Please be informed that a Press
Secretary is a senior government official whose primary responsibility is to
act as spokesperson for the executive branch of the government administration,
especially with regard to the President, senior executives, and policies. It is
in that regard I write to remind you about the untold stories in our country
The Gambia.
The question one might asked
shall be is that The Gambia Edwards Francis Small fought for? If Small were to
arise from the grave yard on see the 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 see The Gambia
where one day her citizens will go to bed at any time and live without fear of
being robbed neither rape.
How do you do the above requirement
when lawlessness, murdering and especially armed robberies, are on top of
mountain Kilimanjaro? You are very much aware of the fact that prevalence of
peace and tranquility and safety of the citizenry goes a long way to tell or
measure how successful one’s presidency or administration has been. This is in
addition to creating jobs for the people to better their standard of living and
curtailing or wiping off institutional corruption and other criminal practices
from the society.
It
is ten months since the new government’s inauguration and Adama Barrow is yet
to demonstrate any leadership or clear direction. This is believed to be an oversight by the
presiding President and his advisors, 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 requirement for Defense
Minister?
The
last time I checked the government have lost touch with the people of The
Gambia and have lost ability to maintain order and command respect for the laws
of the land. This is leading people to
take the law into their own hands. With weakened 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.
If
one is not safe inside and outside their home due to the fear of being rape and
attacked by thieves and armed robbers, how will they have confidence in the
President and his administration for doing a brilliant job? Is it not a popular
saying among some Gambians that if you are hungry, starving but feel safe and are
peaceful, you are much happier?
Of recent the most madness,
psychosis, stupidity, foolhardiness occurred when angry folks register their
total dissatisfaction through dumping the collected waste at the Mayor’s
office. This attitude is on Gambian, undemocratic mathematically calculated and
wrongly executed.
The
Mayor’s office is not own by him neither me no you it is owned by all Gambians.
Dialogue is very important since it create the room, space and the opportunity to reach peace.
This reminds me of the former American president John F. Kennedy when he said
“Never fear to negotiate and never negotiate out of fear”.
I
submit to you that the coalition is now divided into fragments and some of the
political parties of which it comprises of are now no longer Seeing Eye to
eye. Some key figures who were regarded
as the voice and face of the coalition no longer believe or trust in the Barrow’s
lead administration.
This
situation must be tackled before it is too late. A multipronged strategy should
be developed to check crime in society. The public at large and the students in
particular should be educated and told to respect the sanctity of life and
individual liberty. The police force need to be educated to handle the
situation intelligently and sympathetically. The media should be forced to play
a responsible positive role.
Please
be reminded that the Gambia tourism has successfully improved and developed but
it is still facing some challenges beyond imagination which have greatly
affected the safaris tours with in the country. These challenges include;
Limited marketing due to insufficient funding as a serious problem facing the
tourism industry and it has retarded many people internationally to know Gambia
as a tourist destination hence affecting
safari to the smiling coast.
Many
Gambians depend on the tourism industry which is referred to as the backbone of
the country. The industry contributes over 20% of our GDP, it offers lucrative
employment both directly and indirectly, it provides much needed foreign
exchange earnings and also contributes towards our yearly balance of payment.
This sector has registered impressive growth of over 4.5 percent on average,
thus encouraging the construction of more hotels and increase in the number of
tourist arrivals.
In another note the patients who are
getting their treatment in different hospitals also face many difficulties as
far beyond any imagination. Their operations are not happening on time. This
increases their diseases. The fans of the hospital are not moving. So patients
feel great pain in their body due to the inadequate supply of electricity by
the State institution (NAWEC).
The
events of theft are also increasing in The Gambia. The thieves get chances of
stealing in the darkness of night created because of the breakdown of
electricity by NAWEC. So there is a kind of fear among people in The Gambia.
You
don't lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going
to that place and making a case. —Ken Kesey
To
be continued……
By:
Saidina Alieu Jarjou
Blogger/
Activist
