Galamsey: Government fighting illegality with illegality, result will be judgement debts – Chief Biney

Deputy National Organiser of the opposition National Democratic Congress, Chief Hamilton Biney is warning that, the government's strategy in its renewed fight against illegal mining is likely to plunge the country into judgement debts.

According to the NDC Executive, the decision to burn seized mining equipment including excavators worth thousands of dollars is a matter of using “illegality to fight an illegality”.

“Government decision to fight illegality with illegality at mining site's (galamsey) will only end up in paying Judgement debts. What do I mean by that! The Government of Ghana is burning excavators at galamsey sites in the name of executive directives which is not supported by law. Yes we all believe in the operation to stop illegal mining (galamsey) but it must be backed by law to achieve the purpose of the operation. Suddenly, the government has forgotten about the payment of Judgement debt to a member of the ruling party (NPP) who is currently a regional chairman?” he wrote in a Facebook post.

Chief Biney is of the view that, government must end the burning of seized equipment and rather have the Attorney General acquire a court order that will empower the state to put the seized excavators to alternative use.

“My question is, are we not supposed to learn from our past mistakes as a country? I believe we ought to, that is the more reason why the current Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo led government must be more transformational in leadership with the fight against illegal mining by putting a halt to the burning of excavators and encourage the Attorney general's department to go for an order from the court to put those excavators to a better use,” he stated.

Chief Biney questioned if the President’s decision to sanction the burning of the excavators was bred out of a mistrust for his appointees and casted doubt on the trust reposed in the President by Ghanaians.

“Are they being burnt today because in the past the government couldn't account for confiscated excavators? Sad!!! If the President can't trust his appointees with confiscated excavators, how can we trust him in the fight against galamsey?” he questioned.