The Member of Parliament for Afigya Kwabre North, Collins Adomako-Mensah, has admitted that Ghanaian politicians, including himself, have not done enough to tackle the rampant problem of small-scale illegal mining, or galamsey.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show (SMS) on Monday, January 19, Mr Adomako-Mensah, who also serves as Ranking Member of the Parliamentary Energy Committee, said the political class has been ineffective in curbing the menace.
“We as politicians have not done well when it comes to the fight against galamsey, and I am a politician, and I am saying it. Shamefully, I have to admit that we politicians are not very forceful when it comes to that aspect (fight against galamsey),” he said.
“But we can’t continue like this. It has to get to a point where things must change,” he added.
The MP acknowledged that fear of losing local support has often prevented decisive action. “…you can go to a particular constituency where sixty to seventy per cent of the indigene, the youth are involved in some form of illegal mining, and they tell you frankly that if you do this (speak against galamsey), they are going to vote you out. And indeed, records are there to prove that some people have suffered political defeat or humiliation on the basis of their efforts to clamp down on illegal mining,” he explained.
He urged fellow lawmakers to rise above political pressures and take bold measures against galamsey, adding that the minority in Parliament is prepared to play its part in the fight.
Adomako-Mensah’s remarks come in the wake of a new Hotline documentary by the JoyNews team highlighting how galamsey is threatening the country’s Bui Power Plant.
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