Joseph Whittal, the Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), has criticized President Akufo-Addo for failing to tackle illegal mining, commonly known as ‘galamsey’.
During an interview with the BBC, Mr Whittal expressed deep disappointment with the President’s failure to fulfil his promise to combat the destructive practice, which has devastated Ghana’s environment and poses serious health risks.
According to him, the President’s silence on galamsey is worrying due to the severe impact of the menace on public health.
“The Commission feels so disappointed in the fight against galamsey and artisanal mining. We are disappointed that no less a person than the President would put his presidency on the line.
“Presidents don’t promise and fail on their promises. For what has happened which has dire implications on the health of so many Ghanaians, I must say, the government and the President have disappointed Ghanaians,” he said.
Whittal also agreed to calls for the declaration of a state of emergency in response to the galamsey crisis, citing the urgency of the situation.
“I have heard some people call on the President to declare a state of emergency and I actually subscribe to that. Why wait? If you look at the pollution and the effects it is already having…it appears the government seems unconcerned and is ignoring all these worrying trends. I don’t understand,” he said.
“If you win the people’s vote, you are supposed to work for them. So this is a disappointment from the government and from the President, who has a lot of human rights credentials. He should do something before leaving power,” he noted.
According to him, the root issue is not galamsey itself, but rather a failure in leadership.
He argued that both political parties have worsened the problem rather than take the necessary actions to effectively combat the problem.
“We have never had a galamsey problem. We don’t have a galamsey problem. It is leadership that has failed. It is not galamsey that is bad,” he said.