Illegal mining activities in the country persist. Forest areas, especially protected against the illegality, have not been spared the destructive occupation of the bad guys.
Ironically, then opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the run-up to the last elections made promises to prove that they have a different approach to addressing the anomaly.
They mobilised groups to demonstrate against the government for not applying their suggestions as to how to address the illegal mining menace or galamsey, as it is also referred to.
One of the suggestions was repealing the law regarding mining in forest areas of the country, LI 2462.
It is worthy of note that then Attorney General Godfred Yeboah Dame started the process of a repeal of the law. It could not go through because of time constraint occasioned by the constitutional process which demands that such legislations be laid in Parliament for a specific number of days. But for the constraint, a repeal could have taken place.
Another demand was the declaration of a state of emergency in the country, so a draconian response can be exacted upon the perpetrators of galamsey.
Intelligence gathered at the time was that the opposition sought to create an ambience where security personnel deployed to illegal mining areas could shoot to kill. This way the expected security challenge that would ensue could inure to the interest of the opposition.
Now that the then opposition is in power and with all the authority of state at their disposal, they have altered the narrative about the galamsey story.
Repealing the LI on forest area mining, which then opposition flagbearer John Mahama said he would do when he is elected President, is nowhere being carried out.
His deputy spokesperson, Shamima Muslim, while fumbling when being quizzed on a radio station programme last week, said repealing the law would have consequences. Engaging with those engaged in mining in the forests is a better option, she said.
As for the declaration of a state of emergency, the position of the NDC is that it would not be in the interest of the nation to do so.
It was in the interest of the nation to make the declaration when the NDC was in opposition, not so today.
We are appalled at the hypocrisy featuring in the NDC government.
When governance is reduced to a charade, it becomes difficult to defend the position by skeptics that those at the helm of affairs today are insincere persons who lied their way to power.
Where are they who championed the cause of the NDC and blocked the road at the façade of the 37 Military Hospital while  campaigning against galamsey? They are no longer able to undertake the galamsey campaign because they are busy at their new posts.
Where are they who turned their television studios into science laboratories displaying muddied waters from the various rivers in the country? They are busy because their campaign paid off and they are in power.
The illegal miners have been emboldened because the promise made to them about being allowed to operate has been fulfilled, and the repeal of the LI 2462 won’t happen because doing so would have consequences. Time will indeed tell.