By: Muhammed Lamin Drammeh
The National Youth President of the opposition National Democratic Congress (GDC), MC Cham Jrn has responded to Deputy Speaker Seedy SK Njie’s claim that responsible Gambians should apologise to the Health Ministry, urging the deputy speaker to instead apologize to Gambians and the victims of the affected families.
On Wednesday, October 22 during the National Assembly’s extraordinary session on the Indian-made syrups that killed over 70 Gambian children, the deputy speaker commended the country’s health ministry, claiming that the deaths of those kids have been politicized and urged responsible citizens to apologize to the ministry.
Responding to the Deputy Speaker, the GDC youth leader exhorted Seedy Njie to apologize, remarking that government should take responsibility for the deaths of over 70 children as a result of the contaminated Indian-made syrups.
“Wonders shall never end. I suggest that Deputy Speaker Njie apologize to the Gambians and the victims of the contaminated syrups. The government should take responsibility and review the ministry that continued to fail Gambians during the pandemic under Dr Samateh and ensure dismissals, license revocations and replaced by competency and capability and not nepotism and favouritism,” he remarked.
MC Cham outlined the Parliament should be the protector of Gambians and not detractors, adding that if the Parliament served as detractors, then there is no hope for the victims.
He reiterated that Gambians have nothing to apologize for since the ministry didn’t tell everything in the preliminary investigation regarding the syrups into the country.
“What is there to apologize for in the preliminary investigation that did not tell us since July when the outbreak was known by them but covered up and allowed importation over three months with increased death to date known to be over 66?” he questioned.
The never-silent politician said he wants to remind Seedy Njie that the ministry of health’s staff is paid by Gambians and that the preliminary investigation was inadequate.
“I would like to remind Deputy Speaker Njie that, the Gambia government MoH are paid by the people to do a job, and we should not applaud fish for swimming in the water. This preliminary investigation is inadequate,” he remarked.
On Wednesday, the nation’s parliamentarians debated over the Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) deaths that have exceeded the previous number of 66 announced by the Health Ministry.
