Assin Central Member of Parliament, Kennedy Agyapong has lamented the destruction of Ghana’s water bodies amid the stuttering war on illegal small-scale mining popularly referred to as ‘galamsey.’
The outspoken lawmaker believed that political will remains the missing factor in the fight against the scourge which continues to ravage forests and water bodies.
Speaking on Net2 TV’s morning show last week, Agyapong lamented that the fear of electoral losses has led many politicians to be held ransom by voters.
“Politicians fear electoral loss so even when there is truth, we refuse to say it. We behave as though without politics, we won’t survive. So, voters are almost holding our balls.
“Whether NDC or NPP, if you are engaged in galamsey, you must be arrested and all your machines confiscated,” he submitted.
Asked about how opposition parties often oppose just for the sake of it, he responded: “Because of the dirty nature of our politics, these two parties don’t hold the interest of Ghana as supreme, NDC and NPP.
“Because if an NDC government is going to do something good, the NPP will criticize and vice versa. That is why the electorates hold our balls. But if NDC rolls out a beneficial policy and the opposition NPP supports, the voters will not hold us to ransom,” he added.
He said indiscipline in the wider society started from the politicians who look out for their own and other secondary interests instead of the national interest.
“Indiscipline is as a result of politicians who are afraid to lose power but I am not afraid to lose elections. In whatever I do, I look at the interest of my country, that is how other people sacrificed their lives to build their countries and make it a better place for us to travel to and spend money there.”
Galamsey has been a major talking point in the last few years stemming from the ravages that it is wreaking mineral rich areas across the country.
A presidential taskforce was formed to coordinate the fight against galamsey with members of the security agencies drafted to form a team that remains on the ground fighting galamsey.
