It is unfair to jail Ghana’s illegal miners and leave foreigners behind – Inusah Fuseini

General news for Saturday, October 24, 2020

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

2020-10-24

Former Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini, has said that the idea of ​​jailing some illegal Ghanaian miners while foreigners participating in similar operations are left out of trouble is unfair and should be stopped.

“It is unfair to jail Ghanaians for breaking the law and letting foreigners go. Foreigners cannot participate in small-scale mining. Ghanaians have the right to apply for and obtain licenses to engage in small-scale mining, ”he said in an interview on CitiNews.

His comments are a justification for former President John Dramani Mahama’s promise to grant amnesty to all illegal miners incarcerated under the Akufo-Akufo-led government, once elected.

John Mahama, referring to Aisha Huan, an illegal mining kingpin, in an interaction with the chiefs and people of the Mpohor constituency in the western region, on October 22, 2020, made a solemn promise to free all illegal miners jailed.

He said: “Today, they are still in prison. That Chinese galamsey queen was arrested but released. She was never prosecuted but our people are in jail suffering. When we arrive, we will grant all those detained and imprisoned an amnesty… It’s sad. The government said it was fighting galamsey, and they arrested, prosecuted and imprisoned Ghanaians who participated in such activity but left the Chinese woman behind.

But his statement has received a great reaction from a member of the ruling New Patriotic Party (PNP).

Speaking about the constitutionality of the former president’s promise, Alhaji Inusah Fuseini said that it is within the power of the president to pardon people who go against the provisions of the law.

However, he was quick to add that John Mahama and his future government will put in place measures to properly regulate small-scale mining to benefit the people of Ghana and not foreigners.

“It is within the prerogative powers of the president to pardon people who have been imprisoned for breaking the law. These people should know that there is someone who cares for them. This is not to weigh the nuclear power plant, the problem we have with small-scale mining is how to regulate it for the benefit of Ghanaians. We have come to the conclusion that we cannot continue to prohibit Ghanaians from doing so, ”argued Alhaji Fuseini.