“I think the approach is a wrong approach,” Dr Ahmed Jinapor said on Saturday, May 27.
He was contributing to discussion on the issue on TV3’s extended version of New Day.
According to UEW’s Head of Early Childhood Education Department, the fight should be “coordinated” with the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources not the one to visit illegal mines to enforce rules and regulations.
“Unfortunately, by what is going on it is not [sustainable],” he emphasized.
He cited how the Minister, John-Peter Amewu, only had to ask a non-licensed small-scale mining company to stop work in Amansie in the Ashanti Region.
“I think that is not good enough,” he said about the minister’s instructions, further claiming that Mr Amewu should have gotten the miners arrested and prosecuted.
“So, what happened to the galamsey court they set up?” he wondered, stressing that as far as their activity – popularly known as galamsey – was illegal, those miners should have been arrested.
“Because if somebody commits a crime, do you not prosecute the person?” he queried.
The upsurge in the fight against illegal mining has been commended by many.
The Minister of Lands and Natural Resources has led the fight, with support from the media.
But Dr Jinapor had some hard words for the minister.
“He cannot be a one-man Rambo. His job is to sit in the office and make policies.”
The university lecturer said if he continues like this, Mr Amewu will fail at what he is doing.
“This fight is not sustainable,” he repeated.
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