Member of Parliament for Adansi Asokwa, Kobina Tahir (K.T.) Hammond, has said that persons financing illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) are well known but have not been exposed yet because of fear.
He intimated that they are not talking about ‘galamsey’ because they know the power of the people involved in the menace, adomonline.com reports.
“How do these visitors get to know these galamsey towns? Our own people hold their hands and take them to the places to do the illegal mining. We all know those involved but it has become difficult to talk about it because of fear,” the MP is quoted to have said on Asempa FM.
K.T. Hammond, however, urged the government to start putting in place serious mechanisms to stop the menace because it is becoming very scary.
“The issue of galamsey is a serious issue and should be looked at. Let’s be up and doing as a government and do the right thing.
“The government should do more to end the galamsey menace. It is not acceptable any longer. Government should tighten the measures adopted in the galamsey fight,” he said.
Meanwhile, the United States (US) Ambassador to Ghana, Virginia Palmer, has urged the government of Ghana to put in more effort in the fight against the menace of illegal small-scale mining (galamsey) in the country.
According to her, Ghana was not making any significant strides in the fight against the menace because only the illegal miners (‘galamseyers’) are arrested while the powerful forces behind them are not touched.
Virginia Palmer, who made these remarks when she paid a courtesy call on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, added that if the government fails to take urgent steps to stop ‘galamsey’, the country will be in some serious crisis soon.
“The galamseyers themselves are people who need to make a living. I think the galamseyers are not active in doing it but the powers behind them are the ones truly responsible for the evils. Indeed, they are wreaking real environmental havoc on your rivers which is having an impact on your cocoa crops. All of these things are going to have really negative consequences on the economy of Ghana,” she said.
Source: Ghanaweb