Social Media Activist KalyJay Calls for Online Demonstration to Pressure Government on Galamsey
Popular Social Media Influencer, KalyJay, is proposing an online demonstration against the practice of illegal mining known as ‘galamsey’ which has had a devastating impact on the country’s environment.
According to him, an online demonstration coupled with the threats of strikes by Labour Unions in the country will add to the pressure on the Government to act on the galamsey menace immediately.
“During the Fix the Country campaign, we did an online protest where people were using placards, wearing black and red dresses, and posting it on Twitter with the hashtag Fix the Country and across all social media platforms. I think that was the very first online demonstration in this country and I was the one that spearheaded it. I believe we can do something similar where the youth can just go close to the water bodies, take pictures and videos with the hashtags ‘StopGalamseyNow’ and ‘Gov’tMustActNow’, and just share them.
“I think it will really go far, for the past two weeks now, anytime I come online the very first thing I do is check the trend list and I make sure that if the Galamsey issue is not trending, I make sure I tweet as many as possible to get it into the top five of trends before I go offline,” he quipped.
KalyJay made the call for an online demonstration speaking during the NorvanReports, Economic Governance Platform (EGP), and BudgIT Ghana X Space discussion on the topic “Golden Promises, Muddy Realities: The True Cost of Galamsey to Ghana’s Future.”
Speaking further during the X Space discussion, KalyJay expressed his excitement about the growing number of organizations voicing their concerns on the galamsey menace and issuing threats of strike to the Government.
He noted that over the past week or two, he has observed a surge in groups warning that they would take to the streets and demonstrate if authorities fail to address the practice of galamsey.
“I actually pray they hold on to their word because I feel that is the only way to address this national problem,” he quipped, asserting that if various professionals, including teachers, doctors, lawyers, and nurses, unite in strikes and demonstrations, it would create the necessary pressure on Government to drive meaningful change.
“I wish people could actually tell the world, the people actually living in the Galamsey-affected areas could share their experiences,” he added, further encouraging residents in affected regions to share pictures and videos of the devastation to raise awareness about the depth of the problem.
Per reports, pregnant women in galamsey-affected areas are giving birth to children with three fingers, four fingers, two eyes merged in the center among others. Furthermore, the environmental damage caused by the galamsey practice has also led to severe water contamination, forcing residents in galamsey-affected areas to buy sachet water for daily use such as cooking and bathing among others as tap water is no longer safe for use.
Additionally, food prices in these areas have skyrocketed due to difficulties in farming on the polluted lands.
KalyJay urged the public to continue speaking out about these issues before it’s too late, warning that the damage caused by galamsey will take years to reverse, especially the restoration of clean water sources.
