The fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, has become one of Ghana’s most critical national battles. It is a battle that goes beyond political parties, personalities, and individual interests. It is a fight about the survival of our environment, the protection of our water bodies, the preservation of farmlands, and the future of generations yet unborn.
However, one worrying trend continues to undermine this national effort: the tendency to give every major galamsey-related arrest, prosecution, or conviction a political interpretation.
The recent conviction and sentencing of a leading member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has once again triggered intense public debate, with supporters and opponents interpreting the matter through political lenses. But beyond the political arguments, there are fundamental questions that every Ghanaian must ask.
Was there sufficient evidence before the court to establish the offences beyond reasonable doubt? Were due legal procedures followed during the trial? Did the court correctly apply the relevant laws? Was the sentence imposed proportionate to the offences committed?
These are the questions that should guide national conversations whenever a person is convicted of a crime. The identity, political affiliation, or social status of an accused person should not determine whether justice is served.
If Ghana is truly committed to winning the war against galamsey, then we must collectively remove partisan politics from issues that threaten our national survival. Illegal mining is not a crime committed against one political party, nor are its consequences suffered by only members of one political tradition. The destruction of water bodies, the pollution of rivers, the loss of agricultural lands, and the health implications of environmental degradation affect every Ghanaian, regardless of whether the person belongs to the NPP, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), or any other political group.
It is therefore unfortunate when citizens rush to the streets, besiege courts, or gather around security installations to demand the release of persons accused or convicted of galamsey-related offences simply because they are perceived to belong to a particular political party.
Such actions raise serious questions about our understanding of justice and national interest. Supporting a political party is a democratic right, but protecting individuals accused of harming the collective interest of the country because they share the same political identity is dangerous.
Many of the powerful individuals involved in illegal mining activities have the financial means to seek the best medical attention, travel abroad, or access resources when they suffer health challenges linked to their activities. But what about the ordinary Ghanaian whose only source of livelihood depends on clean water, fertile land, and a healthy environment?
The poor farmer who drinks from contaminated water sources does not have the privilege of flying abroad for medical treatment. The child who grows up in a community where rivers have been destroyed does not have the influence to demand special treatment. These are the people who ultimately bear the greatest burden of illegal mining. Why then should ordinary citizens defend activities that continue to threaten their own survival?
Those who stand in solidarity with accused persons must understand one important principle: crime has no political colour. The effects of crime also do not recognise party boundaries. A polluted river does not know whether the person drinking from it supports the NPP or the NDC. A destroyed farm does not ask which political party the farmer belongs to. Environmental destruction affects everyone.
Ghana must also be careful about creating a dangerous perception that every prosecution under one government is politically motivated while every accused person under another government is automatically innocent. When this happens, we risk dividing our justice system along political lines, creating the impression that one party sees no wrongdoing when its members are involved but suddenly discovers crime when political opponents are in power.
Such a situation weakens public confidence in our institutions and undermines the fight against corruption and criminal activities. The judiciary must be allowed to perform its constitutional duty without political interference, and citizens must learn to separate legal accountability from political loyalty.
This does not mean that accused persons should be denied their rights. Every person charged with a crime deserves a fair trial, legal representation, and the opportunity to appeal a decision. The presumption of innocence must always remain a fundamental principle of justice. However, once a competent court has examined the evidence and delivered a judgment, the proper avenue for disagreement is through the legal process and not through public pressure or political mobilisation.
Ghana’s fight against galamsey will only succeed when institutions are stronger than personalities and when the law applies equally to all citizens, irrespective of political connections.
The environmental damage caused by illegal mining is a national wound. Healing that wound requires honesty, courage, and a willingness to put the national interest above partisan considerations.
Let accused persons face the judicial process without political shields. Let the courts determine guilt or innocence based on evidence. And let all Ghanaians remember that protecting criminals because of political affiliation only helps to deepen the very problems that affect us all.
The fight against galamsey is not an NPP fight, an NDC fight, or a government fight. It is a Ghanaian fight. Winning it requires a united nation that respects justice above politics.
The Trial News
No comments yet. Be the first to comment!