Prestea demonstrates against poor living conditions
The people of Prestea Tuesday protested against what they described as the deplorable state of the town and worsening economic conditions.
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Led by the chief of the town, Nana Nteboah Pra IV, the residents hit the streets of the town, wearing red armbands and carrying placards with various inscriptions which summed up some of their worries.
Some of the placards read: “Surface mining will kill us”, “What are you doing with our mines, Mahama?”, “Prestea is not Afghanistan”, “Bring back processing mining plant”, Prestea Boys abre”, “Prestea-Himan deserves better roads” and “Himan-Prestea, Yempenee ooo!’’
According to the demonstrators, the bad roads, the wanton use of military personnel to harass residents, poor conditions of the Prestea underground mine and unemployment were making life unbearable for them.
Grievances
The demonstrators said the town had been abandoned by succeeding governments, resulting in its deplorable state.
They also cited the failure of Golden Star Resources Limited to reopen the underground mine which it had closed for maintenance for almost 12 years.
They said the once-vibrant Prestea had now become a ghost town due to the inactivity of the underground mine and its deteriorating infrastructure.
After the demonstration, the protestors, through Nana Pra, submitted a petition to President John Mahama through the District Chief Executive, Mr Wisdom Cudjoe.
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One of the demonstrators, Mr Shaibu Demo, said 12 years of the closure of the underground mine was enough to elicit the government's intervention.
He said the closure of the mine had rendered more than 5,000 people unemployed, making them and their families wallow in poverty.
A visibly angry woman, who gave her name only as Maame Abena, called for the immediate reopening of the mine.
"If Golden Star Resources cannot reopen the underground mine, the government should take it back and hand it over to another company to employ our men," she said.
Nana Pra asked for the immediate rehabilitation of roads in the area and the reactivation of the Prestea underground mine to provide employment and livelihood for the people.
The DCE
Mr Cudjoe promised to submit the petition to the Presidency.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Prestea-Huni Valley, Mr Francis Adu Blay–Koffie, commended the demonstrators for the disciplined and peaceful manner in which they conducted themselves during the demonstration.