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By Naillatu Iddirisu | Tema
The Chairman of the Stone and Sand Contractors Association of Ghana, Mr Lyngstern Whyte, has threatened legal action against the Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, Sam Nartey George, accusing him of making defamatory and damaging public statements about his personality.
Mr Whyte says he has consulted his lawyers and intends to pursue legal action against the MP to clear his name.
He made the declaration in a statement responding to allegations by some members of the association, who recently accused him of conniving with the military to brutalise sand and stone contractors during ongoing government operations against illegal sand winning.
Mr Whyte denied the allegations, insisting that his responsibility as chairman is to ensure that members operate within the confines of the law and that their activities are restricted to legally acquired concessions.
He described as unfortunate attempts by some members to portray his support for the government’s sensitisation exercise as an act of betrayal, stressing that his position is to promote a properly regulated sand and stone extraction industry.
According to him, his responsibilities also include protecting farmers and landowners whose properties and livelihoods are allegedly being destroyed by illegal sand winners and land guards.
He claimed that some farmers who have resisted illegal sand-winning activities have been shot and killed, while others have sustained life-changing injuries.
Mr Whyte said he was particularly unhappy with comments attributed to Mr Sam George, accusing the MP of publicly attacking his personality without first seeking his side of the story.
He also questioned the MP’s reported call for him to be prevented from entering Ningo-Prampram, his hometown, describing the development as unfortunate and unbecoming of a lawmaker.
He further condemned what he described as a public call by the MP for people to use the law to manhandle him whenever they encountered him.
Mr Whyte maintained that he had neither collaborated with the military to abuse contractors nor possessed the authority to single-handedly determine the prices of sand and stones, as alleged by some association members.
He reiterated his commitment to ensuring that contractors operate within their designated concessions and comply with the laws governing sand and stone winning.
He said his support for government efforts to sanitise the industry should not be misconstrued as an endorsement of alleged abuses against operators.
The threatened legal action is expected to further intensify the disagreement surrounding the government’s efforts to regulate sand and stone extraction activities in the Ningo-Prampram area.
