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Frimpong Boateng, Minister of the Environment, has designated us as galamayers and opponents.
All because we call for the wise use of our rapidly depleting natural resources, and particularly the government's failure to target the bauxite development program in the Atewa Mountains forest, because of its vital service that is to provide water to more than 5 million Ghanaians. time, providing other invaluable ecosystem services to Ghanaians and the global community as a whole.
The minister's statement is not only unfortunate, but also a travesty of justice and a betrayal of the trust we have placed in our public officers to protect our natural resources and especially because we respect Professor Frimpong Boateng.
Nevertheless, we, the concerned citizens of the Save Atewa landscape, are not the least concerned, as this has been the behavior of government officials since we committed to staying true to our convictions and resisting any attempt to exploit in a critical period the water needs of our country and help us to strengthen our resilience to climate change.
Should we fight our government and call ourselves names simply because we believe in
secure our natural resources for posterity? We are convinced that the general public understood the smallness of the Minister of Environment and that no reply would have been necessary.
However, we also see this as an opportunity for us to clarify a few points thus attracting the attention of the Minister of the Environment, who cares little for nothing, and neglects his obligation to manage our natural resources and to to protect citizens from polluting activities harmful to the environment, a task they have clearly abandoned.
A drowning man would desperately draw on the straw to survive, but would eventually drown. Such actions, we ensure that the professor will not distract us from losing our concentration, so the sooner he and his cohorts in governance will refrain from marking us, the better. We focus on our stated political direction.
Now to make things clear. Members of the concerned citizens of the Save Atewa landscape have never surrendered to Galamsey and will never do such a despicable act to defile the very environment we seek to protect. We wish your indulgence to return to the memory of the visit of our group delegation on April 18, 2018, in your office of the Ministry of the Environment, where we deliberated on many environmental issues.
We were amazed at your resourcefulness and your desire to see the Atewa forest protected as a forest reserve, but also because you grew up in the landscape and remember how much the forest environment created for you, young and growing, is aesthetically refreshing. of my time. We also remember urging you to use your leadership position as Chair of the Interdepartmental Working Group on Galamsey to ensure that illegal Galamsey activities that have moved into the Atewa Forest are reduced.
We remind the Minister once again that we held our press conference on 22 March 2019 in the press center in Accra, not so long ago, where we shed new light on the illegal activities being carried out. in the Atewa forest and the need to create forests. The Commission and the police, as well as the vanguard.
It is clearly ironic and regrettable for the hon. Mr. Minister, ignore all the warnings we have issued and turn around to indicate that we are all galam-airmen. It's a
obvious case of bad faith and double standard on the part of the minister, and there is no need to go back and agree with us.
We see double standards when you treat the trust of the mbades in protecting the environment the essential mandate of the ministry you lead. We see double standards and bad faith, especially from the CEO of the Forestry Commission, who surprisingly stepped back and denied support when we went through his office on our Jubilee House walk to present our petition: government.
What you all seem to forget is that the walls have ears and the double standard exposed is appalling. Perhaps we should also remind the Minister that Atewa Forest is clbadified in the Act as a forest reserve and clbadified under several protection regimes as a Hill Sanctuary, an important area for bird conservation and conservation area. biodiversity of global importance.
(GSBAs).
The responsibility to manage and protect this forest from all threats that compromise its integrity rests primarily with the legislated public bodies that work in collaboration with surrounding communities and through partnerships with development partners, such as: indicated in the document. Forest and Wildlife Policy 2012. In this regard, any failure to prevent or prohibit access to activities that compromise the ecological integrity of the forest and against the purpose and objects for which the forest is closed to state agencies that have public resources to ensure that all our forests remain protected and protected. secure for the critical ecosystem services that they provide.
Who Hon. The minister shows double standards, especially when these government agencies refuse to be proactive and take only reactive measures to deal with the obvious threats to our natural forests. You have seen the warnings and even if you claim not to have done so, we have informed you, but you still refused to act appropriately and on time. Before we can accuse ourselves of double standards, we think that you must seriously examine your ranks and return.
Where have the EPA, the Minerals Commission and the Forestry Commission been all the time deserving the President to put his presidency at stake in the fight against Galamsey?
Communities and networks of civil society and alliances with national and international development partners remain and will remain engaged as long as
the state creates a favorable environment.
It is also essential to ensure that we pursue inclusive governance of our natural resources and provide communities and development partners with the opportunity and tools to contribute to the sustainable management of our natural resource areas.
What is important here is that public organizations avoid the double standard of the commonplace where they speak virtue and act differently. The minister also spoke of responsible mining aimed at preserving flora and fauna, as the president has emphasized from the beginning. To these statements, we say "huu" in the Akan language.
Bauxite is not in liquid form to use the suction pressure to extract.
First, the vegetation and topsoil will have to be removed, then the rocks will be blasted.
and crushed to extract the bauxite ore. All the forest cover must be erased and, in this way, what would be the fate of the flora and fauna. Forests provide cover for our river sources, so erasure of the forest cover will lead to the drying up of these rivers and streams. With the habitat of mammals cleared in a bald landscape where animal life would be.
On June 4, we challenged the government to show us the type of methods that the professor and the president say use to extract bauxite without destroying the forest and all other services provided continuously. .
Professor, we say NO to the extraction on the reserves and avoid the policies of deception that you follow because it is a very dangerous ground.
We dispute the hon. In order for the minister to prove his case, he should apologize to all well-meaning Ghanaians who oppose the project to convert our most beautiful watershed into a mine shaft and instead help preserve, conserve and finally designate the Atewa Forest Reserve as National Park.
Thank you.
Sign
L & # 39; Hon. Oteng Adjei (0244518750/0264518750)
L & # 39; Hon. Akyeano Tabi 0247-896109
Revo Collins Amoah 0245-520080
Nana Ampem Darko-Amponsah – 0244245373
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