Only foolish or mad president would end galamsey 2 months before election - Akpaloo

As pressure mounts on the incumbent New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to end illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, amid a series of demonstrations, the presidential candidate of the Liberal Party of Ghana (LPG), Kofi Akpaloo, has stated that it would be foolish for the Akufo-Addo-led government to yield to those calls.

According to him, the timing for the calls on the government to tackle galamsey is politically suicidal, even though the menace has resulted in the destruction of the country’s water bodies, farmlands, and critical forest cover, posing an existential threat to the nation.

Speaking on Atinka TV, Akpaloo drew a similarity between the situation the NPP government finds itself in currently and what it encountered in 2008 under the leadership of John Agyekum Kufuor. He recalled how some drivers and other road users were arrested in Kumasi for road offences, which, in his view, left NPP supporters disappointed, leading to their decision to vote against the party and partly causing its loss of power.

Kofi Akpaloo stated, “Only a president who is foolish or has mental issues would stop galamsey two months before elections.” This comment was made during an interview, a video of which is circulating on social media and attracting numerous mixed reactions. While some Ghanaian social media users agree with his assertion, others disagree, arguing that it is unbecoming of someone contesting to become president to downplay such a critical issue as illegal mining and its devastating effects on the nation.

According to him, the government had an opportunity to end galamsey when the media coalition against it was initially formed, but it missed that opportunity and now finds itself between a rock and a hard place.

As politicians continue to prioritise their election chances over the pressing issue of galamsey, the citizenry is also intensifying their pressure. A protest organised by the pressure group Democracy Hub recently led to the arrest and remand of 54 demonstrators. Regardless, the group has scheduled protests from October 3 to 5 in Accra. Additionally, various unions and organisations, including organised labour, intend to declare nationwide strikes and similar protests in the coming days, all in a bid to pressure the government to declare a state of emergency over illegal mining and devise sustainable ways to mine without harming the environment and the country’s vital natural resources.

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