The Deputy National Director of A Rocha Ghana, Daryl Bosu, has criticised the government’s handling of the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, saying impunity continues to thrive due to weak enforcement of the law.
His comments follow President John Dramani Mahama’s defense of his administration’s decision not to declare a state of emergency in tackling the menace. Speaking at the Jubilee House during a Presidential Media Encounter on Wednesday, September 10, the President argued that existing laws provide the state with adequate powers to address the problem and that a state of emergency should be considered only as a “last resort.”
Reacting in an interview with Eno Safo on Channel One Newsroom, Daryl Bosu said the situation on the ground shows little improvement.
“Nothing has changed; the impunity still exists. To that extent, there’s still a long way we have to go,” he said.
He added that the real challenge lies in enforcement rather than the absence of laws.
Mr. Bosu accused the government of undermining the rule of law by failing to apply existing legislation effectively.
“The evidence on the ground shows that we’re not there yet, and we’re not seeing the results we expected to see by this time.
“The biggest problem has been our own way of ensuring the enforcement of compliance with the law, so it is not the law. Some of the laws have been reviewed, but to what extent are our state agencies ensuring compliance? That has been our biggest problem. If we say the law is there, why are we not implementing it?
He added: “We have the law that can help us deal with the issue, but the government is always whittling down the power of the law by setting it aside and doing whatever it wants. Enforcement has been very terrible; that is why impunity still exists.”
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