I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to all the membership of The Gambia Democratic Congress both at home and abroad and The Gambia populace. To the media fraternity, I have recognised your great efforts over the year and encourage you to continue your operation guided with the ethics of your profession.
It has been a year marked with ups and downs which called for reflection in order to improve and contribute meaningfully to the lives of all Gambians.
To the Commander-in-Chief and the Head of the government, Mr. President Barrow, to all Political Party leaders, CSOs, activists and the Christian Community, I sincerely wish you all a fruitful new year. I hope we will all continue to collectively stand for the interest of the country.
In my capacity as Party Leader and Secretary General of The Gambia Democratic Congress I would like to extend my sincere apology to all Gambians in 2023 and seek for your continuous prayers on behalf of the GDC. It is time to highlight some of the key areas which we badly underperformed as a nation.
My reflection over the year 2023 will begin with corruption. It has been the most serious threat to our development and progress as a nation. The country's economy is in bad shape and we cannot continue to lose millions which will end up in the pockets of a few individuals at the expense of the tax payers. The fight against corruption should be ruthless because an economy that cannot stand on its own must be more willing to end corruption.
To our health sector, we have seen in 2023 how challenged we are in that sector. People are losing hope in our very own health sector and we must fight harder to regain our health sector's integrity. The bar must be raised as the world continuously facing unexpected health issues which we should prepare to fight at any time.
Our security is another important area, Irrespective of our differences the security in this country is crippling by the day. If we are not assured of our own freedom at all times will kill every chance of attracting investors, protecting businesses, lives and properties in this country. The security force must be well equipped to confront criminals because the population cannot be held hostage.
Moving to the plight of the youth, we have registered a good number of youths who lost their lives through this back way journey to Europe. The tragic deaths of these youths need to be looked into with actions. We have seen images of some of these migrants being captured, maltreated and others beaten to death. We are losing our future as a country through this deadly journey and the government must stand up to address this situation with tangible solutions.
It is a known fact that those engaged in this back way journey is due to the economic hardship in this country and the lack of opportunities which led to taking this perilous journey.
Finally, the high cost of living that is seriously forcing almost all Gambians to a hardship. The average Gambians are seriously feeling the pang of hunger which couples with the poor salary scale. Soaring costs are widening health inequalities, weakening food security and diminishing health and social care.
The increasing cost of living in The Gambia is a widespread issue affecting countless people and families across the nation.
With these problems we are confronted with including other imperative areas that need reflection. I call on the government to give more attention to these areas in the 12 months to come.
The 12 months ahead must be months of delivery and focused on collective efforts to meet the hopes and aspirations of The Gambians.
I pray for peace and a very successful year for The Gambia and Gambians.
I remain in your service.”
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