The Member of Parliament (MP) for Asante Akim South, Kwaku Asante-Boateng, has expressed concerns that the government’s reluctance to tackle illegal mining, commonly known as galamsey, is driven by fears of losing the December 7 elections.
According to Asante-Boateng, the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) strong stance against galamsey in 2020 contributed to the party’s defeat in several mining communities.
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, the NPP MP suggested that the current hesitation to impose a total ban on all forms of mining stems from this fear, a sentiment he believes could affect any political party.
The Asante Akim South MP 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.”
