#Editorial

Good Morning Mr. President: A need for swift reform

Oct 12, 2020, 10:55 AM

Mr. President, your government's commitment to renewing institutional reform presupposes that there have not been serious and adequate efforts in the implementation of the transitional agenda.

It is hard to believe that for four years under your stewardship, The Gambia to the dismay of many and development partners is yet to see concrete steps in respect of SSR, Civil Service Reform, a New Constitution, Anti Corruption Commission, etc. among others. There is so much uncertainty in the system of governance for which only you can take bold and decisive actions to redress the situation in the shortest time possible. 

Mr. President, we have seen you laying foundation stones in many parts of the country recently in respect of projects. However, the public would like to know the sources of funding for such projects. Equally, the Energy Minister in a virtual conference recently said, government has reached settlement agreement with an oil company named Petronas but the public was not informed about the problem and how it was resolved.  

Mr. President, Gambians are crying about the exploitation of our fish resources at the detriment of consumers and communities in fishing towns. It has been a national issue for long and it could explode politically sooner or later. We call on your government to revamp the fisheries sector to serve the national interest. It is prudent for your government to act swiftly on any sector of the economy where there is public outcry.

Mr. President, we wish to welcome the increment of prices in groundnut by your government as a good move in the right direction. Agriculture has been the mainstay of the country’s economy for ages, with groundnut playing a central role. However, in recent times groundnut production has been on the decline; mainly because the prices have not been as attractive as expected. It hoped that with this increment in the prices, the productivity area will attract many farmers to re-venture into its production.

Good day!