Security Expert Says Political Interference Responsible For Weak Fight Against Galamsey
- Foreign Policy and Security Analyst Adib Saani said ending galamsey means divorcing the fight from politics and its actors
- He said the current politicisation of the fight has led to security agencies being unable to protect the forests and rivers
- He believes that uninterrupted military intervention in the fight against galamsey would be a quick solution to things
Foreign Policy and Security Analyst Adib Saani has described the pollution of Ghana’s water bodies and the destruction of the country’s vegetative cover as a national security concern.
In an exclusive interview with YEN.com.gh, he stated that calls from the Ghana Water Company Limited to the government to declare the country’s water bodies as national security zones are belated.
Source: UGC
He said that in serious countries, water bodies, particularly those the nation depends on for survival, are national security zones by default.
Thus, if the same did not already apply in Ghana, he said, 'Then I'm sorry to say we are not a serious country'.
Adib Saani added that water bodies form part of what is termed critical infrastructure.
“The electricity grid, the water, the payroll, the banking sector, the service belonging to the states, or even private individuals that service the states.
“And so many of these constitute what we call critical infrastructure. So, under normal circumstances, the water bodies from which people drink are critical infrastructures. It should be an automatic or by default a security zone,” he explained.
Adib Saani stated that the Ghana Water Company Limited’s Managing Director, Dr Clifford Braimah, calling for the military to be permanently stationed close to water bodies as a protection mechanism is a no-brainer.
He said the biggest issue in the fight against the illegal mining menace is not the lack of action from the country’s security forces but the interference of political actors in the fight.
He said political figures have consistently undermined the fight against galamsey due to their vested interest in the illegal mining activities.
Adib Saani said the menace would end immediately if the military was mandated to protect the water bodies without any political interference.
“I mean, I have had a military officer tell me some two, three years ago that, look, Adib, if the politicians hand over this 'stop galamsey' business to us and keep their hands off our work, galamsey would not last beyond 48 hours in Ghana.
“If politicians learn to keep their hands off the military's business in stopping galamsey, galamsey would not last 48 hours in Ghana,” he stressed.
NDC says NPP’s the reason for Galamsey
Meanwhile, Sammy Gyamfi, National Communications Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said the only way to rid Ghana of galamsey is to vote out the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He said while the party did not cause the galamsey problem, the menace has seen a significant surge during their tenure.
He said the surge is due to the involvement of top government officials and other politically exposed persons in the crime.
Annoh-Dompreh says NDC polluted river more
YEN.com.gh also reported that the Majority Chief Whip has claimed the NDC is guilty of causing more pollution to Ghana's rivers than the NPP.
Frank Annoh Dompreh was reacting during a heated debate in parliament about the state of Ghana's rivers amidst the scourge of illegal mining.
The NDC has argued that the Nana Akufo-Addo-led NPP government has failed to tackle the menace effectively and should admit their failing.
Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
