Your government seems determined to develop the country, but developing the country must go hand in hand with the well-being of the people.
Mr. President, if we are to enjoy good governance and the fruits of New Gambia, the burning issues of the day; high rents beyond the reach of many tenants, high school fees which pose huge burden on parents, high cost of living which makes it difficult for families to put food on the table, high cost of transportation which stretches commuters to their limits, high medical costs at private hospitals/clinics despite many shortcomings in these facilities cause great burden on patients too.
The many expired and contaminated foodstuff imported into the country adds great risk to the health of the people, general indiscipline affecting the social fabric of society and the rule of law. Too many unnecessary check points all over the country causing traffic chaos and showing signs that The Gambia is still in a police state; land disputes causing tensions everywhere and making more people angry with the government; uncontrolled fishing industry making Gambian consumers very angry on daily basis, etc among others should be tackled by your government.
Mr. President, these are issues faced by the Gambian people and their welfare should occupy center stage in the agenda of government. One tends to wonder why the sectors of government responsible for these areas are not delivering the services to the expectations of Gambians and not held accountable by the executive.
Mr. President, it will be a political miscalculation for the government to put infrastructural developments over the well- being of the people. Issues that bother the welfare of the people are also a governance imperative.
The government under your leadership should come up with new and tough implementable policy decisions to deal with issues that will enhance socio economic development and sustainable livelihoods. Bread and Butter are at the core of the aspirations of the people.
Mr. President, people are saying life is tough in the country and this is attributed to the burning issues mentioned. Those who are comfortable and hear the daily complaints of the people tend not to let you know about the realities on the ground.
Government should introduce a new minimum wage law that is reasonable and a new immigration law that will firmly put employment in the hands of the youths. There should be clear cut lines as to what rents, school fees, transport fares, costs of essential commodities will be accepted by government to safeguard the interest of the citizens who put their trust in this government in 2016.
Finally Mr. President, Africa should be prepared for a possible second wave of corona. Africa Centers For Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed its preparedness for the possible second wave of COVID 19 pandemic in Africa, especially with the current upsurge of active cases. The disclosure was made by Dr. John Nkengasong during rencent teleconference weekly briefing. Africa CDC has started to distribute 2.7 million rapid antigen tests with the “hope that by mid 2021, the health authorities would be able to vaccinate about 60% of the continent’s population with one of the several promising recommendations” said Dr. Nkensong. Here in The Gambia we should be at the forefront to fight the pandemic by continuing to respect all WHO recommendations.
Good day!