We are at a crisis point – Dr Ato Forson blames Akufo-Addo govt for failed galamsey fight, urges immediate action
16th October 2024
Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson has sounded the alarm on the escalating environmental and economic devastation caused by illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey. According to the Ajumako-Enyan-Esiam MP, the menace is crippling and devastating communities across the country.
Addressing Parliament on Tuesday, October 16, 2024, Dr Ato Forson attributed the crisis to a failure of leadership, accusing the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia-led government of lacking the political will to tackle the issue head-on.
“Mr. Speaker, we are at a crisis point. At the heart of this crisis is leadership failure, official complicity, and lack of political will by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government,” he said.
He called on Parliament to take immediate action, emphasizing that inaction is no longer an option as the country’s natural resources and the future of generations to come are at stake.
“Rt. Hon Speaker, to do nothing is no longer an option. This House must rise to the occasion and bring the necessary pressure to bear on the government to act,” he urged.
Describing the current situation as an “environmental genocide,” Dr Forson warned that the country’s rich lands and water bodies are being devastated to satisfy the greed of a few.
“Our lands with all their rich flora and fauna are being destroyed by the day. Our once pristine rivers and waterbodies are now looking as brown as coffee, having been poisoned to satisfy the insatiable greed of an unscrupulous few. Many farmlands including cocoa farms have been completely destroyed and in their place are unattended pits and gullies from uncontrolled mining activities. According to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), it may take up to 300 years to restore the quality of soil damaged by illegal mining,” he lamented.
In addition to environmental concerns, the Minority Leader sounded a cautionary note on fiscal discipline as the country approaches the 2024 elections. He alleged that the government is planning to distribute GHS3,000 per person and other election-related handouts to 800,000 farmers under the guise of drought relief.
“As we go into another election cycle, the government must guard against the temptation to spend what it does not have. Such reckless fiscal indiscipline is what has landed our country in a debt hole and brought untold hardship on Ghanaians.”
“I am reliably informed that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government intends to dole out about GHS3,000 per person and other assorted election-driven handouts to some 800,000 so-called farmers in the name of drought relief.”
“It is obvious that the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia NPP government has not learned any useful lessons from the misuse of COVID-19 funds and borrowed funds on reckless consumption-driven expenditure.”