Whiles his appointees and members of his party continue to sing his praise for showing leadership in the fight against illegal mining, his critics continue to loud the narrative that the president is not determined to stamp out the menace.
The brownish colour of polluted rivers across the country, coupled with the inability of the state to arrest and prosecute any of the suspected ‘big men’ behind the galamsey menace have filled Ghanaians with little hope that public affirmation of a resolve to fight galamsey is but a mere charade.
The implication of Charles Bissue in Anas Aremeyaw’s Anas’ expose on galamsey and the subsequent clearance of him by the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service as well as the recent activities of Chairman Wontumi’s Akonta Mining firm have furthered the perception that the president and his administration are unwilling to deal with members of the party who are alleged to be kingpins of the illegal mining cartel.
If the aforementioned instances placed the president in some uncomfortable situation then the public challenge thrown him by the former chairman of the New Patriotic Party and lawyer for some three Chinese illegal miners, Freddy Blay, is another one which could prove tricky for the president.
Amidst backlash that his decision to provide legal representation to associates of the woman described as ‘the nickname of all galamsey activities’ by President Akufo-Addo is unpatriotic and an aberration from the NPP’s stance on illegal mining, Freddy Blay has disclosed the one condition that will make him walk away as counsel for the three accused illegal miners.
“I will not be happy if he (the President) asks me to do so but I will painfully ask my law firm to abandon its defense for them. But I am sure if I give him the facts as it pertains, he will not ask of me to do so. But if he insists, out of respect and out of reverence for him, I will consider that seriously,” he said.
With public perception heightening that the President’s supposed determination to fight illegal mining is a farce, the statement by Freddie Blay boxes him into a corner where he either intervenes and stops the former Ellembele MP from providing legal service to the three Chinese or court public anger by taking no action.
