Galamsey: Produce a single page document to work with - Amewu replies Mahama

Government wants the erstwhile Mahama administration to present its policy on alternative livelihood for illegal miners.

Mr Mahama addressing NDC supporters during the party Unity Walk in the Ashanti regional capital, Kumasi condemned the Akufo- Addo’s administration for encouraging military and police officers to shoot to kill recalcitrant ‘galamseyers’ following the fight against illegal ‘galamsey’.

“When NDC government was in power, we sent soldiers to fight illegal mining in the country but our efforts proved futile. We decided to bring a new mining law to deal with illegal miners but we lost 2016 elections to NPP. If you put a blanket ban and then you send soldiers after our young people that’s not the right way to go,” he pointed out.

Former President Mahama urged government to create a livelihood package for the ‘galamseyers’ to make the fight against illegal mining successful.

But the Lands and Natural Resources Minister, John Peter Amewu has reacted to the former leader’s comments describing his take on the menace as disingenuous.

“… We knew that the combat approach is not an alternative, yes, of course, we are aware, and that’s why we came out with a comprehensive document. He’s[Mahama] been a president for four years, he’s been a vice president for a number of years, what alternative has he put in place? President Mahama has been one of the fortunate Ghanaians on this earth…he ruled this country for this number of years at the peak of galamsey, he’s not been able to provide a single paper on sanitizing the small-scale mining".

"Today you mount a platform and tell Ghanaians; I’m so much disappointed. He should produce as a minister, he should produce as a president of this country when he was, whether he has produced a single page-document on small-scale mining in this country. He has failed Ghanaians and that was why Ghanaians rejected him as a president. He cannot use galamsey at this time, thinking that he’ll come back to power. I respect that man, but for today I’m much disappointed in the words he said when he was in Kumasi.” he said in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM.