Media Relations Officer at the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Paa Kwesi Schandorf, has stated that the calls for a declaration of a state of emergency to fight galamsey must first be backed by actionable policies.
According to him while the call remains a vital step in fighting the menace, there’s the need for accompanying mechanisms to give effect to such declarations.
Speaking on the AM Show on JoyNews on Monday, July 1, Schandorf explained that at the moment, government is focused on deploying the right measures that will make such declarations yield the results.
This he said is not an excuse for the present non-declaration, adding that the declaration of a state of emergency remains a viable alternative on the table.
“The truth of the matter is that, again I am reiterating, the calls for a state of emergency were valid back then and they still are appropriate in our current circumstances; except that if you’re going to declare by a state of emergency and you have not put in the relevant mechanisms that will give the effect to that declaration, then perhaps the declaration itself maybe moot, it may be much to do about nothing”, Schandorf noted.
He continued, “If it (declaration of a state of emergency) is done today, I can assure you we would have that applause from the entirety of the populace, the optical bliss would come, the commendations will come from all quarters and everybody would be happy.
But if the fundamental issues on the grounds which is sometimes the complicity of traditional leaders and all the other nitty gritties are not addressed, you would de latr a state of emergency but you may not be able to see the substantive results. Nothing will give effective to that declaration. And that is why we have consistently said that look, we are not necessarily backtracking or pussyfooting the issue”.
The comments by the Ministry’s spokesperson comes on the back of renewed calls for a declaration of a state of emergency, following the NDC’s promise to do so while in opposition.
According to critics, the party is now retreating from its initial pledge, but the Ministry’s spokesperson says otherwise.
Citing the scenario of an armed robber who has promised to stop stealing but is yet to discard his guns, Paa Kwesi Schandorf noted that a declaration of a state of emergency without the relevant supporting policies may be likened to such a pointless pronouncement.
He therefore stressed that government is working to institute the right measures that will ultimately make galamsey a thing of the past.
Meanwhile government has so far rolled out some interventions to deal with the issue.
These include last Thursday’s inauguration of the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS), as well as the ongoing operations of the Blue Waterguard among others.
Despite criticism, the government insists that these measures will go a long way toward eradicating the prevailing environmental hazard and restoring the country’s lands and water bodies.
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