There is no denying the fact that in recent times, the Jammeh administration has seen more cabinet ministers come and go.
It was the likes of Mambury Njie, Nancy Njie, Susan Waffa-Ogoo, Alagie Cham, Ismaila Sambou, Lamin Waa Juwara, Momodou Foon, Nana Grey-Johnson and so on, but now it is the turn of Dr Aboubacarr Senghore, Momodou Colley, Mama Fatima Singhateh, Solomon Owens, Omar Sey, among others, who are members of cabinet.
Ever since the Jammeh administration came into being, ministers have been coming and going in his cabinet. Is it that most of them haven’t been doing well enough?
Governance at any level is, no doubt, a demanding business, as it requires integrity, energy and resourcefulness.
We have always emphasized in this page that anyone who does not feel up to a particular job, should have the good sense to refuse it, when it is offered him or her.
To give the impression of competence, when you do not have what it takes to deliver good results, is to court disgrace and stigma.
We all know the challenges confronting the ordinary Gambian in the street, key among them is unemployment among the youthful population.
The average Gambian craves for a government that will create the enabling environment for their prosperity.
They want to have food regularly on the table; they want to pay their children’s school fees without tears; they want to see the tap water running 24 hours non-stop; and they want to be sure that any time they flick on the switch, there is electricity, whether at the office or workshop or in their homes.
A government that can do all these, and much more for the populace, will enjoy their unalloyed loyalty.
Gambians want a creative and results-oriented government consisting of cabinet ministers who will always be in positions to create entirely new paradigms for the country’s development.
It is evident that if sound economic structures are put in place, our youth will not need to risk life and limb to cross treacherous seas to seek greener pastures in Europe.
Gambians want to see the National Water and Electricity Company (NAWEC) revamped so that it can spur the general development of The Gambia.
As journalists, we remain concerned about the environment in which we operate. Journalists are generally perceived as troublemakers. It is through our activities that the world gets to know what is happening, where, why and by whom.
We keep the world going by providing truthful information. Because the truth is sometimes difficult to swallow, those who at times engage in dubious deals brand us as troublemakers or even enemies. We journalists love this country like every other serious-minded citizen does.
To be sure, there would be chaos around the world without journalists, as people wouldn’t know what is happening next door. And what do we get in most instances for our efforts? Arrests, arbitrary detention, closure of newspapers and broadcasting stations, harassment and even assassinations.
“Truth
exists; only lies are invented.”
Georges
Braque
