Democracy Hub protest was more political than conservationists - Gideon Boako

The spokesperson for Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Dr Gideon Boako has described the weekend's street protest by the group known as Democracy Hub as something which was primarily politically motivated than genuinely focused on conservation issues. 

To Dr. Boako, the protest's agenda appeared to be more aligned with political opposition than with authentic environmental concerns. 

He was reacting to the street protest at the weekend organised by the Democracy Hub, which they said was aimed at drawing attention to the detrimental effects of illegal mining and urging immediate government action. The protest turned chaotic at some point and resulted in the arrest of several protesters.

In an interview on Peace FM on Friday, September 27, he expressed disappointment at what he described as the exploitation of legitimate environmental issues for political gain. 

He suggested that while the concerns surrounding illegal mining are valid, the protest’s timing and nature seem designed to undermine the government's credibility as elections approach.

According to Dr. Boako, this focus on political agendas detracts from the vital objective of safeguarding Ghana’s natural resources.

He emphasized the importance of constructive dialogue between the government and citizens for effective environmental conservation. 

He acknowledged that the government has made significant progress in addressing illegal mining and protecting the country’s resources, asserting that protests should not overshadow these ongoing efforts. 

Instead, he called for more collaborative approaches to conservation, urging stakeholders to prioritize cooperation over divisive actions.

"Demonstrations are part of our culture. Sometimes you can have a one-man demonstration or a two-man demonstration. What the democracy hub guys recently organized could have good intentions, but what happened wasn’t right. If the intention was to get persons in authority to act, is that how to go about it? Destroying people’s properties and having fisticuffs with police? Blocking for major roads leading to hospitals like 37 Military Hospital."

"So their behaviour on the day brings into question their whole motive behind the protest. Anyone leading a protest and believing that if any human being dies, is nothing, means their demonstration was more political than conservationists. So I believe two or three months to the election, there is no genuine demonstration. It is a political protest, not genuine. They used galamsey as a decoy.

Dr Boako emphasised that the government remains open to dialogue but expressed concern over the potential for protests to disrupt the electoral process.

He further pointed out that genuine activism should prioritise constructive engagement with the government to address pressing national issues, rather than resorting to protests that may lack a clear purpose. 

Dr Boako called on citizens to critically assess the intentions behind the demonstrations, urging them to focus on constructive dialogue as the country approaches a pivotal election period.

"Anyone leading a protest and believes that if any human being dies is nothing, it means their demonstration was more political than conservationists. So I believe two or three months to election, there is no genuine demonstration. It is a political protest, not genuine. They used galamsey as a decoy," he stated.