Kofi Adams, the Member of Parliament for Buem, has criticised the government’s handling of illegal mining, commonly referred to as galamsey, which has long been a menace in Ghana.
Speaking during an interview on The Big Issue, a political discussion show on Channel One TV, Kofi Adams didn’t mince words as he accused the New Patriotic Party-led administration of not only failing to tackle the issue but also showing a disturbing lack of commitment to solving the problem.
According to Kofi Adams, the government’s approach to fighting illegal mining has been nothing short of a grand failure.
He argues that the actions, or inactions, of the NPP, suggest that the ruling party has little interest in genuinely addressing the problem.
Kofi Adams went on to criticise the government’s lack of resolve from the very beginning of its term in 2017, citing several incidents that he believes expose its disinterest in tackling illegal mining.
“This government has failed and the Catholic Church now has to do an environmental prayer demonstration and this is a total failure and this did not start today. You have a government whose mind is no different from the small boy who is hired to engage in galamsey.
“Osafo-Maafo said when Aisha Huang was arrested that there was no benefit in prosecuting such a person. She would not have returned if she was prosecuted.
“Right from the word go, the government was not committed to the galamsey fight and you could see from videos and audios that came out that the party needed money and the party had to sponsor galamsey because they needed money.”
“Prof Frimpong Boateng said he told the president that the late Sir John was a threat to the fight against galamsey and didn’t the president allow him [Sir John] to stay in office until he passed on?” Kofi Adams rhetorically asked the host, Selorm Adonoo.
