File photo of a galamsey site
Is it not advised by our wise elders not to step into obvious danger when you see one ahead of you? If yes, why are Ghanaians deliberately happily, or cowardly ignorantly, walking into a lethal galamsey abyss that has the potential to spell the doom of the nation?
This very topical legal or illegal small-scale and alluvial mining, called galamsey in the local Ghanaian parlance, is unstoppably ongoing in Ghana, and underscores the incompetence, lack of clout, and farsightedness of the Ghanaian public and traditional leadership.
The ramified galamsey activities openly supported by President John Dramani Mahama and his ruling NDC government are not only destroying the country’s water bodies, virgin forests, arable and fertile lands, but also contaminating our food products.
The dangerous cyanide and mercury chemicals widely and unprofessionally used by many illegal small-scale miners have unfortunately contaminated the soils of the areas of extensive active galamsey activities, and eventually found their traces in foodstuffs and waters produced in those areas.
The continuous consumption of such affected food products and water gives rise to various diseases in the consumers.
The rate of deadly kidney diseases in Ghanaians, formerly unknown but now unprecedented in the history of Ghana, is largely attributable to the rush and crazy ongoing galamsey activities in the country. Yet, the greedy, selfish, and incompetent politicians don’t give a hoot. All they care about is power and how best to amass immense illegal wealth at the crack of the fingers.
I have personally been advised by one of my former Senior School prefects at the Kumawu Tweneboa Kodua Secondary School to not buy or eat any yam that has discoloration or comes from those parts of Ghana where the inhabitants’ source of livelihood is galamsey activity.
As if he knew I eat a lot of fried yams whenever I visit Ghana on holiday, although fried foods are not good for my health, his advice is timely and well taken. Thank you to him for his concern.
Again, I have been hinted that some rich people, politicians, and those who know or are aware of the dangers inherent in the drinking water produced in the country, do buy or import their drinking water from abroad. They don’t even trust or drink the bottled mineral water produced in Ghana because of its possible contamination.
If this is the obvious case, why should our elected leaders, who are expected to serve rather than come to be served, refuse to take drastic steps to decapitate and rid Ghana of the devastating galamsey activities?
No wonder that our contemporary civilized white people always look down on Africans as subhuman, because we are unable to effectively take charge of our own affairs as rational human beings.
In the name of power and wealth, our political parties always try to undermine and sabotage the party and persons in power or government. This very attitude is the trait of the NDC, especially. They can never deny it.
All their current attempt to stop galamsey is merely a political gimmick, words without action, so to speak!
For how long are Ghanaians going to cope with this utter deception by our politicians who care only about themselves, their families, and cronies?
The galamsey must stop. It should not be seen as a viable source of job creation of jobs for the jobless without considering its numerous deadly disadvantages.
The writer, the proud and audacious son of Kumawu/Asiampa, has spoken his candid mind regardless of any concomitant negative reactions by our selfish and myopic leaders who, in the midst of the changing world, are still stuck in their old, corrupt ways.
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Source:
www.ghanaweb.com
