Former Member of Parliament for Akwatia, a constituency notorious for illegal mining, Baba Jamal, says the chorus against illegal mining is not well informed.
He told Joy FM's Super Morning Show if care is not taken, stopping illegal mining known in local parlance as galamsey, could create more problems for the country.
There is a groundswell of anger against galamsey in the wake of a bleak projection by the Water Research Institute that Ghana could be importing water in the not too distant future.
Already, some river bodies that served as the source of water for treatment plants have either dried up or been badly polluted. The prospects of Ghana facing a water crisis and the wanton destruction of the country’s vegetative cover by Ghanaians and their Chinese collaborators burrowing under the earth’s surface in search of gold has jolted many Ghanaians into a frenzy.
There have been loud calls on government, particularly the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu, to clamp down on the illegal activities of galamseyers.
But Baba Jamal who is also a former Deputy Minister for Employment and Labour Relations says stopping galamsey without a detailed plan on how to cater for the needs of the teeming youth could create bigger problems for the country.
He said the problems caused by illegal mining are serious. “I am against galamsey,” he maintained.
But an immediate stop to the business of galamsey is not the answer, he insisted.
Baba Jamal said the legal regime for small-scale mining which is legal must be addressed.
“We need to regularise illegal mining and protect the environment,” Baba Jamal said. The use of gun-toting security men to chase illegal miners as part of efforts to stop galamsey, he believes, is simply unworkable and unsustainable. Licensing of small-scale mining should be decentralised to remove the tired bureaucratic inertia which forces miners to mine without licenses. He said people who apply for mining licenses have to travel to Accra and in almost all cases, it takes an unreasonably long time and laborious processes to obtain a license. Unable to wait for the long processes before being licensed, people start mining.
District Assemblies, Baba Jamal, said must be involved in the licensing processes and must be empowered to revoke the license of any company that is violating the mining regulations and polluting the environment.
Until that is done, he said, using the security agencies to fight galamsey simply won't work.
Freelance journalist, Edem Srem, told Joy FM’s Super Morning Show that it is practically impossible to rely on creating job opportunities as a means of stopping galamsey.
He said galamsey is so lucrative that no other economic activity can entice those involved in galamsey to voluntarily stop their destructive activities. He said three million Ghanaians cannot be allowed to destroy water sources and the environment and create problems for 22 million others.
Source: myjoyonline.com
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Comrades, Countrymen, these gold diggers will destroy our food crops, our water bodies and even all our forests and the entire country land. Stop them at once with military guns and drones. Crack down gallamsey people. If they resist kill them, annihilate them. They are nation wreckers. IF SOMEONE HAS TRAVELED FROM CHINA TO GHANA TO DO GALLAMSEY it tells our the this illegal business is lucrative to those engaging in it. Nothing can stop them except force or else the Chinese would have remained in their country and work. When will Ghana industrialize surpassing China to provide jobs to divert attention from gallamsey. Entrust to Big Companies who do deep mining. Thanks!
FOR WHAT SOME OF US KNOW ABOUT GALAMSEY,THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD LISTEN TO HIM(BABA JAMAL). SOMETIMES PEOPLE SING ALONG TUNES THEY DON`T UNDERSTAND. THE ISSUE NEEDS TO BE WELL ADDRESSED TO AVOID BLOOD SHED. THEY SHOULD SIT DOWN WITH THE VARIUOSE STAKE HOLDERS, GO TO THE GRASSROOTS AND TALK TO THEM. LET THE LOCAL FOLKS UNDERSTAND CERTAIN THINGS BEFORE, BECAUSE THERE IS NO JOB OVER THERE AND THAT IS THE ONLY JOB THE MINING COMMUNITIES ENGAGE IN.THOUGH THAT DOES NOT WARRANT THE DESTRUCTION OF RIVER BODIES BUT WE ALL DON`T THINK SAME AND THAT`S WHY SOME PEOPLE VOTED FOR NDC AND OTHERS NPP WHEN WE ALL KNEW NDC WAS NOT PERFORMING.LOOK, SENDING TROOPS AND WHAT HAVE YOU CANNOT ERADICATE GALAMSEY. THE MILITARY WILL GO THERE TEN(10) TIMES, THE PEOPLE WILL RETURN BACK TEN TIMES, MARK MY WORDS.ITS ALL ABOUT EFFECTIVE DIALOGUE AND PRUDENCE MEASURES.
Trust a cretinous creature like Baba Jamal to come out with such n0ns3nse. Do you call those hordes of wretched animals digging everything up miners?This thing must be stopped right now and with maximum force too.How can an entire country be held to ransom by these illiterate wretches,Mining should ONLY be made legal to big companies who have the technology to do the right thing.We are treading a dangerous path if we listen to ***barred word*** buf00ns like this failed MP,a graduate floored totally by a hair-dresser.
YES I KNEW YOU'LL DEFEND GALAMSEY COS THAT IS YOUR JOB. WE ALL KNOW YOU FROM AKWATIA. FIIIIISSSSH
It is a big shame to our so called greedy leaders.Please we should be careful about the three most poisonous characters if life. ANGER ARROGANCE GREEDY. Please does the country has LAWS on this activities at all.A time is dawning and the YOUTH shall rise and defend this great country if our slave and wicked leaders cannot defend us.
Very S.tupid man. Look at that mindset. So these guys were in power all these years? Incredible. * wasted year of imcompetence.
Once again i must say in this forum that banning galamsey is not issue rather we ban galamsey around the river bodies.Galamsey has been there for a very long time and it was not done in rivers.Government should stop the lazy means of solving issues and find proper solution.i repeat galamsey can be done without rivers.
I hear the man is deeply into the Atiwa forest exploits.
Baba what water do you expect your grandchildren to drink.do you have any idea the cancer and other destructive results of illegal mining.mercury poisoning.you grew up been able to swim in rivers.why should others be deprived of this. Destruction of Environment is Not Employment.Its a Crime Against Posterity.
Don't forget he is a galamsey operator that is why he never did anything to stop it when he was in power.