Govt's approach to fighting galamsey will fail – Mahama signals

Former President, John Dramani Mahama, has criticized government’s blanket ban and indiscriminate arrest of small scale miners in its quest to fight galamsey. He says, the government should rather put in new measures to regulate their activities within the law or put in place a livelihood package for the affected miners. “It is a fact that if illegal mining is not controlled, water bodies and farmlands will be destroyed. But as we put a stop to illegal mining, we must apply common sense and ensure that a livelihood package is in place for the miners. “The tactics of deploying military men to arrest illegal miners is not the way to go because my government has done it before but failed. The solution to bring a new mining that will regulate the activities of the miners”. The former president was addressing party supporters and sympathizers at a unity walk held in Asawase. The NDC Unity Walk train stopped in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi, after visiting seven regions. Thousands of supporters and sympathisers of the party flooded the streets of Aboabo and Asawase to join the former president, John Dramani Mahama, and some party bigwigs in the unity walk. The walk is aimed at uniting the party and rallying every member around the umbrella for victory in 2020. The walk started from the Aboabo post office through some principal streets in Kumasi and ended at Dogo Moro Park in Asawase where some party officials took turns to address the teeming supporters. Minority Chip Whip and Member of Parliament for Asawase, Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak warned the NPP to stop eyeing the Asawase seat because the constituency is the heart of NDC in the Ashanti region. “The NPP should stop wasting their time targeting the Asawase seat because I have groomed more than 10 people who can equally fit in my shoes when I step down. Asawase will be for the NDC till thy Kingdom come”. General Secretary of NDC, Asiedu Nketia said the current government is crippling the economy instead of fixing it. Meanwhile, John Mahama accused the government of levelling unsubstantiated allegations against past NDC officials for embezzling state funds. He dared the government to use the legal process and prosecute any official who has stolen from the state. “We always hear the government claiming monies have been missing but nothing has been done to prove it with evidence. “If you always allege that past officials have stolen money and still unable to prosecute anyone, then you’re destroying the confidence of people in you” Speakers at the walk were confident of NDC winning back power in 2020 due to what it describes as mismanagement of the economy by the NPP-led government. By Ibrahim Abubakar | editors.3news.com | Ghana