Communication Minister Sam Nartey George says President John Mahama has demonstrated the strongest political will yet in the fight against illegal mining by directing security services to investigate two of his own national executives over alleged involvement in galamsey.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on September 30, the Minister contrasted Mahama’s approach with that of the previous administration, accusing former President Akufo-Addo of tacitly endorsing party officials engaged in the illegal trade.
“President Mahama has been president for nine months now. Do I wish I have seen more? Absolutely. But in the nine months, I can confidently say that I see a desire and a will to deal with galamsey that didn’t exist in the previous eight years,” Sam George said.
The Ningo Prampram MP argued that Mahama’s decision to hand over his own party executives for investigation marks a sharp departure from the past.
“Meanwhile, under the previous president, you had a regional chairman talking to a minister saying that they must engage in galamsey because ‘party hiya sika’.
“And the president went to campaign for that individual. You saw the tacit endorsement of the presidency then of party apparatchiks getting involved in galamsey,” he added.
The Minister noted that under Mahama, the military, working with the late Defence Minister Dr Omane Boamah, had already reclaimed seven out of nine forest reserves from illegal miners.
He revealed that the President has also scheduled a high-level engagement with over 30 civil society organisations on October 3, to draw up a joint roadmap against the menace.
Sam George stressed, however, that while progress has been made, more enforcement is needed.
“We don’t need to rest on our oars. Ghanaians voted for us because they thought we will do better, and we should do better. Let’s go all out and win this war, if not for anything, in memory of the eight gallant sons who died in the helicopter crash,” he said.
The Minister dismissed claims that he had called for a state of emergency in galamsey-hit areas.
“I have never, ever called for a state of emergency. I believe you can have targeted surgical operations led by our security forces,” he clarified.
For him, galamsey remains Ghana’s most dangerous national threat.
“Galamsey is Ghana’s version of Colombia’s drug cartels. But I believe we’re on our way to defeating it,” he maintained.
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