Dennis Miracles Aboagye, director of communications for Bawumia Campaign, has accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of enabling the illegal mining practice known as galamsey.
He claims that while the government is trying to combat galamsey, NDC officials are campaigning against the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) using galamsey as a political tool.
Aboagye alleges that NDC officials visit galamsey sites, encouraging miners to continue their activities and promising to protect them if they come to power. He argues that this makes it difficult for the government to effectively address the issue.
Aboagye’s comments come amid a blame game between the NDC and NPP over galamsey. In a recent parliamentary debate, Majority and Minority Members of Parliament accused each other of exacerbating the problem.
The Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh Dompreh, claimed that the NDC caused more environmental damage than the NPP, while the Minority Leader, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, acknowledged that galamsey persists despite security efforts to combat it.
In a recent Facebook Post, Miracle Aboagye said “It has become evidently clear that, one of the key enablers of the Galamsey menace in Ghana is the NDC. Clearly, they make the country’s efforts to end this menace a difficult one, when they continue to go into Galamsey sites to encourage the people to commit these criminalities.
“When they continue to assure them to vote for them so they will come to government to protect them and allow them to continue the galamsey, it makes it difficult.”
The Majority Chief Whip, Frank Annoh Dompreh, for instance, accused the erstwhile National Democratic Government of causing more havoc to the environment than the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“If we are to look and investigate both sides of the House (NPP and NDC), I can tell you that the NDC polluted the water more than us. So, let’s get matters straight,” he said.
.“Vote against the NDC, they are key enablers of Galamsey, they are dishonest and insincere and have no clear plan to deal with this menace other than assure the people of allowing them to even engage more in this illegality.”
However, Other MPs raised concerns about the scarcity of water in most parts of the country. The MP for Bodi, Samson Ahi said there is water shortage in places such as Kumasi, Western Region and Accra
Meanwhile, flag bearer of the New Patriotic Party Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has proposed strategies to address galamsey, including:
1. Creating a Minerals Development Bank to finance mining activities
2. Decentralizing and streamlining the licensing regime
3. Providing data to identify gold deposits
4. Buying mined gold to boost the country’s reserves
5. Introducing community mining schemes
6. Providing safe mining equipment to minimize environmental damage
Baina Multimedia/Khadijahtu Kubura Kailani
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