Wednesday 14 March 2018

“The Barrow Led Administration Should Be Told The Truth” (Part.1)


 
President Adama Barrow
The Gambia health sector is sinking in the broad day light like the mighty Titanic as a result of inadequate medical facilities and the human resources. Of recent I learnt that the Doctors are on a sit-down strike as per the allegation of theft made by the minister of health.  We the poor voters take our families to the Government hospital without facilities while those of you at the peak whom we voted for, to protect and improve our health care facilities take your families to the private clinics. Health should be a priority of The Gambia Government as a healthy nation is a wealthy nation. Inaccessibility to health care is a violation of human right. We cannot achieve a free zone disease country until and unless we take in charge of our health care system and pump in to the required resources to meet the ISO standards.

If Edward Francis Small were to arise and see the high increasing rate of killings, robbery, theft and rape happening in The Gambia that he dreamt would one day be the heaven of peace. I am quite sure that he will regret the sacrifices he made to liberate The Gambia.

How do you do the above requirement when lawlessness, murdering and especially armed robberies, are on top of mountain Kilimanjaro? The prevalence of peace and tranquility and safety of the citizenry goes a long way to tell or measure how successful one’s presidency has been. This is in addition to creating jobs for the youth to better their standard of living and curtailing or wiping off institutional corruption and other criminal practices from the society.

The last time I checked the government have lost touch with the people of The Gambia and have lost ability to maintain order, command and respect for the rule of law.  This is leading people to take the law into their own hands. With weak governance, and lack of education and leadership some Gambian people have misinterpreted the notion of democracy as having the freedom and right to act as they please without due regard for others or their environment, as Barrow and his administration look on hopelessly.

It is one year now the Barrow led administration is yet to demonstrate any leadership or clear direction.  This is believed to be an oversight by the presiding President and his advisers, due to a lack of familiarity and understanding of the existing constitution.  To my knowledge the ministerial position for defense also remains unfilled and has therefore been attached to the office of the President?  Is it to be assumed therefore that Barrow occupies the roles of President; Commander in Chief and defense minister at the same time? To date there is lack of clarity over this situation. Is it that in the whole country there is no Gambian who meet the professional requirement for Defense Minister position?

Electricity is very vital in our daily lives, the patients who are getting their treatment in various hospitals also face many difficulties as per NAWEC’s inability to supply uninterrupted electricity and water supply to the citizenry. The patients operations are not happening on time as the electricity is moving on and off like a timing bomb. This increases their diseases as the fans of the hospital are not moving which result to the patients feel great pain in their body.

Corruption is one of the biggest threat to the well-being of a society. It degrades the quality of the services and also ruins the life of the common man. Many countries in the world are affected by this disease called corruption. Corruption in The Gambia is an obstacle that restricts citizens on a daily basis in their enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms, contributing to the perpetuation of poverty and hindering economic opportunity. The collective recognition of the challenges posed by rampant corruption has led to political turmoil.

Corruption in this country is experienced in many sectors. In politics, corruption is heavy swimming like a canoe in the Atlantic Ocean. In fact, the less connected citizens of The Gambia are the one that suffers as wealth which is to be evenly distributed are being utilized by the top politicians alone.

Transparency International have not failed in giving updates on the nations that have stained their hands by indulging in massive corrupt practices. According to the organization, corruption still remains rampant in public sector. Currently, we can concretely say that corruption in Gambia is not just a mere perception but inherently pervasive in the country as evidenced by the recent scandal exposure.

It is a clear testimony that being a politician or a public official is one of the greatest profession in the world. It requires a lot of leadership skills and knowledge in law, economy, ethics, humanity and others. To make sure our government officials, legislators, mayors, governors, etc. are currently capable in doing their respective job, they should be required to have a minimum credit units of continuing professional education every year. If they can’t comply, then they should be fired out from their positions.

Prevention and eradication of corruption is an absolute requirement for better public life. This disease called corruption takes an interesting turn in such a way that everyone becomes corrupt in some other sort if situation permits.

To be continued….

Saidina Alieu Jarjou
Political Activist


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