A Senior Political Science lecturer at the University of Ghana, Dr Kwame Asah-Asante says given the devastating effect of illegal mining on the country’s natural resources, any politician found to be supporting ‘galamsey’ must be condemned.
His comment follows a charge given by the New Patriotic Party’s parliamentary candidate for Amenfi East, Ernest Frimpong, to illegal miners to beat up soldiers who attempt to halt their mining in the area.
In a video that has gone viral on social media, the parliamentary candidate is seen at a forum with individuals believed to be illegal miners, advising them to resist military officers who claim they are there to patrol the area and attempt to forcefully remove them.
He emphasised that no military personnel has been authorised to manage the sites at this time, so miners should fight back if necessary.
Also present at this forum, was the Western Regional Minister Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, who also heads the Security Council in the region.
But touching on the development on the JoyNews AM Show, the political scientist stressed that such individuals must not be allowed to hold public office.
“Look at the effect of galamsey on the production of food, on the production of cocoa and then on health. Look at the consequences that we have from these illegal activities and what even the country has not turned its attention to; the issue with our neighbors.
“How we pollute their water bodies and sooner than later they are going to take us on. Look at the kidney problems that we have, which a lot have been attributed to the fact that we have poisonous substances in our waterbodies.
“So for somebody who is holding a political office to urge people along this negative path, I believe it is a wrong move. These type of people should not be encouraged to hold public office because all they want is to have political power and it doesn’t matter how society survives or not”.
He also called on the security agencies to pick up the NPP Parliamentary Candidate for interrogation so as to deter others from inciting people against both police and military personnel during the discharge of their duty.
“If that is what the man is saying, then I think the security people must talk to him’, he stressed.
Meanwhile, Mr. Ernest Frimpong has clarified suggestions that he incited illegal miners in the area to continue with their activities and also defend themselves against any attack from military personnel in the area.
Explaining the issue on Joy FM’s Midday News on Sunday, June 9, Mr Frimpong admitted to being the person in the video but refuted engaging with illegal miners, stating that he was speaking to miners in the community.
“I am saying that if the people in uniform can go to the length of engaging civilians in a business to torment miners who are legally working, then, they should be exposed because once you do that, you are deviating from what you are supposed to do,” he said.
He also claimed that miners engaging in legal mining get attacked, and extorted with their machines destroyed to cause disaffection for the government.
These activities, he alleged are carried out by some NDC members with connections in the security service, hence his advise.
ALSO READ: