THE CHIEF Executive Officer (CEO) of the Minerals Commission, Tony Obeng has blamed politicians, especially, Members of Parliament (MP) as the main cause of the country�s inability to fight against illegal mining (Galamsay).
According to him, prior to seeking the mandate of their constituent, the MPs make so much promises some of which include allowing them to engage in illegal mining when given the mandate, yet the MPs are the same people who make laws for the country.
Appearing before the Justice Yaw Apau�s Commission of enquiry dubbed, the Judgment Debt Commission yesterday, Mr. Obeng said, �We have had calls to say, not at the commission though that, sometimes some politicians make mistakes of telling their constituents that as for Galamsay when I come to power, I will let you do it, no problem.
Forgetting that it is parliament themselves that made the law. I think it�s a problem.�
The CEO said, �We have had some interactions with parliamentarians and we are trying to let them understand that if we don�t fight it together then we will live to fight it forever because when you are in power you can�t fight it, because you promised them and when you are out of power, your colleagues cannot because they have also promised them.�
He, however, called for a collective responsibility of all Ghanaians including political parties, politicians and chiefs.
According to him, though the fight against the illegal mining is relatively going well, �I think the commission needs to do more. I also think the whole nation needs to look at it as something that is not right because I have witnessed situations where people say they are earthling out a living which I agree in a certain sense, but they should just follow the law.�
Mr. Obeng intimated that because, �the law allows for small scale mining to take place if you want to do small scale mining, you need to follow what the law requires you to do. So even though we want everybody to work, even with those doing the galamsey, the law requires them to do it properly.�
Briefing the commission about their work, he said the minerals commission is a constitutionally established body that is responsible for regulating, promoting and managing the minerals of the country.
And that after serious investigation, �We give license to people to mine including stone quarrying, sand winners and those in the industrial minerals.�
Explaining the differences between Galamsey and small scale mining, he said �Small scale miners are those that have the legitimacy to do mining. They have been licensed to do mining, but the galamsey operators chose to do it on their own.�
When asked by the Sole Commissioner, where the name galamesay emanated from, he said, �Galamesay is an adulterated English word, which means �Gather and sell� in defiance of an authority.�
Asked whether some of the small scale miners go beyond the specific allocated portion licensed for them, he replied in the affirmative.
�My Lord you are very right, some get the licenses and the licenses are site specific. We give the license on the basis of a particular site, but some after getting the licenses move to other lands of which they don�t have license, but suspects that it contains certain minerals.�
The commissioner urged the CEO to go garner the support to fight the galamsey cancer since it is destroying the lands of the nation.
The minerals commission was subpoenaed together with the Bureau of National Investigations, Bank of Ghana, Local government and ministry of education all in respect of pending cases and notices of intentions to sue against them.
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