Minister of Lands visited some galamsey sites in the Eastern Region, according to the Daily Graphic on September 30, 2022. To our ultimate surprise, the Minister appeared surprised by the Galamsey operators’ unfathomable destruction of the land and environment. We recall the President, Nana Ado Danquah Akufo Ado, boasting about appointing the right Minister to a job that we are certain he did not intend to do. Ghanaians had been overwhelmed and critical of him prior to his announcement of the new Minister, whose competence we have no doubt about.
The Minister of Lands visited some galamsey sites in the Eastern Region, according to the Daily Graphic on September 30, 2022. To our ultimate surprise, the Minister appeared surprised by the Galamsey operators’ unfathomable destruction of the land and environment. We recall the President, Nana Ado Danquah Akufo Ado, boasting about appointing the right Minister to a job that we are certain he did not intend to do. Before his announcement of the new Minister, whose competence we have no doubt, Ghanaians had been overwhelmed and critical of the collaborative destruction of our wet and dry lands across the country during Nana Addo NPP’s first four-year term.
As is customary for this regime, deceptive promises and sweet words were used to reassure the unwary Ghanaian, pointing to a new policy on galamsey. Two years into that “new policy” direction on Galamsey, the Minister will fly to the same galamsey sites he promised to salvage to see a more devastating, more painfully destroyed landscape, and he appeared surprised that the Ghanaian populace would bear with this lacklustre policy approach.
The minority has drawn the attention of the government twice this year, through the Mines and Energy Committee, to a relapse in their fight against galamsey. We urged the Ministers in charge to awaken from their long slumber and save our lands from selfish galamsey operators. They maintained their sluggish demeanor and allowed the destruction to continue, with known government party supporters busy sinking machines into lands all over the place, including state reserved areas, polluting our fresh water and destroying farm lands. Even as we worry about the current situation and the Minister’s laughable surprise, much more shady business is going on, known to the government but deliberately ignored by its agents!
Also read: Ghana’s soldiers prefer protecting galamsey sites to peace-keeping missions
What fight did the President refer to when he declared his determination to eradicate galamsey from our lands? Why should anyone be surprised that there were no practical actions to save our lands following the government’s several expensive conferences aimed at addressing the challenges posed by illegal mining?
The ease with which private citizens, many of whom are of foreign origin, enter and ravage our lands under this regime is very concerning. It explains why many citizens and civil society organizations are concerned about our country’s future. The indiscriminate destruction of land by miners of all stripes has disastrous consequences for our cocoa production and drinking water. While oil companies once had to import fresh water from neighboring Côte d’Ivoire, our long-term trading partners, the European Union, are considering a ban on the purchase of Ghana cocoa due to high mercury contamination from irresponsible mining.
As a result, it came as no surprise when a government-friendly civil society group, Occupy Ghana, threatened to sue the government over what it calls the government’s “absolute incompetence, in the face of the brazen destruction of our lands and wanton poisoning of our water bodies.” All of this exemplifies the inept handling of our lands’ unprecedented destruction. The current situation should obviously send signals to the government that not everything is right with its pretense of fighting to save our lands for future generations.
While we wait to see what the Minister and his government will do next following his visit and his surprise at seeing the vast destruction of our environment, which we believe is only the tip of the iceberg, we urge the Minister to wear sharper glasses and open his mind wider in order to take necessary actions. His subsequent actions will assist him in absolving himself of any blame as a collaborator or an incompetent urgent of the President in a fight for our lands being destroyed with impunity and annoying gusto.
We would like to see the government take responsibility by putting a stop to this lawless behavior, prosecuting the violators, and requiring companies found to be involved in any illegal mining process to reclaim all lands they have destroyed.
Source: Citinewsroom
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