Executive Director of the Centre for Public Opinion and Awareness (CenPOA), a non-partisan, non-governmental civil society organisation founded to promote civic engagement, says it was purely political on the part of Chairman Asiedu Nketiah to state that declaring a state of emergency on galamsey was needless.
Michael Donyina Mensah posited that the position taken by Asiedu Nketiah contradicts what the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) advocated for while in opposition.
The policy analyst asserted that the NDC took on the previous government over illegal mining activities and promised to declare a state of emergency if it won power.
However, after winning power, the NDC’s position has changed, raising questions about its credibility.
National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has shot down calls for a state of emergency in the fight against illegal mining.
He claimed that such a move could plunge Ghana into chaos and erode democratic rule.
Mr. Donyina Mensah said this assertion by the party’s leader is an unprincipled one because the party had an opportunity to dissociate itself from such comments, yet they failed to do so.
‘’I disagree with Asiedu Nketiah and I believe he was engaging in politics. I disagree with him because, first of all, in the run-up to the 2024 elections, some leading members of the NDC supported the call for a state of emergency before the 2024 elections, and the NDC did not state any opposition to such calls. Only doing so recently, now that they are in power, is for political expediency.”
He stated that those calling for the declaration of a state of emergency want it in the most affected illegal mining areas.
‘’Those calling for a state of emergency want it in the most affected illegal mining areas. Galamsey is not only destroying our environment but also taking a lot of lives. You would be surprised at the number of lives lost through illegal mining,’’ he added.
Michael Donyina Mensah posted that the eight individuals who lost their lives in the helicopter crash should serve as a reason for us to deal with galamsey once and for all.
‘’We lost eight gallant and noble citizens through the helicopter crash due to galamsey. Are we allowing greed for money to make us destroy our water bodies and forest reserves?’’
He added that you cannot totally rule out the declaration of a state of emergency when its impact is to deal with galamsey.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
