Galamsey pact: Did you consult anyone before going to IMF, bringing e-levy? – Nana Yaa Jantuah slams Akufo-Addo

A former General Secretary of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nana Yaa Jantuah, has slammed President Akufo-Addo for calling on all presidential candidates to sign a pact on illegal mining.

She says what other candidates would do on the menace upon assumption of office remains in their manifesto, and does not lie with the President to tell them to sign a pact.

Nana Yaa says the powers of the land has been given to the President through the Constitution to stop any illegality to protect the lives of the people. She, however, stated that she cannot fathom why the president would require a pact from others to make things work.

Speaking on the BigIssue on TV3’s NewDay Thursday, October 10, 2024, she questioned why the government unilaterally went to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), imposed e-levy on Ghanaians and did other things to serve the interest of his administration but wants others to sign a pact on a problem he is supposed to solve.

“You went to IMF you did not involve us, you passed e-levy, you did not consult us. So the President cannot tell me to go and sign a pact. Your business is to fight galamsey, it does not lie with you to tell someone what he will do about galamsey in their manifesto,” she stated.

Following Organised Labour’s suspension of its strike on galamsey, the President in a press statement Wednesday, October 09, 2024, said his administration was committed to addressing the galamsey menace.

In implementing urgent measures to tackle the crisis, the president has instructed the Defence Minister to ramp up the military presence in illegal mining areas as part of the ongoing “Operation Halt.”

“The operation aims to stop all mining activities, whether legal or illegal, particularly around water bodies. To strengthen the operation, the President has ordered the deployment of naval boats on polluted rivers to prevent further mining activity,” part of the statement read.

The President has also directed the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, in collaboration with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to immediately suspend the enforcement of the Environmental Protection (Mining in Forest Reserves) Regulations, 2023 (L.I. 2462).

The statement further said the President has set up four specialised courts to deal exclusively with illegal mining cases, noting that the Attorney General has been tasked with working alongside the Chief Justice to increase the number of courts handling such cases.

To ensure that the fight against illegal mining transcends political cycles, President Akufo-Addo has urged Organised Labour to encourage all presidential candidates and their political parties to sign a national pact.

“This agreement would commit all political parties to prioritise the fight against galamsey as part of their election promises. The President emphasised that the fight against illegal mining must be a national effort, not a partisan one,” the statement added.

Source:onuaonline.com