The Ghana National Association of Small-Scale Miners has accused individuals calling for a state of emergency over illegal mining of pursuing political interests rather than genuine solutions.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey on Monday, October 6, the Association’s President, Michael Peprah, said the calls for an emergency declaration are politically motivated and not grounded in facts or practical recommendations.
Mr. Peprah commended President John Dramani Mahama for rejecting those calls, describing his approach as “honest and wise.”
He noted that the President’s position is based on credible intelligence from the National Security Council and reflects a realistic understanding of the situation on the ground.
“The president has been honest in a sense that the declaration of state of emergency, he would collaborate with the information he received from the national security, so I think at that point he was honest,” he said.
“But one thing we have realised is people who are calling for the state of emergency are all political activists When they talk about it. When they call for the state of emergency, they don’t add any solution to it and to wait to call for a state of emergency.
We have seen that government is trying to solve the problem. So, if somebody is in the process of solving an issue by creating an alternative, solutions to the problem that is what we call wisdom.”
His remarks follow President Mahama’s recent dismissal of calls from groups such as the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, civil society organizations, and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for an emergency declaration to tackle galamsey.
At a high-level dialogue with civil society at the Jubilee House, the President explained that while the Constitution allows him to declare a state of emergency, such a decision must be based on advice from the National Security Council – which has advised against it for now.
Source: Starrfm.com.gh
