Member of Parliament for Efigya Kwabere North Constituency, Collins Adomako Mensah, says illegal miners should be made to face the full rigor of the law regardless of one’s political affiliation.
He stated that galamsey culprits need to be punished to deter others from indulging in the practice which has destroyed several water bodies in the country.
His comments come on the heels of a report on galamsey by Professor Kwabena Frimpong Boateng, the former chairman of the defunct Inter-Ministerial Committee on Illegal Mining (IMCIM).
Speaking on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show on Wednesday, April 26, 2023, the Afigya Kwabere North MP intimated that he is not threatened by the political parties those illegal miners are affiliated with.
“I don’t sympathize with anybody who is engaging in galamsey. I don’t sympathize irrespective of your stature within my party or within the Ghanaian economy,” he said.
Mr. Adomako noted that the effects of galamsey are dire and the government needs to adopt measures to stop its practice.
“I have seen the effects of galamsey myself, last time I was here [on the Good Morning Ghana show] I told you that I visited the town in Manso Abore, and what I saw convinced me that we have to do everything possible to ensure that we stop this issue of galamsey.”
Mr. Adomako Mensah indicated that the country risks jeopardizing its dignity, stating that the paradigm had shifted and it is no longer a case of deportation and repatriation of foreign nationals but rather a disrespect for the dignity of Ghanaians who are on a daily basis in the grip of these expatriates.
If care is not taken and efforts hastened up, he warned that the country will have to import water in the distant future.
Collins Adomako Mensah further called on the necessary authorities and agencies involved in the fight against galamsey to be up and doing and apprehend these illegal operators.
“I’m calling on all the security agencies, all the appropriate constitutional bodies who are to ensure that this illegality is stopped, please do your job. Just go and do your job.”
By Leonora Enyonam Annoh | Metrotvoline.com | Ghana
