Mr
President, last week we witnessed a very sad fire incident in the Kanifing
Industrial Area caused by gas explosion, which according to media reports left
about 91 vehicles and several warehouses with their goods burnt. We continue to
thank God that no lives were lost but the damage is unimaginable.
As
you promised to set up a commission of inquiry into the matter, some issues and
precautions should also be put into consideration, including insurance for all
places around.
Mr
President, a cross section of the population have suggested that gas and oxygen
companies should not be located in between residential and commercial
buildings. These companies should be allocated space outside the residential
areas.
Reports
also stated that some of these structures are illegal and were built there
without the approval of KMC. Scraped metals are also placed everywhere along
the roads which blocked the way for the fire fighters to enter that area during
the fire incident.
We
encourage KMC with their new garbage collecting vehicles to have agreements
with these companies so that these garages and hazardous materials in and
outside these companies and manufacturing areas are collected from time to
time.
Welders
and mechanics who do not have garages but do their work along the main street
should be moved for safety precautions.
Mr.
President, another sad thing that was recently learnt about is the row between
the Gambia Supreme Council and another faction Rawdatul Majaalis over the
leadership to lead the Muslim Ummah.
The
Ministry of Religious Affairs should invite them for dialogue as it’s not good
for the religious leaders to be having unhealthy relations among themselves, we
cannot have two Islamic Councils at the same time.
The
minister of religious affairs should sound the opinion of the Imams to trash
out this very sensitive problem as this is not the first time such leadership
problems are happening in the Islamic council.
Organisations
are mostly guided by a constitution that helps the executive to know when and
how to conduct elections. If the supreme council should go for election then it
should follow its constitution, assisted and supervised by IEC.
Finally,
Mr President, we thank God that the tourist season has started and a good number
of tourists have started coming. The
government and the populace should make sure that it is a very successful
tourist year because tourism is our second foreign exchange earnings after
groundnut. The authorities should make
sure that tourists are given good guides and security so that they can enjoy
their stay.
We
welcome all tourists especially those coming for the first time to the Gambia,
the smiling coast of West Africa.
Good
day
