Has Mahama rescinded his decision to release the jailed illegal miners?

I was shocked to the bone when I recently chanced on a few video clips of some NDC officials, disgustingly giving morale and promising the recalcitrant galamseyers of a future NDC government’s unwavering support for their illegal activities.

What is more shocking from the video clips, is the revoltingly ugly attitude of one particular NDC official, who was captured on tape a few years ago, again unperturbed, and, convivially promising to go back to the galamsey sites to inform the illegal miners of NDC’s unfailing support for their criminal activities.

I am just wondering if the aggrieved University Teachers Association of Ghana(UTAG) has seen the seemingly squeamish video clips?

My dear reader, if you would recall, it was former President John Dramani Mahama who evocatively promised to release the jailed illegal miners during the 2020 electioneering campaign.

Back then, some of us humbly suggested that if the former president has a consuming desire to pardon the convicted illegal miners, he might as well free other criminals such as armed robbers, the goat thieves, plantain, mobile phone, cassava thieves, amongst others. After all, what’s good for the goose is good for the gander.

Isn’t it quite amazing to see no less a person than a former president of the land, who out of desperation, unblushingly playing down the menace of illegal mining?

If we are happy to send the goat, plantain, mobile phone and cassava thieves to the penitentiary, how much more the illegal miners who are bent on stealing our mineral resources, destroying the water bodies with noxious mercury and cyanide, and degrading the environment?

“Unlike some other West African countries, Ghana allows mercury use in mining. Mercury is freely available in shops and can be bought with a canister, bottle, or as a ball wrapped in a plastic cling film, and much of it has been brought in by Chinese miners (HRW 2014).”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), exposure to mercury – even small amounts – may cause serious health problems, and is a threat to the development of the child in utero and early in life (WHO 2017).

Moreover, WHO insists that mercury may have toxic effects on the nervous, digestive and immune systems, and on lungs, kidneys, skin and eyes.

Besides, mercury is considered by WHO as one of the top ten chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concern (WHO 2017).

Given the extreme dangers associated with illegal mining, it was, indeed, a step in the right direction when President Akufo-Addo halted the artisan miners a few years ago, many of whom were said to have been using noxious mercury in their mining activities.

Regrettably, however, when the recalcitrant illegal miners were all over the place stealing our mineral resources, terrorising the indigenes and at the same time destroying the lands and water bodies, and President Akufo-Addo decided to place a ban on their activities, no less a person than former President Mahama bizarrely came out to oppose the NPP administration’s commendable efforts to curb the illegal activities (See: Stop chasing illegal miners with soldiers – Mahama to government;citinewsroom.com/ghanaweb.com, 28/04/2018).

Ex-President Mahama is reported to have grouched somewhat plangently: “…it is true that if we don’t do something about it, it will destroy the environment. But we need to apply wisdom. Because we’ve chased young people involved in illegal small-scale mining with soldiers in the past in this country but it didn’t work.”

Ex-President Mahama is reported to have nagged and grouched somewhat plangently: “…it is true that if we don’t do something about it, it will destroy the environment. But we need to apply wisdom. Because we’ve chased young people involved in illegal small-scale mining with soldiers in the past in this country but it didn’t work.”

With all due respect, what does Ex-President Mahama take discerning Ghanaians for? After all, wasn’t he in government for eight years and what did he do to curb the apparent menace?

If, indeed, Ex-President Mahama and his NDC administration deployed the military in their attempt to halt the menace of illegal mining but to no avail, why didn’t they employ alternative solutions?

So Ex-President Mahama wants to tell the good people of Ghana that eight years in government was not enough to halt a canker such as illegal mining?

Former President Mahama is said to have shockingly pontificated: “But if we put a blanket ban and send soldiers after the young people that is not the way to go. As you stop illegal small-scale mining, at the same time you must put in place a livelihood package so that as you are displacing people from illegal mining, they have something to do…. But when there is nothing to do but you are just chasing them, shooting them, it is not the way to go.”

Ex-President Mahama was implying that the security personnel should cease chasing armed robbers with guns and rather offer them alternative livelihoods. How bizarre?

In fact, there is an incontrovertible evidence of some galamseyers quitting their jobs and moving to the rural areas to embark on the illegal mining. A criminal shall remain so regardless.

Ex-President Mahama opined: “We [NDC] decided that we will bring a new mining law that will regulate galamsey that persons who do it well will be able to sustain themselves…So immediately, the [Akufo-Addo] government must look at these regulations and come up with good policies so that those who want to do it, will do it within the law.”

I could not agree more with former President Mahama. Indeed, better data and policies are needed to get the sector back on track.

But the all-important question we should be asking former President Mahama and his NDC administration is: why did they fail woefully to arrest a serious problem such as illegal mining in eight years in office?

Indeed, potential economic benefits (employment, tax revenues and development outcomes) can be derived from artisan mining in Ghana.

We cannot also deny the fact that artisan mining is a significant contributor to the economic and social well-being of many people and households in rural, remote, and poor communities in Ghana.

However, the negatives within the artisan mining outweigh the positives. The negative effects include, among other things, environmental degradation, water pollution, the release of mercury and other toxic and hazardous wastes into the free environment, and unforeseen social tensions that could lead to civil unrest.

Given the criminal intent of the illegal miners , we are, more than ever, urgently required our military power to combat the menace of the stubbornly impenitent nation wreckers who are bent on stealing our natural resources and destroying the environment.

The illegal miners invasion of our country side with a view to forcibly digging our mineral resources, polluting our sources of drinking water, destroying the environment and above all terrorising the natives is tantamount to war.

On the preponderance of probability, the negatives outweigh the positives in the illegal mining, and therefore it is absolutely right for any serious, committed and forward-thinking leader to curb the activities of illegal mining and bring the offenders to book.

K. Badu, UK.
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