Galamsey operators at Akwatia in the Eastern Region have threatened to vote the NPP-led government out if it implements its decision to collapse the galamsey business.
They argued that they made a significant contribution to the government’s electoral victory last year.
As part of preparations to ascertain Ghana’s readiness to receive the Kimberly process certification scheme, a deputy minister of Lands And Natural Resources, Benito Owusu-Bio, paid a visit to the diamond market Tuesday morning.
During the visit, the minister advised the marketers on the need to keep records.
Though was not part of the original plan for the visit, the minister did not mince words when he told the marketers that the government will do its possible best to collapse the galamsey operations.
“If collapsing galamsey will make you vote us out of power that is fine, we know there are some well-meaning Ghanaians who would support us in this cause…because we are doing this to save our future generations.”
The marketers would not agree but threatened to vote the party out of power if the government goes ahead with this decision.
“We pay a lot to the chiefs before they give us the land for the operations,” one of them said
Another person remarked, “We sometimes build schools and clinics for the communities…where do they think we get that money from…it is never true that we will not get water to drink in future.”
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