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NPP Blasts NDC To Stop Politicising Galamsey, Missing Excavators Issue

NDC NPP Blasts NDC To Stop Politicising Galamsey, Missing Excavators Issue
FEB 20, 2020 LISTEN

The governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) is asking the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) not to make a political capital out of the fight against illegal mining popularly known as “galamsey.”

The menace according to the party, affects all and thus a collective effort is needed to tackle it.

This appeal comes on the back of accusation by the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that the government has failed to deal with illegal mining; a situation that is adversely affecting the country.

Addressing a news conference today, Wednesday, Director of Communications for the NPP, Yaw Buaben Asamoa said all hands must be on deck to end galamsey.

“We are aware that, the allegations of the missing excavators have brought the issue of galamsey to the fore. Happily, the matter has been referred to the police. We expect institutions of enforcement to be bold about it. Ideally, we would have wished the NDC leadership will deal with us rather than engage in petty politics that divide us. We believe that this should have been bi-partisan so that we deal with it in the context of challenges that face all of us and in a better way. Typical of the NDC, they have reduced this whole thing into three things – blame the president, scream loudly that the solution is not working and seek for the vote of the people without any alternative.”

In the past week, the NDC has described the government's fight against galamsey as a failure because of several actions by government appointees and the issue of missing seized equipment.

But the NPP, on the other hand, has absolved itself from any wrongdoing insisting the fight against the menace is in full force.

Already, various bodies have called on the government to provide details on the progress or otherwise made on the fight against galamsey, with the NDC, demanding for a public exhibition of the seized excavators.

Arrest

So far, six persons have been arrested in connection with the missing excavators and since granted bail.

The six, include the suspended First Vice Chairman of the New Patriotic Party in the Central Region, Ekow Ewusi, who was also heard in an audio recording with the Environment, Science and Technology Minister, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng discussing the prospect of mining on some concessions.

---citinewsroom

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