By King Amoah, Our Editor reports
A growing wave of public dissatisfaction is sweeping across Ghana as opinion polls indicate a deep seated skepticism regarding President John Dramani Mahama’s commitment to tackling illegal mining.
The recent admission from the President himself acknowledging that some of his appointees including Metropolitan, Municipal, and District Chief Executives (MCEs and DCEs) and prominent party stalwarts are implicated in illegal mining activities has ignited a firestorm of concerned Ghanaians.
The citizens are now demanding tangible action from President Mahama arguing that mere assurances are not sufficient to address what they deem a national crisis.
Since President Mahama’s revelation during a meeting with the Civil Society Organizations in Accra the public’s focus has sharpened and questioning the extent to which the President is genuinely cleaning his own backyard.
Many Ghanaians have through opinion polls expressed doubt about presidential resolve to discipline officials involved in galamsey.
This is because the. citizens suspect that the issue is deeply entrenched within the corridors of power.
The central question echoing throughout the nation is: what concrete steps has President Mahama taken to curb the destructive activities of his own party members especially in the light of visible media reports detailing their involvement in the galamsey?
Instances cited by concerned citizens paint a worrying picture.
Kofi Manu from Mankranso a supporter of the ruling government, pointed to reports implicating the DCE and other ruling party supporters in the illegal mining that have led to the destruction of property and environment.
Manu questioned about what action the President has taken particularly since the DCE was allegedly named as an illegal mining culprit by the President himself.
This discrepancy, critics argued give, the perception that accountability is selective.
Further exacerbating these concerns is the case of Ernest Ntim the DCE for Atiwa East District in the Eastern Region.
Kwame Nkrumah from Ankaase Gyadam indicated how DCE Ntim has allegedly transformed into a galamsey kingpinl within his district.
What is particularly damning is the fact that Ntim was previously convicted for galamsey offenses and served an 8 day jail sentence by the Koforidua High Court.
The question on many Ghanaians lips is whether President Mahama is aware of this case and if so what action he intends to take.
The situation becomes even more alarming as reports suggest that after a heavy fine of GHC 120,000 was slapped on, the DCE, he has allegedly intensified his illegal mining operations.
Similar reports linking NDC stalwarts to illegal mining activities are not uncommon in other galamsey prone areas such as Obuasi, Tarkwa, and various parts of the Western and Western North regions.
Kwadwo Nimo from Sefwi Wiawso poses a pertinent question asking if President Mahama’s galamsey task force team is actually fulfilling their mandate, stating that a word to the wise is enough.
From Konongo, Kobina Abebrese opined that if it is only now that President Mahama has recognized the galamsey problem within his own administration he must act decisively.
Abebrese warns that failure to do so could lead to his own supporters abandoning his government and leave him with a tarnished legacy despite his purported good intentions to protect the nation’s environment.
The prevailing sentiment among Ghanaians as reflected in these opinion polls is a clear demand for decisive and demonstrable action against officials who are involved in active galamsey activities irrespective of their political affiliation. In
