Editorial: Burning Of Excavators: All The Ugly Noises Must Be Ignored!

The National Concerned Association of Small-Scale Miners, Ghana (NCASMG) has, according to a story we have carried on page 12 of today’s publication, condemned the recent burning of excavators by the Forestry Commission in no uncertain terms.

The association has described the practice as illegal, ineffective and harmful to both livelihoods and the national economy.It argues that the government’s continued reliance on this controversial approach has done little to address the root causes of illegal mining.

To the association, it has rather exacerbated economic hardship by destroying valuable mining equipment, resulting in job losses and further destabilising the livelihoods of thousands of small-scale miners.

The miners, therefore, want a probe into the incident, following the frustration and what it calls a “lazy approach” to combating illegal mining.The condemnation, which was contained in a statement the association issued yesterday and signed by its president, Michael Kwadwo Peprah,called on President Mahama and his administration to immediately halt the destruction of mining equipment and adopt a more sustainable approach to addressing the issue.

“The livelihoods of thousands of Ghanaians depend on small-scale mining and it is imperative that policies are implemented in a way that supports legal and responsible mining rather than destroying the means of livelihood for many,” the statement said.

The small scale miners went ahead to charge authorities concerned to stop the burning of excavators as the destruction of mining equipment does not solve the galamsey crisis, but instead deepens financial losses and unemployment.

Since the decision to burn excavator machines started about three years ago, a number of Ghanaians have condemned the action. To these people, after the seizure of the machines, they should be kept at safe places for them to be used by the state. This proposition is being supported by the small scale miners, who are arguing that instead of burning the excavators it should be preserved for use by the appropriate authorities.

Unfortunately, The Chronicle does not believe in this school of thought, even though it sounds good on paper. Mark our words, the excavators will vanish from its ‘temporary homes’ should the government accept this proposal, and find its way back into the bush to destroy the environment again. We should be bold to call a spade a spade and not a big spoon. We were all in this country when similar excavators seized by the previous government vanished without any trace up to date.

In our view, the government must keep on burning the excavators to serve as a deterrent to others who may also want to buy or hire some of these excavators and send them to the bush to destroy our water bodies and the environment as a whole.

Indeed, The Chronicle finds it very difficult to understand why the small scale miners are protesting against the decision. If they are operating with legitimate licenses and also working in legally acquired concession, why should the Forestry Commission (FC) officials come to seize their machines and burn them? Indeed if this is the case, they (small scale miners) have every right to sue the FC in the law court, for them to be paid the cost of the machines.

However, if those whose machines are being burnt cannot proceed to court, but making noises in the media, it tells a story that they were doing illegitimate business in the forest and their machines deserve to be burnt.

The Chronicle does not believe that Forestry Commission officials are so ignorant that they just seize and burn these excavators, even if they are using them for legitimate business. If this is the thinking of the miners, then why have they (FC) not gone to Newmont, AngloGold Ashanti, Goldfields and other mining giants to seize their excavators and burn them?

If we all agree that the way and manner our water bodies and the environment generally are being destroyed leave much to be desired, then we should not be entertaining some of these complaints. Some businessmen and women in this country are only interested in what they gain from their businesses, without looking at the larger interest of the country.

It is our conviction that if the burning of the excavators thatare being used to destroy our environment is the only way to stop the attack on our forest cover, then it must be continued. All the ugly noises must be ignored.

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