A leading member of the Movement for Change, Ebo Buckman, has called on President John Dramani Mahama to take a radical approach to illegal mining in Ghana, describing the current destruction as nothing short of “environmental terrorism.”
In a strongly worded open letter to the President, Buckman likened the irreversible damage caused by illegal mining to acts of treason, questioning why Ghana treats threats to its Constitution more seriously than threats to its environment.
“Let’s face it: as a nation, we revere our democracy. So much so that we have no qualms defending it, even to the death. We criminalize coups and threaten treason for any attempt to overthrow the Constitution,” he began.
Buckman stated emphatically that he remains a strong believer in democracy and would defend any lawful measure taken to preserve it. However, he warned that Ghana faces an even more existential threat—one that is being ignored.
“But here lies the painful irony: we can survive without democracy, but we cannot survive without clean water, clean air, and good food, all of which these environmental terrorists are poisoning and destroying in real time,” he wrote.
Challenging the President to reconsider the country’s response to illegal mining, Buckman posed a chilling but thought-provoking question:
“I dare ask, Mr President, if death is the price for endangering our democratic order, should it be any less for those who endanger our continued survival as a people with impunity?”
