Private legal practitioner and social activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor has taken a swipe at the Mahama administration, accusing it of showing little seriousness in addressing illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
He argued that the government has already reneged on its own pledge by failing to repeal Legislative Instrument (L.I.) 2462 within the first 120 days in office, a promise clearly outlined in its social contract.
Speaking on Channel One TV , Barker-Vormawor described the situation as an unprecedented environmental crisis, insisting that government actions must inspire confidence.
“The truth is we’re facing an environmental crisis of proportions that none of us have ever imagined. The responses to it must consistently reassure public trust in the way you want to move. The first thing the government promised us in its social contract was that within 120 days, it would repeal L.I 2462, and it comes in and does the opposite. Already you are sending signals,” he said.
He also cited reports of extortion involving officials deployed to the field and the deportation of Chinese nationals tied to galamsey activities as practices that dent government’s credibility.
“When you send signals on some of the low-hanging fruit like that, it doesn’t create the impression that you are serious about it. Some of the back and forth of some of the people sent to the field involved in extorting money is a credibility denter. The deportation of the Chinese nationals involved in galamsey is a credibility denter,” he stressed.
He cautioned that such contradictions and broken promises could further weaken public confidence in the government’s ability to deal with the deepening environmental crisis.
Source : Adomonline
