Tensions flared in Parliament on Wednesday, November 5, as the Minority and Majority caucuses traded accusations over alleged involvement in illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey.
The Minority caucus argued that the government’s inability to apprehend influential individuals linked to illegal mining is due to alleged involvement of figures within the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
In a swift rebuttal, the Majority caucus cited the ongoing trial of the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) as proof that members of the opposition are also entangled in the practice.
“Ghanaians are aware of your track record. We know that when it comes to lip service for galamsey, it started at your end and it wll not change today because you have made a simple statement on galamsey. If you decide to politicise it, we will meet you boot for boot,” Isaac Adongo, the MP for Bolgatanga Central said.
“Your own Member of Parliament was arrested yesterday for protecting galamsey and you come here to blame us? No, you can’t. No MP so far has been arrested or accused because of galamsey but an NDC Member of Parliament led thugs to go and attack security forces because of galamsey and you have the nerve to accuse us,” Dominic Nitiwul, the MP for Bimbila fumed.
“The people of Ghana saw your record in the past eight years. We saw you in office in the last eight years when you told the people of this country that your party was looking for money and the only way you could get money was to engage in galamsey activities. You turned the Ministry of Science and Environment into an office where you were sharing galamsey among yourselves. Your members were involved in galamsey. When you left office, you had polluted all the river bodies in all the mining areas. As we speak, your Ashanti Regional Chairman is facing trials,” Guan Constituency MP, Fred Agbenyo said.
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