Burning excavators is lawless - Mubarak replies Prez

Former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu constituency Ras Mubarak has slammed President Akufo-Addo for supporting the burning of excavators in their quest to fight galamsey.

Mr. Mubarak stated that the approach is lawless and does not fall within the law passed to deal with illegal mining.

In his view, the approach must change, and the law galamsey applied.

He said, "you don’t kill lawlessness with lawlessness. What is happening is lawlessness. They started in 2018 by burning excavators and tipper trucks. We told them that the approach was lawless, but they have failed to listen.”

He said some districts need the excavators to grade their roads, and yet, the seized excavators are being burnt by the team.

Ras Mubarak told host Kwabena Agyapong that the provision of the law does not support the burning excavators.

He said it cost money to go to court, time, but if you can solve it properly by the law, why would you waste the court’s time to adjudicate a matter that is already provided for by the law?

He quizzed if the intelligence of our security agencies cannot lead them to arrest the kingpins behind the galamsey.

"Are we saying that we don’t respect the law that Parliament passed and go about burning excavators and ignoring the environmental pollution? The burning pollutes the environment. This is lawlessness. It is lawless to burn excavators. You don’t kill lawlessness with lawlessness. What is happening is lawless,” he added.