The Minority in Parliament has criticised the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government, accusing it of hypocrisy and failure in tackling illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
In a press release issued on Wednesday, July 23, and signed by the Ranking Member on the Lands and Natural Resources Committee, Kwaku Ampratwum-Sarpong, the caucus described the situation as a “full-blown national emergency” and alleged widespread complicity by government officials.
“The biggest betrayal is that this government, which campaigned on ending galamsey, has turned around to oversee its worst escalation. Galamsey is thriving right in the President’s hometown of Bole Bamboi, destroying water bodies like the Yonkamba stream,” the statement said.
The Minority criticised the government for allocating GHS 50 million to fight illegal mining but delivering “only token gestures with no real results.”
They also referenced concerns raised by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), both of which have warned about the devastating environmental impact and have threatened industrial action if decisive measures are not taken.
According to the Minority, seized excavators have gone missing, district-level equipment is being diverted for illegal mining, and the government’s Gold4Oil initiative is allegedly fueling the galamsey trade instead of curbing it.
They further praised investigative journalists, such as Erastus Asare Donkor, for exposing the “rot at the heart of Ghana’s illegal mining crisis” and accused the NDC government of ignoring such revelations.
“The Ghanaian people deserve better than press releases and photo ops. They deserve clean water, preserved forests, good health, and effective leadership. If the NDC cannot deliver that, they have no business being in power,” the statement concluded.
Source: AdomOnline
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