Kwaku Asante-Boateng, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akim South, has voiced concerns that the government’s hesitance to combat illegal mining, known as galamsey, is influenced by fears of losing the December 7 elections.
Asante-Boateng noted that the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) firm stance against galamsey in 2020 contributed to the party’s losses in several mining communities. Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, he suggested that the reluctance to impose a total ban on all forms of mining is driven by the fear of losing voter support, a challenge he believes any political party could face.
The MP defended the government’s cautious approach, stating that the fear of losing votes is a common concern in politics, especially in areas where galamsey is widespread.
“We did it as a party and as a government before the 2020 elections. And if you can recount, all our seats in the mining communities that we were trying to control, we lost all the seats, the parliamentary seats there.
“So do you think for the second time, if we say we want to break the 8 and people are crying for that ban, the current government will have the guts or will find it necessary to put a ban on it?
“The fear of losing power [is delaying the ban] and that fear can happen to any party at all.”