Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, has indicated that the fight against illegal mining is not solely the responsibility of the government.
Speaking in an interview with Kwesi Parker Wilson on Oyerepa Breakfast Time, the legislator emphasized the need for Ghanaians to support the fight.
“We don’t need the president to come from Jubilee House to tell us to stop destroying the Birim River, though he has a constitutional responsibility to protect life and property. As individuals and dualists of our constituency, we also have a responsibility to take care of ourselves.”
He explained that galamsey is not a secret activity. “Excavators are not something we can put in our pockets. We are living with the galamseyers, in our churches, mosques, and palaces. We give them our homes to rent. Where they are doing galamsey, we have all seen it. Do we need the government to bring us spectacles to wear before we can see that? So what should the president do?”
The lawmaker urged residents in galamsey communities to take responsibility in the fight against it.
“Now that our Birim River is destroyed and we are not getting water to drink, is the president not drinking water? The government has done its part, so should we wait until the government acts? Don’t we, as individuals in the community, have responsibility for our own lives? I want us to move from a government issue.”
He emphasized that the president cannot stop galamsey without the support of the indigenes.
“There are towns in this country that have resisted galamsey, and so it has been. Every issue about the government never gets done regardless of the regime. President Mahama couldn’t fight galamsey without the support of the people. The president is like us, so if all of us stand against galamsey, who is he to say otherwise?”
Source: KAB
