Mahama's Excuse Against State Of Emergency On Galamsey Does Not Hold Water

President John Dramani Mahama's latest justification for refusing to declare a state of emergency on illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, is not only weak but an insult to Ghanaians who are watching their water bodies and forest reserves destroyed in real time.

In the video circulating, the President argues that he never said he will declare a state of emergency, that it should be a last resort, that galamsey is in ten regions so he cannot declare it everywhere, and that it will take away people's rights. With respect, Mr. President, this is a flawed argument.

1. Galamsey Itself Is Already A State of Emergency

Our water bodies are poisoned. The Ankobra, Pra, Birim and other rivers that used to serve millions are now brown with mercury and cyanide. Cocoa farms are being destroyed. Babies are being born with deformities in mining areas. If this is not an emergency, what is?

The Constitution allows a state of emergency to protect the very existence of the nation. Galamsey is an existential threat to our water, food security and future. You don't need it to be in one isolated area to act. In fact, the fact that it is in ten regions is the more reason why a national state of emergency is needed.

2. The Rights Argument Is Dishonest
The President says a state of emergency will allow people to be arrested without question and detained without the 48-hour rule. But galamsey operators are already operating outside the law. They are armed, as the President himself admitted, and forest guards cannot even enter reserves for fear of their lives.

Whose rights are we protecting? The rights of the armed criminals destroying our forests, or the rights of million Ghanaians to clean water and a safe environment? Law-abiding citizens have nothing to fear from a targeted state of emergency in mining enclaves.

3. The Forest Reserve Strategy Has Failed
The President says nine red-zone forest reserves have been cleared and the army has set up camps. Yet every Ghanaian knows galamseyers return the moment attention shifts. Burning a few chanfang machines on the Ankobra while its tributaries are still being destroyed is not victory. It is optics.

We have heard this same story since 2013. Deployments, task forces, water guards. But the turbidity levels of our water treatment plants keep rising and Ghana Water Company keeps shutting down.

A state of emergency is not just about soldiers. It halts all small-scale mining, freezes excavator importation, empowers the security services to enter any site without political interference, and sends a clear message that there will be no sacred cows.

Mr. President, you promised Ghanaians you would fight galamsey to the end. You cannot win a war of this magnitude with half-measures and excuses about human rights.

Ghana needs decisive action, not a lecture on why action cannot be taken.