Another murky and an unpleasant English weather, breezy and cloudy with intermittent drizzles. Mr President, albeit it is English, it depicts all the epitomes of new Gambia’s current repelling political climate. The difference between the two is while nothing much can be done to alter the English weather, a lot can be done to detox the Gambian political climate. Be reminded that when what ought to be done is left undone, time is lost, opportunities missed, progress is halted and people plunge into confusion and disarray. Thus, fertilising the ground for dissent, chaos and instability.
You are readied to embark on a nationwide tour. Is it a meet the people tour or a national assembly political campaign? Some have already started to insinuate that you are free to campaign and for any party of your choice. Oh Really? Conceivably, those cheering you to canvass for a particular party during your tour disregard the fact that you are an independent leader overseeing a coalition government. For them, as long as you enhances their selfish ends, they don’t give a monkey if you mutate into a monster. Gambians and the rest of the world will be closely watching you with keen interest during the tour. Fundamentally, this tour is a make or break for you. If you exude the temerity and impartiality to decline the sensuous temptations and regenerate public trust and confidence, it will give you and your government a facelift and discard self-perpetuating rule.
Too much time and energy are directed on matters which you could resolve with the click of a finger and negating those of economic and constitutional prominence. For instance, the settling of GRTS D220 million to various government institutions such as GRA, NAWEC and GAMCEL. What efforts is your government doing to bail out the only state broadcaster from it financial enslavement? Mr Sillah equally highlighted GRTS’s need to augment its capacity and facilities. It is shocking to learn the state broadcaster only had 10 functional cameras while the president is scoping a whooping D200, 000.00 monthly when his boarding, lodging and travel expenses are all funded by the state. Mr Sillah found it unethical to milk his already malnourished department by scaling down his personal allowances such as pre-pay phone bill in order to fatten GRTS emaciated budget.
Change is yet to be seen across government departments and institutions. Apart from head changes in few departments, everything is remained unfettered. Like Jammeh would opening charged that no one was advising or telling him the truth, your cabinet mimicked the same but end up doing what they want at in many occasion with dazzling arrogance. The Vice President position is a clear manifestation. What even makes it appalling is Lawyer Darboe’s assertion that there is no specified time as to when you should appoint a vice president. In earnest he is not perturbed by the vacancy of the position for a long as it remains unoccupied. When leaders become insensitive to popular demand and feelings of their people, they metamorphose into lords and dictators. Your government reminds me when the colonialists first arrived in unsuspecting Africa. They sermonised “Education is better than silver and gold”.
Our forefathers abandoned their lands and rushed into the schools. At the end of the school day, they noted with dismay that their witting visitors had helped themselves to most of the silver and gold. Today, some of us are coerced to be give you a chance. If we all pretend that nothing is at stake while you continue to err and ignore popular needs and demands, we will regret and start crying foul when you mature into an uncaring and repressive government. Similarly, are most of the current NAM candidates different from those of the APRC in terms of substance, qualification and impartiality?
Employment is still gold dust especially with the return of many of the back way youth force. What programmes are you initiating to engage and make them productive to society? Many of them are already bitter because they felt bartered for few euros by your government. Suffice it to say, without appropriate schemes and programs to exploit their potentials, they will only increase the crime index.
Drug peddling, prostitution and other petty crimes will rise adding more constrain on the already capacity deficiency of government and security. Living standard has continue to be a thorn in the flesh as commodity prices remained high and unaffordable. What about electricity and water supply? Oh my bad. The government is still young and inherited an economic decadence. True but an effective and focus government will not use such lame excuse for its failure to deliver and drive sustainable development. Apart from the recent visit to meet European stakeholders, what is the government doing to enable investors reach them electronically?
Most departments by now should have their own websites outlining the functions and programmes, how contact them, file complaints, advertise vacant positions etc.
I am looking forward to hearing your discourses in the tour.
