NPP Losing Support in "Galamsey" Areas

THE RULING New Patriotic Party (NPP) is gravely waning in popularity and in strength in two most noted 'galamsey', otherwise known as illegal mining, operating towns here in the Western Region, The Chronicle can say.

The party's waning in popularity and in strength follows the attack and flushing out of galamsey operators' pits by a team of Police and Military personnel, which saw them, confiscating and destroying their equipments in the process.

The two most noted mining towns are, Prestea and Mpohor, which have Hon. Gifty Eugenia Kusi and Anthony Evans Amoah respectively as the Members of Parliament (MPs) for the area.

The Divisional Chief of Tarkwa has on his part in an interview with a local radio station here, condemned the flushing and attack on the galamsey operators by the Police and the Military and their continued presence in the area without recourse to the Traditional Chiefs of the area.

To the Chief, the only source of livelihood for the youth of the area was the galamsey and since it came into operation, there had been drastic reduction in robbery, stealing and other bad social vices in the area.

Therefore, the Chiefs would liaise with the District Assembly on the grounds of the attack and the flushing out of the galamsey operators in order to find a lasting solution to the problem.

Meanwhile, the Effia-Kwesimintsim Observer, a community newspaper has reported in it last edition that the campaign message of the Vice President was what was rather haunting the ruling NPP party in the Prestea township.

According to the youth of the area who spoke to the paper, the Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama had deceived them after he had told them on a campaign platform that 'No galamsey, No Prestea' reassuring them of government's support towards their jobs.

To date, according to the youth, they had not heard anything from the Vice President but only for the Police and Military team to attack and flush them out of their own mining pits after they voted for the party.

At Mpohor, where this reporter trekked to the area, the story was also not different, as Police and Military team had also flushed out 'galamsey' operators out from their pits thereby sending strong signals of their displeasure against the ruling party as well.

Some of the youth involved in the galamsey activities who spoke to this paper, registered their displeasure against the Police and Military attack on them and as well their continued presence in the area.

The Regional Commander of the Ghana Police Service, Mr. Kofi Duku Arthur had earlier confirmed the flushing out of the galamsey operators in an interview with this paper but denied that his men attacked the galamsey operators. To him, the Police had given the galamsey operators prior notice to vacate their pits they were mining on because they were not the bonafide owners of the pits.

The pits, the Commander told this paper, belonged to Bogoso Gold Limited (BGL) the galamsey operators were mining on hence the Police decision to flush them out.