The ministries of Interior and Justice should form a committee to review the cases of those remanded for a longtime in prisons either to face trial or to be released on bail.
Since we are still in the COVID period, overcrowding in cells should be avoided.
This committee should be visiting all the prison departments regularly to take note of their problems and see how best to solve them.
Mr. President, since you are championing human rights, the prison conditions should be satisfactory. When you came into office, you promised to rehabilitate the prison to a standard state yet nothing much has been done there.
Government should support the judiciary in terms of recruiting more personnel, transport and other incentives so that the bulk of cases would be fast tracked and those remanded for a long time tried.
Mr. President last Thursday, MPs approved the revised budget which includes a 30% salary increment for the civil servants which is a big boost for them.
The first increment of 50% was in 2019. This new increment would motivate them. Government should reintroduce facilities for them as it was in the first Republic by giving them loans to buy household items like fridges, fans and other housing equipment whilst senior officials can have cars or building loans.
Government should cut cost on travels, luxury cars and fuel.
Mr. President, now that you recently launched the National Multi-sectoral Strategy and cost action plan for Non-Communicable Disease Prevention and Control in The Gambia (2022-2027), it would be appreciated if your government continues to support the implementation of the strategy. The Ministry of Health through the Directorate of Health Promotion and Education has achieved a lot in the fight against NCDs and since its establishment in June 2012, by former minister for health Fatim Badjie, it has won several World No Tobacco Awards and an international award for its role in the prevention and control of NCDs through the efforts of a well structured multi-sectoral committee on NCDs launched in August 2012. It will be great if your government continues to support the Directorate of Health Promotion and Education with the required human, material and financial resources for the implementation of NCD prevention and control programmes across the country.
Finally Mr. President, since the 371 public health workers are no longer suspended, we appeal to your kind office and the ministry of health and PMO to kindly consider instructing them to pay their July salaries because of their financial commitments to help their families, especially in paying for children's education.
Good day!