|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Majority Chief Whip and Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor, has argued that creating security zones in illegal mining hotspots offers a more practical solution than declaring a nationwide state of emergency.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, September 20, Mr. Dafeamekpor said a state of emergency would unnecessarily disrupt the lives and livelihoods of people not engaged in galamsey.
“I will favour the declaration of security zones, because the declaration of security zones will also deal with the emergency situation of the matters,” he stressed.
The lawmaker explained that under security zones, movement into restricted areas would be controlled without placing blanket restrictions on unaffected communities.
“A state of emergency affects the lives of persons who have no business dealing with the activity. Movements are restricted, economic activities are adversely impacted. So, compartmentalize the areas and declare them as no-go areas, security zones. It’s a better alternative,” he said.
Progress in Anti-Galamsey Measures
Mr. Dafeamekpor rejected claims that the NDC’s anti-galamsey interventions have failed, insisting that progress is being made though results will take time.
“The degradation has been so bad that it will take some time for us to begin to see the effect. But I can tell you that if we have armed guards chasing men out of our forest cover and reclaiming the land, a year from now the water levels will begin to change for good,” he assured.
He further suggested that a temporary or complete ban on some forms of mining, including community mining, could give tighter regulations the space to succeed.
Call for Accountability
On prosecutions, the MP criticised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government for what he described as weak enforcement against offenders.
“If you compare that to the number of persons that are reported to be engaged in galamsey, in excess of 3 million, then you haven’t done much. When persons are arrested, by all means you have to prosecute them. They didn’t do much in terms of prosecution. That is a fact,” he said.
Rejecting Nationwide Emergency Calls
His comments came in response to the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference, which had urged government to declare a national emergency over galamsey. Dafeamekpor, however, maintained that targeted security interventions would be a more effective and less disruptive approach.
Watch the video below:
Discover more from Hot Stories Ghana
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
