ARCC descends on Former Pres Mahama over his comment on ‘galamsey’

The Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council (ARCC) has blasted the former President, John Dramani Mahama, for what it described as "derogatory statement" he made in relation to approach the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is using in the fight against illegal mining popularly known as ‘galamsey’.

Former President Mahama at the recent NDC Unity Walk in Kumasi criticized the ruling government for not applying common sense in its fight against illegal mining activities.

He entreated government to find a new measures or road map to regulate the illegal miners instead of chasing and shooting them with the use of the joint military and police team, "Operation Vanguard".

But addressing a news conference in Kumasi on Wednesday May 2, 2018, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei-Mensah said, the utterances by the Former President was not surprising since he has "the penchant of insulting".

He said the "unsavory" comment made by the Former President was not the first time since he has been using such words.

"When he was a parliamentarian, he insulted Mr. Osei Kwame Prempeh and all Ashanti's in relation to the use of the Queen's language. Others include the use of baloney on NPP parliamentarians, Ashanti's are ungrateful and if you even pave all their roads with gold they won't appreciate, just to mention a few," the Minister said.

Mr. Osei-Mensah said, the Former President should have been more decorous in his utterances and such comment should not have come from him as a statesman.

The Regional Minister said some excavators owned by small scale miners were burnt while acids were also poured into the engines of some of the excavators in the Ashanti Region during the Former President Mahama’s regime, adding that notable among them was that of Mr. Bernard Antwi Boasiako, popularly called ‘Chairman Wontumi’.

He questioned that "is the Former President saying the government did not attach sense to the fight against galamsey? Has he forgotten what he did to some small scale miners in the Ashanti Region, especially, Mr. Antwi Boasiako, aka Wontumi, pouring acid into the engines of his excavators and also burnt others?”

"Did he execute the exercise with sense during his time, if yes why did he fail?. Is he saying this to associate himself or take credit of the Road Map or new measures prepared by government, he cannot reap what he has not sown", the Minister explained.

https://www.primenewsghana.com/general-news.html