Many argue that the money earmarked for the festivities could be better spent on addressing pressing community needs, such as mitigating increasing price hikes on food commodities, healthcare, education and infrastructure.
This reporter gauges the opinions of Gambians in different sectors on the estimated funds to be spent on the Diamond Jubilee independence celebration.
It is being rumoured that over D150 million has been planned to be spent on this celebration.
Speaking on the issue, Muhammed S. Bah, former President of The Gambia Press Union (GPU), underscored that celebrating independence is not inherently a bad idea. However, how it is being celebrated matters. “For over 50 years, we have marked this day with festivities, but we need to pause and ask ourselves: what tangible benefits have we gained?” he pondered.
“The world is facing numerous crises, and The Gambia is no exception. The recent shutdown of USAID programs by the former U.S. administration has significantly impacted our transitional justice agenda. We need hundreds of millions to complete this process, including reparations and justice for victims of past atrocities. The funds allocated for this celebration could be redirected to support these critical national priorities,” he contended.
Mr Bah further said: “I believe we need a thorough reflection on how we observe our independence. For instance, the national dialogue initiated by President Barrow could be a model for future commemorations. This dialogue can be nurtured into an annual event where we discuss our country's progress and chart the way forward across all sectors.”
Mr Saul Slim Njie, a social advocate, states that celebrating independence is actually an opportunity for citizens to celebrate it in a certain way, “but we need to celebrate it as a sense of reflection, to see what we can do and how far we have gone with regard to having our independence.”
He believes that while The Gambia has achieved political independence, true sovereignty also requires economic independence. He argues that a nation must be economically self-reliant to make independent decisions and pursue its own agenda. However, he feels that Gambia is falling short in this area and needs to focus on improving food security and prioritising internal economic development to reduce reliance on external resources.
“Spending such amount of money on independence celebration is just a matter of missed priority, because the Gambian budget has always been known for a deficit budget. So I believe those amounts of money could be spent on more strategic areas like food sufficiency and education.”
Kemo L.M. Jagne, a market vendor at Banjul, highlighted that he has witnessed independence celebrations since Jawara’s era, and according to him, these celebrations have not yielded any positive impact to the general citizenry.
“The money spent over the years has been a waste of taxpayers’ money. I was hoping that this government will learn from that and do their celebrations in different ways that everyone can benefit and boost our economy.
“While celebrating our independence is important, we must also prioritize the well-being of our community,” he reasons.
However, the Governor of Banjul, Hon. Ebrima Jawo, emphasises the cultural significance of Independence Day. He argues that these events foster community spirit and pride.
“Celebrating our history and heritage brings us together and strengthens our identity,” he said.
Hon Jawo contends: “We're talking about 60 years of our independence, the diamond jubilee. We need to mark it in grand style as Gambians. We're expecting three heads of state and a lot of other dignitaries to grace the occasion, and the whole world would be watching the Gambia in terms of what we would be displaying on that day.
“Therefore, whatever has been catered for this, I would say it's something that's definitely justifiable in the sense that we're celebrating 60 years of our independence, and I think celebrating who we are, anything that we are able to budget for that should be appreciated by all Gambians.”
