Lands and Natural Resources Minister has fired a gun scatter attack at the ex-president John Mahama describing him as a “conman.”

An incensed John Peter Amewu says attempts by the ex-president to criticize government’s anti-galamsey activities is dishonest and a dent on his own reputation.

“It is rather unfortunate statement that is coming from some political leaders. I am talking about the former president John Mahama.

“He cannot use galamsey at this time, thinking he can come back to power. I respect that man so much but for today I am disappointed in the kind of words he used in Kumasi.

“…I am telling the small-scale miners this gentleman is a conman; he is deceiving them. If they dare go for him just because of galamsey this country will go down,” he fired.

The ex-president had criticized government’s taskforce approach in fighting the galamsey menace which has left the country’s rivers polluted, environment fouled and degraded.

Addressing party supporters at the Kumasi Unity Walk Saturday, ex-president John Mahama said the government has completely failed in addressing the problem.

According to him the use of soldiers in fighting the menace is not sustainable.

“As you stop illegal small-scale mining, at the same time you must put in a livelihood package so that as you are displacing people from illegal mining there is something else to do. But when there is nothing to do and you are just chasing and shooting them, that is not the way to go,” he said.

According to him, his government before leaving power in 2016 had put a document in place to regulate activities of illegal small-scale miners in the country.

He would rather the government implements the policy document rather than use the soldiers to fight the menace.

But the Lands and Natural Minister John Peter Amewu said the ex-president is being dishonest.

According to him, ex-president and his government left no documentation on how to fight galamsey in the country.

“We are aware the combat approach is not an alternative that is why we came out with a comprehensive document. He has been a president for four years, he has been a vice president for a number of years what alternative did he put in place?” he asked.

“He has not been able to produce a single document on sanitizing small-scale mining,” he added.

John Peter Amewu said the Akufo-Addo led government has shown enough commitment to fighting the galamsey menace.

“Today we have created a lot of mining districts, 12 mining districts and 33 satellite districts. We are bringing mining back to the decentralization level. The small-scale mining which was in the statute books was supposed to have mining communities but was never inaugurated under president Mahama.

“We have just inaugurated the communities,” he said, adding president Akufo-Addo is the only honest dealer to lead the fight against galamsey and not ex-president John Mahama.