The use of military and other personnel from the state security to fight illegal mining activities popularly known as galamsey is unconstitutional and a bad approach in the highest order which will achieve no positive result.
According to the ardent critic of the President Akufo-Addo, the approach in tackling the galamsey menace is likely to hit a snag for a second time since Ghana is a democratic state where dialogue is key to resolving national issues
“The approach to dealing with the galamsey menace is wrong in the first place. Ghana is a democratic country and using the brutal force of military to deal with the people is also unconstitutional which will bring no result”, according to Akwasi Addai Odike.
According to the founder and leader of the United Progressive Party (UPP), President Akufo-Addo as Commander-in-Chief of Ghana Armed Forces should know better than the approach to stop the people from engaging in illegal mining is dialogue and nothing more.
“It’s not brutal force, it’s not burning of excavators and beating and arresting those involves. It is about dialogue and educating the people about the need to protect the environment bequeathed us by our grandfathers”, Akwasi Addai Odike spoke on Kumasi-based Angel FM morning show monitored by MyNewsGh.com.
The government put together a two-day National Consultative Dialogue on Small-Scale Mining involving about 14 stakeholders, including former ministers of Lands and Natural Resources, members of the Council of State, members of the National House of Chiefs, heads of security agencies, actors in the mining industry and members of the Small-Scale Miners Association to develop a roadmap for tackling the problem of illegal small-scale mining in the country
At the end of the dialogue, the stakeholders, among other things, charged the government to take steps to strictly apply the country’s mining laws.