National Democratic Congress (Ghana)

It was one of the things that they criticised us for.

Why has it been difficult for both governments to put an end to illegal mining? I would say that In all fairness, that the NDC was overly partisan when the Akufo-Addo administration made the anti-galam say a key issue in its governance.

If you look at the result of 2020, all the mining areas, we lost our seats because the NDC on a campaign, campaign and said that we were denying the people their daily bread.

So if there is a particular party that has been overly partisan, on galam say issues it is our friends in the end

no

And it's always between the two, you know, parties who supports and who wants to end this particular illegal mining because, you know, Ghana is losing a lot.

But who are we to talk about it? Maybe

we could turn the question around and ask, what benefits from illegal mining if both leaders, the NDC and the NPP, are unable to put an end to this? It's like a conker worm.

So for President Mahama to break that kind of a barrier because let me say it's a barrier or a limitation for him to break that barrier the constitution will have to be reviewed and trust me he has so many because he's the president now if you should declare that the constitution should be reviewed for him to there is nothing you can do you can demonstrate and say whatever you want to say but he is the president And that is going to be members of parliament.

And don't forget that the NDC was a majority in parliament.

The possibility of him passing it into law is very high.

But the man has said that he's not interested in running a third term.

This morning, let me introduce my guests.

I have seated right here in the studios with me, lawyer Kortier Nureddin Abubakar Bitis.

He is the NDC communications team member.

We also have Bernard Che.

You recall when an audit was to take place in the register of the Electoral Commission, it was KPNG that was called upon to do it.

The NDC itself, the National Cathedral, Pricewaterhouse was called upon to do it.

The General was there, but yet they called on Pricewaterhouse to conduct the investigation.

Let's look at your threatening of a censure vote against the sector minister, your namesake Samuel Okujetu Ablakwa, if he fails to resign or if President Mahama...

And we thought that it would create jobs immediately so that we would all be included in it.

When it comes to the youth of today, most of our youth are unemployed and most of them are looking forward to that initiative by the NDC.

But it looks like All what the politicians do is to keep on disappointing the people, disappoint, disappoint, and at the end of the day, they go about bringing flimsy excuses.

Looking at the 24-hour economy, it's supposed to create jobs.

Their reply to this.

And this was the reply of the minority.

so the leadership so this this was november 9 2022 the leadership of the new patriotic party following broader consultations and engagement with stakeholders has resolved and hereby direct all members of the majority caucus in parliament to abstain from a shadowed vote of censure being sourced by the minority so the majority now then minority caucus against ken of oriata which was then former minister of finance by this directive the leadership of the majority caucus especially the whips are to ensure that no member of the majority caucus partake in this exercise by the minority group in parliament and this was from the minority then While the National Executive Body acknowledges the prevailing socioeconomic conditions in the country and the need for urgent remedial intervention, it is our utmost position that the demand of the NDC-led minority caucus is ill-intended.

and aimed at derailing the government's effort at resolving current socio-economic upheaval.

If you can't, or if you are opposing whatever they are bringing, give us an alternative.

So what do you think the alternative solution is to bring an end to illegal mining? I mean, from where I stand, both the NDC and the MPP have done everything it takes for them to bring an end to illegal mining, but the issue is still persisting.

The only solution now is to legalize them.

Yesterday I made an example with Okada riders.

My concern is who are the we? Because if the

minority is claiming that,

if the minority is kind of claiming that we've put in it, we've put in in or kind of exclude themselves from this whole menace that the NDC has put in it a lot of measures so they are trying their best but they are not solving the issue.

We are also in the country and governance is about collective responsibility the fact that i voted for you doesn't mean that you are ruling the country alone i am not i'm not in government but i'm also helping the government because i'm also playing a role in what he is doing so in a way it's a collective responsibility so you don't sit down there then make claims that we are not we are mesmerizing the whole issue who is mesmerizing it when your government came if they were able to sort at least 50 percent of illegal mining i am sure by by now we would have been able able to bring a total whole to this whole thing about illegal mining but your government did for me they did nothing Because if you have put in the right measures, we should have seen a vast improvement.