The spokesperson for the small scale miners Michael Kojo Peprah has told Montie fm’s socio- political afternoon Program,’Pampaso’ on March 16, 2018, that though his association is strongly against the depletion of virgin lands through mining activities.
He believes the exposition by the First Deputy speaker of Parliament, Hon Joseph Osei Owusu, and MP Asante Bekwai in the Ashanti Region is distasteful and must not be countenance under any jurisdiction or whatsoever.
His outrage was in response to the supposed belligerent comments uttered in parliament by the first deputy speaker, Hon. Joe Osei Owusu’s infamous “shoot to kill galamseyers’ comment on the floor of parliament, during a debate in finding cogent avenues to stem illegal mining operations in Ghana.
Michael Kojo Peprah queried and remarked that, thought the government have engaged them on several fora one year after the ban on artistically mining, there has not been any serious commitment in regards to government efforts to provide alternative sources of livelihoods for the embattled miners , than extreme hardship in the mining endowed regions and local economy of the townsfolk.
He retorts by advising the lawmaker to be wary of such comments since it has the ignition to stoke fire and segregation among the miners, and thereby causing disaffection.
Similarly, he opined that despite the operations and surveillance by ‘operation Vanguard’ water bodies like the ‘ Brem river’ as well as other river bodies which have worst been hit and affected the Galansey menace, has not still attained its purity and looks ‘ brownish’ as bad as before. Furthermore, he admonished and implored some so called political Party Chairmen who are endemic in the act to refrain from it.
In his concluding remarks, he chides again, the delivery of the Bekwai MP, and fumed that he should be impressed upon to apologize instead of exhibiting such a needless bravado, since the ‘Galamseyers’ also have guns.
Nana Dobge|ahotoronline.com|Ghana
