Prosecute, jail and deport all foreigners flouting laws in Ghana

By: Kofi Thompson

The relationship between the two nations began when Ghana's President

Nkrumah and China's Chairman Mao Zedong ruled their respective

nations.

The friendship between the two countries was anchored in the

Non-Aligned Movement - which sought to provide a middle path to

development that insulated developing member-nations from being under

the spheres of influence of the two superpowers at the time: the

United States of America (USA) and the Union of Socialist Soviet

Republics (USSR).

Today, China, a great nation with an ancient civilisation and a proud

history, is a great global power both politically and economically.

Indeed, China has become a major source of investment funds for many

emerging nations, such as Ghana. That has further strengthened the

bilateral relationship existing between the two nations.

As it happens, the Chinese people have paid a high price for the

economic boom that has made their country the workshop of the world -

in terms of the health-damaging effect on millions of that nation's

citizens' caused by egregious pollution and apocalyptic environmental

degradation.

To ameliorate their plight, the Chinese government is now responding

aggressively to address those growing concerns of its people by taking

active steps to improve air quality in towns and cities across China -

by closing old coal-fired power plants and ramping up investment in

its in renewable energy sector.

China is also restoring vast swathes of land in its countryside

degraded by the relentless push for industrial growth over the

decades.

That is why the relationship between China and Ghana will not be

ruined by the illegal activities of a few thousand recalcitrant

Chinese citizens who would be executed for the same crimes they are

committing here if they were committed in China.

Furtheremore, in an age of global terrorism, the government of Ghana

must take an uncompromising stand against all foreigners engaged in

illegal activities in our country - including Chinese citizens -

without exception. It has no choice in the matter, alas.

Safeguarding the remainder of our country's natural heritage is a

national security issue, no less - for there is now a real possibility

that Ghana will become a water-distressed country within a decade if

the natural environment is not protected now.

Foreigners engaged in illegal activities such as illegal gold mining

and the felling of redrose trees in the north to smuggle overseas in

40ft shipping containers are abusing our welcoming nature - and that

is intolerable in this day and age.

Those of them engaged in illegal gold mining are actually compromising

our nation's long-term future. Literally. The question is: Why

should we continue to tolerate that when we are not a nation of

ignorant fools?

Foreign nationals breaking our laws - including Chinese nationals

engaged in illegal gold mining - must all be arrested, prosecuted,

jailed and then deported back to their home countries immediately

after serving their prison sentences. Enough is enough. Full stop.

Haaba.