Researchers or Merchants of Doom?

The issue of galamsey is clearly bringing to light the weak fundamentals of some organisations and individuals, hence their submissions in public are exposing their insincerity and double standards.

How will the public react to a situation where the Ghana Meteorological Agency goes to sleep without warning the public of an approaching storm that ends up causing devastation, then the same Agency turns around to bash the government for not putting in measures to mitigate the suffering of the affected citizens?

Let me replicate the above rhetorical question in the context of a gruesome murder that has been committed in a particular locality with the perpetrator still at large. Will the Police, charged with preventing and detecting crime among others, announce to the community that it is no longer safe to continue living in that community, as such the inhabitants should relocate?

Scaremongering of this nature is typically the stock-in-trade of the opposition, the media (sensationalism), some Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and ‘obey the wind’ type of people.

When so-called professionals abandon their mandate and join in scaremongering, because it is the easy way out, it is nothing short of shameful and disgraceful!

Ghana’s colonial masters did not start galamsey, neither did Nkrumah, J. A. Ankrah, Afrifa, Busia, Acheampong, F. W. K. Akuffo, Chairman Rawlings (AFRC), Limann, Chairman Rawlings (PNDC), President Rawlings (NDC), J. A. Kufour, Atta Mills, John Mahama (1st Term), Akufo-Addo, nor John Mahama (2nd Term).
One wonders where most of our traditional rulers who from time immemorial have displayed gold ornaments in their outfit, got that gold from.

The current Act of Parliament governing mining in Ghana (Minerals and Mining Act, 2006 (Act 703)) was passed during Kufour’s second term. This points in the direction that galamsey was already a problem at that time.

The Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations 2022 (L. I. 2462) that opened the gates of our forest reserves to mining activities further exacerbated the problem.
Hon. Dominic Ayine, the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, has recently indicated that L. I. 2462 is ‘aiding and abetting’ galamsey, hence it is set to be repealed. He added that some illegal miners are facing prosecution.
The Government has also set up the National Anti-Illegal Mining Operations Secretariat (NAIMOS) to ‘sniff the life out’ of illegal and irresponsible miners.
Even though the above measures may not be enough, the Government is serving notice of its intention to terminate galamsey.

Reasonable members of society are therefore expected to offer help to the Government by proposing solutions to end galamsey, and not to constantly cause fear and panic in society with their cowardly submissions.

Even babies can see that something has caused the colour of our water bodies to change. The harm has already been done. What is required now is how to mitigate the effects of that harm and how to stop the harm from recurring.

Every rational human being knows that drinking contaminated water can lead to serious health consequences. One doesn’t have to be an expert to arrive at this conclusion. What makes the expert stand out is to come up with solutions as to how to take the pollutants out of the water and make it safe for human consumption. This is what experts do, NOT scaremongering!

University Teachers Associations, who are paid research allowances to conduct research and come out with findings to help solve the nation’s problems (and not just for promotion purposes), appear to have abandoned one of their core duties and have gone to pitch camp with the media, CSOs, etc., to call for an outmoded at birth (Gold Coasters, 1946), state of emergency.

Fact is, Nana Akufo-Addo and John Mahama didn’t contaminate our water bodies, but it is rather a few greedy and unreasonable people in society who have caused it. Our duty as so-called professionals in research is to investigate and come up with solutions as to how to take the toxins out of our rivers and streams.

Apart from taking the easy route by joining the street calls for the declaration of an old fashioned and a ‘Mercy Cream’ type of cure, thus a state of emergency, what intellectual solution has the University Teachers Associations proffered towards finding a lasting cure for the monster christened galamsey?

What Ghana is in dire need of at present, are pragmatic solutions to take it out of its current lagging behind state, and not scaremongering.

The so-called toxicologists in short, are saying that the public should stop using tap water to cook, bath, wash, and perform ablution in the case of Moslems, because the water contains toxins, perfect! Now, what are the alternatives they are putting forward to the ordinary man on street who can’t afford expensive treated water? What is the alternative to the present contaminated water if it is not to be used in its current state and form?

It is disingenuous for some intellectuals to chicken out of their core duty of conducting research to find possible solutions to the country’s problems, but have rather without shame, assumed the roles of the media, CSOs, and attention seekers, to create fear and panic in society.

The Meteo Agency, no matter what, will always endeavour to warn the public of impending adverse weather conditions, while the Police Service, without doubt, will at all times assure the public of having the situation under control and being on heels of the perpetrator. This is what is expected of professionals and not the kind of cheap attention position taken by some university teachers as doom merchants!

Alhassan Salifu Bawah
(son of an upright peasant farmer)