The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference has criticised President John Dramani Mahama’s refusal to declare a state of emergency over illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, insisting that the country requires urgent and radical measures to halt the ongoing destruction of the environment.
Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, Bishop of Sunyani and President of the Conference, told Citi Eyewitness News on Tuesday, September 16, that they were disappointed by the President’s statement that a state of emergency was not necessary at this time.
“We were very surprised by that statement of the president,” he said.
Bishop Gyamfi clarified that the bishops were not calling for a military-style intervention or revolution, but for serious, immediate action to confront the worsening galamsey crisis.
“The declaration of state emergency – we are not talking of revolution or military type of state emergency. All we are saying is that let’s take a very radical action because the position calls for a radical response, not piecemeal actions as we are doing now,” he explained.
He questioned why a state of emergency should be considered a last resort, warning that the destruction caused by galamsey had already reached dangerous levels.
“To say that this is not the time – when? Should the whole country be destroyed? People are in the process of destroying everything and it is not being recovered. Should the whole Ghana be devastated before we try to repair?” he asked.
Bishop Gyamfi added that a state of emergency should have been declared long ago and described the President’s stance as “very worrying and very surprising.”
“Many of us are disappointed in that statement,” he said.
