Joseph Osei-Owusu, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Member of Parliament for Bekwai, has reiterated his highly controversial and extreme approach to dealing with illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey.
In a bold and unflinching statement made during a radio interview on a local Kumasi-based station, the First Deputy Speaker advocated for the adoption of a ‘shoot to kill’ policy as a means to combat the rampant galamsey activities that continue to plague Ghana’s water bodies and forests.
Galamsey has been a longstanding issue in Ghana, particularly in rural areas, where individuals and groups often mine without proper permits or regard for environmental regulations.
The environmental impact of galamsey has been devastating, with entire river systems contaminated by chemicals such as mercury and cyanide used in the extraction process.
The destruction of forests and farmlands has also exacerbated concerns about the sustainability of the nation’s natural resources.
Joe Wise’s radical proposal is based on the idea that extreme measures are necessary to confront an extreme problem.
He suggested that law enforcement personnel should be authorised to shoot illegal miners on sight if they are caught engaging in mining activities, particularly on water bodies, which have been most severely affected by the pollution caused by galamsey operations.
“You deserve to be shot if you are caught mining on a water body. There were about 15 changfans with individuals on it at Dunkwa.
“Immediately the patrol team bus arrived to round them all up, they dived into the water. It is difficult to get a hold of them. The best thing to do is to shoot them. The others will be deterred.”
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