Report By: Joseph Nana Yaw Cobbina
Swift responds to our call as responsible citizens to express our concerns over the recent discourse on the fight against illegal mining in our dear nation, Ghana.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with a member of small-scale miners at the Eastern Region, Nana Kwame Sakyi hinted that over the past two weeks or so, they have all witnessed a very intensive discourse on the destructive effects of illegal mining on our water resources as well as other natural reserves.
For clarity, the illegality is about mining activities in water bodies or operating without licenses in forests.
Furthermore, make our stand clear that, we are fully in support of the government’s swift action in setting up a 5-member ministerial ad-hoc committee with the mandate to “evaluate the government’s effort to combat illegal mining, review the effectiveness the effectiveness of the measures implemented to address the environmental damage caused by illegal mining across the country.”
“We strongly believe that, if the fight against illegal mining can be won, it must be devoid of any political breezes. Any form of politicization of this fight must be discouraged. As the President called some time ago, we must make it a nationalized issue as we learn from the lessons of 2020” he observed.
However, must express our disagreement with the call of TUC for a freeze on all responsible Small Scale mining. We are willing to help the fight against the illegality but it is unguided to include legally responsible mining.
Witnessing now is just blame shifting by the organised labour. We need to focus on where the illegality is and the capacity of the Minerals Commission to ensure compliance.
“We see their call as purely externally motivated and a wrongful diagnosis of a national challenge, very ill-conceived, and insensitive to the lives of close to 6 million people who’s livelihood depends on the small scale mining industry” he poised.
“If we are to win this fight, we must first be truthful and sincere in our claims and demands. Ladies and gentlemen, when we lost our voices in 2020 after the fight was politicised, we all became accomplices of the act.
Where was the TUC leadership when the fight got politicised in 2020? That was the beginning of the failure of the fight.
The promise to grant amnesty to the actors of the pollution of the water bodies emboldened them and act more irresponsibly.
The TUC when the former President H.E.John Dramani Mahama was captured on a live video assuring those who have been arrested for destroying our water bodies that he will grant them amnesty when he’s voted into power? They cant behave like ostriches.
Today, if we have all resurrected from our slumber, let’s not lay the blame on responsible miners who have nothing to do with the water bodies.
“let’s focus on dealing with the illegality and stop calling for the freeze or ban of legal small scale mining” he worried.
According to graphic online as captured on the 16th of January 2024, 2,276 persons were killed in the year 2023 involving 14135 reported road crashes involving close to 25,000 vehicles. It is further reported that around 15,000 people suffered varying degrees of injuries whilst about 2600 persons got knocked down.
“we have witnessed on many occasions a period where a journalist has been irresponsible on set yet, there’s never been a call to shut down the media industry” he fumed.
He reiterate their fight against illegal mining. They support drastic measure against the mining activities in water bodies and unlicensed operations in forest reserves.
However resist any attempt to include responsible and legal small scale mining as seen in the calls by Organised Labour for a total ban on mining.
The Minerals Commission should also sit up. The laxity in supervision is also partly to blame for the mess.
“We, as Responsible and Legal Small Scale Miners, commit to support the government in this fight in any capacity we can” he stressed.
Source: www.thenewindependentonline.com
