By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
A business development specialist, Malang K.K Bojang has called on relevant authorities in the Gambia government to punish civil and public servants who fail to willingly report for work today as civil servants resume work after the observance of the Islamic event of Eid-ul-Adha, locally known as “Tobaski.”
He added that the government should either reduce the salary of those employees or not pay them salary for the month of July.
Different areas observed Tobaski on different days in the country. However, the government of The Gambia declared only Yesterday, July 11th as a Public Holiday.
With the attitude of civil and public servants in the country by adding an extra day, Malang K.K Bojang pointed out that those civil and public servants should be punished for not reporting for work today.
“Anyone who did not report to work willingly should be punished. None of them should be paid the July salary or be paid 50% of the entire take home,”, she asserted.
Doubled as the Secretary-General of the New Yundum Village Development Committee (VDC), Malang added that Gambians work harder daily to pay public servants in the country and further asserted that there should not be any excuse from any public servant who fails to report to work today.
“We toil and moil daily to pay every public servant in this country. A day off should be enough”, Mr Bojang pointed out.
According to him, many public servants did not report for work last Friday and worked for a few hours on Thursday. He defended that the working hours lost on Thursday and Friday are huge and it cannot be compromised by adding another unofficial day.
“They should not go unpunished if we are a serious country”, Malang claimed.
The Gambia is divided on Tobaski day. The Supreme Islamic Council announced the 9th July as Tobaski day in The Gambia. However, many areas in rural Gambia observed the day on the 10th of July, which was on Sunday. It is a tradition in the Gambia that many people based in the urban areas will go back to the rural areas to spend Tobaski with their families.
