Galamsey: ‘Mahama is not a listening President as some mistake him to be’ — Dr. Zaato

Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato, a Senior Political Science Lecturer at the University of Ghana, has criticised President John Dramani Mahama for what he describes as a refusal to heed advice on how to tackle illegal mining, known as galamsey.

According to him, contrary to the perception that Mr. Mahama is a listening president, his failure to repeal L.I. 2462 and declare a state of emergency proves otherwise.

Speaking on Accra-based TV3’s KeyPoints programme on Saturday, June 21, Dr. Zaato said the President has ignored calls from respected institutions such as the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

“We are often told that His Excellency President Mahama is a listening president. We’ve been told again and again. But the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference have gone to meet the listening president, and they’ve told Mr. President: declare a state of emergency. He hasn’t listened to them.

“They went to him again and said, ‘Mr. President, repeal—not amend—L.I. 2462.’ He has not listened. So it becomes difficult to reconcile those two narratives. If he’s a listening president, what kind of listening president is he?” he asked.

Dr. Zaato, who is a member of the NPP, added, “Because the people that matter say this is what will cure the problem, yet you’ve not listened. So there’s the rhetoric that he’s a listening president, and then there’s the reality that he’s not. And so far, the facts on the ground—just this alone—indicate that he’s not a listening president.”