Is President Mills A Man Or A Mouse? Kofi Wayo Asks

The Founder and leader of the United Renaissance Party (URP) has challenged President John Evans Atta Mills to gather the necessary courage and order the security agencies to flush out the foreigners who are undertaking illegal galamsey mining in the country. Charles Kofi Wayo has harsh words for the president, asking if he is �a man or a mouse� for continuing to tolerate the presence of these non-Ghanaians, especially armed Chinese citizens who are said to be terrorizing the indigenes of the villages where the illegal operations are taking place. The URP founder was commenting on reports of a violent clash between the chiefs and people of Manso-Nsiena and fifteen Chinese nationals engaged in illegal mining in the Amansie West district of the Ashanti region. Reports say the chief, Nana Opiah Mensah II in the company of the Wirempehene and some of the youth visited the site on a fact finding mission in respect of the illegal operations of the Chinese citizens. But on seeing the about 200 townsfolk, the Chinese, armed with pump action guns, fired sporadic shots for more than 30 minutes to scare the chief and his subjects away. The Police have since arrested all fifteen and transported them to the regional police command where arrangements are being made with officials of the Ghana Immigration Service to transport them to Accra after it was discovered they had no permit to engage in any mining activity. Speaking to Kofi Adoma Nwanwani, stand-in host on Adom FM�s Dwaso Nsem Morning Show on Friday July 20, Kofi Wayo expressed surprise at the President�s inaction. �In America the question we would ask the President: Are you a man or a mouse? People are invading our country. The president (has) got to stand up. The army got to stand up. This is an invasion. There is nowhere in the world where a foreigner would come with weapons to take your land and kill your people and you sit down? �You know Kufuor brought the Chinese, and when I said it, people said I was mad. Now you see what is happening. How can anybody have the courage in a foreign country to take weapons against the citizens and the government sits down and watch? How can you allow this? �It�s unacceptable. Tell me where in the world where you can do that. If you like, take 20 Ghanaians and send them to China to do galamsey; they would kill them all within seconds. They won�t even ask them questions. �Is it because they are giving us some small chop (so) we sell the country? No nation would allow this unless we are stupid, uncivilized or useless. And we are not stupid or useless.� Wayo explained that his analogy of man or mouse was not meant as an insult, only to demand that some action should be taken. Failing this, he asked the president for authority to deal with the situation, saying �I can take them out. Give me a presidential fiat. I have the capability to take them out.� The exasperated URP leader wondered aloud: �Where is (National Security Coordinator) Gbevlo Lartey? Chief of Defense Staff? Minister of Defense? IGP? We must defend the constitution. Ghana army, come on, defend the land!� He told listeners he was confident the President would listen to his plea and take the appropriate action.