John Kufour, who served as Ghana's fifth president from January 2001 until January 7, 2009, said yesterday that "Democracy Hub protesters who committed offenses must be punished; we can't let them go scot-free." Many Ghanaians were astonished to hear the ex-president say that even though illicit mining has polluted Ghana's main rivers, contaminated the environment, ruined the country's agriculture, and given rise to several diseases, and yet, the government doesn't seem to care enough.
I need to use the phrase "the NPP government doesn't care enough" to make it very apparent to Ghanaians. Since illegal mining is not a recent development and has historically been a troubling issue, Ghanaians were happy when Akufo Addo pledged to put his office at risk to combat it in a way that has never been seen in the country's political history. However, it turned out that the president is actively behind illegal mining, thus, his promises, including protecting the public’s purse, have been a lie.
Ghanaians were not only shocked that Akufo Addo had either broken his promise to combat illegal mining or was actively involved in it; in addition, illegal mining activities had abnormally increased by over 500% under the administration of the NPP more than under any other government in the country's political history. Apart from this other criminal activities, such as money laundering and widespread corruption, have increased and the outcome has been catastrophic, affecting Ghana's agriculture.
The impact of illegal mining has gone unnoticed because it has been a major source of income for NPP politicians and has funded the party's campaign. Additionally, I am confident that former Ghanaian President John Kufuor was also profiting from illegal mining and was dissatisfied with the actions of the "Democracy Hub protesters." Why should the demonstrators from Democracy Hub be treated as criminals when their actions are motivated by a desire to save Ghana?
John Kufuor asserts that "the demonstrators need not go scot-free because they cause significant property damage and road blockage." I would like to know what steps the former president took to put an end to the illicit mining that has not only harmed the environment but resulted in kids born with deformities due to environmental contamination. More importantly, does Kufuor know that the effects of clandestine mining have also had an impact on businesses, investments, and the economy of Ghana?
As a former leader of Ghana, John Kufuor should be ashamed of himself for ignoring how illicit mining has ruined Ghana and not feeling the need to act immediately to stop it. He must also be ashamed that Jeroen Verheul, the Dutch ambassador to Ghana, has expressed worries about the country's poor investment in agriculture, and the danger of starvation due to the effects of illicit mining. Even though he is not a Ghanaian, the Dutch ambassador to Ghana is the one worried about the impact of illegal mining.
John Kufuor, like the police, is accusing the Democracy Hub protesters of causing property damage, but no one has mentioned that the demonstrators' car, which was towed away, contained food, water, and other refreshments. If Kufuor is concerned about Ghana's property, why hasn't he questioned Akufo Addo about the demolition of Ghanaian properties, such as the residence of the Malian ambassador, the judges' bungalows, the Scholarship Secretariat, and the passport office, among many others for a foundationless cathedral at the cost of $58 million?
After the government failed Ghanaians, the protestors, who were fighting against illegal mining, a right course to make Ghana a better country, were arrested during protests on September 22 and 23. They were brought before the court on September 24, 2024, where many of them were denied bail. The Ghana Police Service disclosed that eleven of the accused were moved to detention while 28 of the accused were remanded into police custody, in the democratic government of Akufo Addo-Bawumia.
The government wants to detain them as long as they wish or imprison those they want to intimidate Ghanaians to prevent other demonstrations, but this is a grave mistake. The majority of Ghanaians hate the NPP government to the extent that they will make sure nothing goes in their favor in the 2024 election. The NPP has lost the respect and support of Ghanaians and badly needs a change of government; therefore, they will surely pay a high price if the election is manipulated in December.
Regretfully, at a time when Ghanaians are condemning the government for detaining protestors who are striving to make the nation a better place, John Kufuor, who claims to be a lawyer, could stand up to defend his government's crimes against humanity.