The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has advised a section of the public who view as unlawful, the burning of excavators found at galamsey sites, to go court to vindicate their position.
President Akufo-Addo, who disagrees with the view against the renewed fight, held that going to court was the meaning of rule of law.
“I know there are some who believe that the ongoing exercise of ridding our water bodies and forest zones of harmful equipment and machinery is unlawful and, in some cases harsh. I strongly disagree, and I would advise those who take a contrary view to go to court to vindicate their position, if they so wish. That is what the rule of law is all about. I should know,” he said.
Some 400 military men have been deployed to ensure no one mines in water bodies – an action which has seen some excavators and other mining equipment burnt.
Though a section of the public is of the view that the destruction of the equipment was unlawful, government has maintained it will continue to burn any machine that is seen within 100 meters of water bodies.
The President was speaking at a ceremony where he cut the sod for the construction of phase one of the Law Village Project of the Ghana School of Law in Accra yesterday.
In his address to the gathering, President Akufo-Addo indicated that the Ghana Law Reports of modern times are littered with cases in which his clients thought it necessary to challenge government action.
The President noted that in the majority of occasions, the courts upheld his contentions, in a few others they did not.
“That is the rule of law, which does not recognise social status, religious persuasion, political affiliation, ethnic origins or regional adherence. Merely the law and precedent, the ancient common law doctrine of stare decisis,” he stressed.
Quoting the Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703), President Akufo-Addo said any person who, without a valid license, conveys any equipment onto a piece of land purportedly to conduct activities for the search, reconnaissance, prospecting, exploration or mining for a mineral, commits grievous crimes against the law. He stressed that, indeed a person in possession of a valid license but undertakes mining in water bodies or mines unlawfully in protected forest zones also commits an illegality.
According to the President, apart from the criminal violations of Act 703, the activities of such persons desecrate the environment, pollute water bodies, and endanger the lives of present and future generations of Ghanaians. “They are monumental crimes which should not be condoned in any shape or form,” he noted.
The President continued that: “The presence of Changfans in water bodies is illegal, as is the unlawful use of excavators in protected forest zones. The devastation caused by these equipment is nothing short of evil and we should not compromise in our efforts to protect our environment, forest reserves and water bodies.”
“I say, with all the emphasis at my command that no rights can accrue to or flow from the criminal venture of galamsey. The equipment, which is being used for an illegal or criminal purpose, cannot confer on the owner or any other person any rights whatsoever.”
The President appealed to all Ghanaians to rally behind Government in its effort to stamp out far-reaching illegality and criminality, rather than advocate for the protection of non-existent rights of persons caught in this evil activity.
On the construction of the Law Village, the President said the entire project will cost some fifty-five million United States dollars (US$55 million), with phase one complementing the facilities of the Accra Main Campus located at Makola, at a cost of some four million dollars (US$4 million).
Once completed, the Law Village will boast of an additional seating capacity of one thousand five hundred (1,500) seats, a number of lecture halls, a well-resourced library, residential facilities and offices among others.
The post No Retreat, No Surrender appeared first on The Chronicle Online.
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