We’ll lose our seats if we impose a ban on ‘galamsey’ – NPP MP
Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akyim South, Kwaku Asante-Boateng, has said that the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is refusing to place a ban on illegal mining because they want to ‘break the 8’.He says the government is afraid of losing the elections, the reason it has delayed in placing a ban on the menace which many have lamented over its devastating effects on the environment.
Also known as ‘galamsey’, the lawmaker says when the government placed a ban in 2020, it affected the party’s performance in the mining areas making them lose many seats.Speaking to journalists Wednesday, October 02, 2024, the MP indicated that the NPP is not ready to lose this year’s election and will therefore not place a ban on galamsey.
He defended the government’s caution, stating that the fear of losing votes is a common concern in politics, particularly in regions where galamsey is prevalent.“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.”
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