Member of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) Kwame Jantuah has called on the John Mahama administration to use the recent fatal helicopter crash as a turning point in the fight against illegal mining, known locally as galamsey.
Speaking in the aftermath of the accident which claimed eight lives, Jantuah said he believed the tragedy carried a divine warning.
“The solution for this particular accident lies with us. As difficult as it is to say, God is warning us about galamsey. And we have been pussyfooting around it. Maybe He needed us to sit up – if we do not do something about galamsey, we are heading to a point of no return,” Jantuah said on Asaase Radio’s weekend flagship programme, The Forum .
He questioned whether lessons had been learned from previous aviation accidents. Jantuah suggested that if a monument is to be built for the victims, it should serve as a permanent reminder of the need to eradicate illegal mining.
“Is this the first time we have had a helicopter accident? I understand that somewhere in President Kufuor’s time five people died. Weren’t those officers’ lives precious? Did we hear the outcome of the investigations? Let’s treat everybody the same,” he added.
“If we are going to build a monument for these eight gallant men, it should be one that tells us this is the final push for galamsey to stop. That would be a good monument – that these men laid down their lives for us to end this illegal, nonsensical thing we are doing. Eight people can’t lose their lives because of galamsey,” he said.
He urged President John Mahama to invite former presidents and traditional leaders, including the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, to work together on a national strategy.
“The way this incident has brought Ghanaians together, we as a nation should sit together to fight this,” he stated.
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