Let’s simply apply the sanctions against galamsey and illegal lumbering

As a country, whether we like it or not, galamsey is becoming a mouthful for us in terms of developing strategies to fight that illegality. It is taking too much of our time and too much of our resources. But we guess that is because the sector is both sensitive and a national heritage

The huge worry about galamsey is that it inflicts a national pain on us by not only attacking our gold resources, but also attacking our food security potential, hopes and gains, at a time we are making huge strides in agriculture.

Less laws, more sanctions

In that regard, we agree with the former Minister and MP, Alhaji Fuseini Inusah, that the laws that make mining, lumbering and farming in forests reserves illegal already exist and that all we need to do is begin prosecuting and applying relevant sanctions.

In his view, for instance, the new directive for companies engaged in such activities to suspend their operations “until further notice” is ridiculous.

In his opinion, the directive not to accept, process and/or recommend the grant, including the renewal and/or extension, of reconnaissance and prospecting licences in forest reserves is indicative of the complicity of officialdom, which makes ensuring the success in the fight against galamsey a near-impossibility.

Small-scale miners’ concerns

It is also instructive to bring to the fore that the miners are urging government to sanction persons illegally operating in forest reserves, but getting them to reclaim the lands and plant new trees before exiting the sites.

We agree with the miners when they say it will be wrong for the government to bear the cost of reclaiming destroyed lands in forest reserves as a result of actions by illegal miners.

While the government may be lauded for the directive to all persons and companies prospecting or involved in reconnaissance in forest reserves to suspend their operations, we believe that such a biting edict should serve as a form of deterrence to those who will wilfully and without any sense of restraint invade a reserve to farm or engage in any illegal activity.

Between the Minister and the Small-Scale Miners Association, we find some intention to discourage, enforce and deter, which is commendable in finding our way out of the tricky maze.

That is why we at the Daily Statesman would add our voice to their calls for prosecutions to begin in earnest and for forced reclamations to be directed by government. That path, in our opinion, is a sure way of resolving the issue holistically and permanently. Indeed, it is also the only way to force legal or illegal miners and companies out of our reserves.

But that, again, is also the way for government to make emphatic statements to culprits that we are serious about fighting galamsey and developing our natural resources.

Options

At this point, we believe the sector Minister has enough options to work, including prosecuting those who deserve prosecutions; sanctions for those who deserve sanctions and deportations for those who deserve deportations. That is aside of the fact that we need a constant patrolling of the zones to flush out local miscreants and their foreign paymasters away from the sites.

By every indication, it is a tall order; but all we can do is be dogged at every step of the way in the same manner that the rogues keep moving around to force agents of the state to chase their own shadows.

In applying such rules, we believe the involvement of our traditional rulers, youth associations and religious communities will be key in decision making and monitoring, so that we avoid the mistakes that we witnessed previously.