Kennedy Agyapong, a leading member of the ruling New Patriotic Party, NPP, has advised government to alter its approach in dealing with the menace of illegal small scale mining else it will fail.
According to the Assin Central MP, the use of force which is currently the case with the burning of excavators will make no lasting impact if the communities are not involved.
He urged the government to engage all stakeholders including the affected communities and sensitize them on the need to protect Ghana’s natural resources.
“With all due respect, Mr President change the approach because it won’t work. They are applying force but if you don’t conscientize the people (so) that they will be part of the reclamation and be paid some amount, it won’t work. We should engage all the communities and let them know that their lives are under threat as well. I feel the government should engage the communities,” he said on Net2 TV.
Kennedy Agyapong also took a swipe at NPP bigwigs involved in galamsey, accusing them of making President Akufo-Addo and his administration unpopular in the eyes of the public.
He warned them to regularize their activities and undertake environment friendly mining else he will expose them.
“There is one guy called Donald. I took him to court and he lost but he is still in the forest doing galamsey. He’s being backed by NPP bigwigs. I thought I was helping the president but the guy has NPP figures backing him.
“We are destroying our water bodies because of money. They think they have power but power is temporal. I will take them on. We can’t watch on as this guy destroys the country.”
Kennedy Agyapong noted that whiles the majority of Ghanaians have bought into the government’s anti-galamsey drive, its own members are crippling it to protect their interest.
“When it comes to galamsey, the NPP members are greedy bastards. I have warned them that if anyone dares me I will expose them. We cannot allow that to happen. The hope Ghanaians have in President Akufo-Addo, we the followers are trying to make him unsuccessful but we have to help him succeed.
“I don’t think Akufo-Addo is thinking of himself at his age with the ban on illegal mining. He is thinking about the country. Posterity will judge this man that even when his own people were against him, he stood firm,” he said.
Source: www.ghanaweb.com
