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| 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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