Oliver Baker-Vormawor
Election years throw up all kinds of shadowy groups masquerading as civil society organisations with their focus: holding public office holders to account.
On most occasions, these groups look like cow dung, with a good appearance but with an awful scent underneath, if not toxic and cancerous.
With just about two months to this year’s elections, these civil society groups are involved in a kind of “finish hard” race to stampede the ruling government to take decisions that can affect Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia’s electoral fortunes.
We are strong advocates of civil liberties, and during the culture of silence as well as the era when the PNDC introduced the Newspaper Licensing Law, we used a sports newspaper to mobilise the citizens against military dictatorship.
From where we are coming from, we will be the last to stand in the way of any individual or group of individuals from taking to the streets to show their disapproval of certain government actions.
Democracy guarantees all kinds of freedoms such as the freedom of association, freedom of movement, freedom of worship and freedom of the press. But these rights are not absolute as these rights are guaranteed on the proviso that others are given the opportunity to enjoy their freedoms.
It is against this background that we condemn the Democracy Hub led by Oliver Baker-Vormawor, who led a group last Monday to obstruct the right of other road users in the name of series of demonstrations around the 37 Military Hospital, with the view to gain access to the Jubilee House, the seat of government.
We are told this group, supported by all kinds of gangs, even blocked vehicular movements including ambulances with critically ill persons to the 37 Military Hospital, thus defying civilised norms required in a demonstration.
The lawless Barker-Vormawor, idolised in NDC circles, and among civil society groups demanding an end to galamsey, even had the audacity to remove the keys to a police vehicle.
That day, these hoodlums should have been made to taste the brute force of state power.
Gradually but steadily, national security issues are being taken for granted, allowing criminal gangs and hoodlums to breach the peace and security of the country in the name of democratic governance and its rights.
While every home in the mining areas is involved in illegal mining, the picture is painted by the anti galamsey groups as if it is President Akufo-Addo and his men and women who are polluting our water bodies and forests.
Every now and then, the name on the lips of the Media Coalition Against Galamsey is Akonta Mining, owned by the garrulous Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP, Chairman Wontumi; whether he is licensed to operate does not matter to these groups, in so far as it can put President Akufo-Addo in bad light, it must be pursued.
We know Franklin Cudjoe and his Imani family would be quick to debunk our position and claim to be fighting a national cause.
We know galamsey has become a menace and we need all hands on deck to stop the illegal miners from posing an existential threat to our future.
Nonetheless, it is our position that these groups are acting like ostriches, burying their heads in the sand and have refused to see the bottlenecks that their presidential candidate, John Mahama and his NDC have placed in the way of the fight against galamsey.
When John Mahama boldly told the chiefs and people of Adum Banso that if voted to power, he would release all illegal miners from prisons because they have repented, Ken Ashigbey and his Media Coalition Against Galamsey are behaving like the proverbial monkey by putting a cork in their ears so that ‘they will hear nothing’, so they are not compelled to say something contrary to the position of their darling NDC flagbearer.
These groups are part of John Mahama’s mantra to “reset” the country and again that is why the commentary of Ken Ashigbey and his group does not include the reckless statement by Kwaku Boahen during the 2020 electioneering.
Kwaku Boahen is on record to have asked the illegal miners to vote for John Mahama so that in the event of his victory he will allow the galamseyers to return to damage the environment.
Kwaku Boahen pointed at Tony Aubyn who was with him and told the miners that if John Mahama won, Tony Aubyn will be reappointed as the Chief Executive of the Mineral Commission as a boost for their bad ways.
These reckless and unpatriotic words and deeds by John Mahama are yet to catch the attention of the anti- galamsey activists led by the Media Coalition Against Galamsey.
We believe that if our people desist from playing the ostrich and in a concerted effort, we confront the galamseyers, we can flush them out of our forests.