Mr. President, as we have just celebrated Eid Al-Adha, we continue to pray for peace and unity for The Gambia and all the people living in the country. We pray that God will answer all our prayers and sacrifices made on the Eid.
The Supreme Islamic Council should work tirelessly to bring everybody on board for national unity especially during the Muslim feasts to avoid celebrating Muslim feasts on two different days. Almost every year, Eid Al-Adha is celebrated with division. Just this past Eid, some prayed on Saturday whilst others on Sunday. This scenario has been happening since the first republic and its time that Islamic leaders find an everlasting solution to this phenomenon.
They should tour the nation meet imams to have strategy plans to avoid two days of celebrating feasts which will not tell well in our religion Islam.
Our imams should be assisted by Muslims leaders to get rams during Eid ul-Adha, since they are doing voluntary service. Political leaders should take this opportunity to set aside their differences, promote peace and unity and work for nation building.
Social media should be controlled. Those who abuse it should face the full face of the law.
Mr. President, the business community especially the importers are in a tight corner since foreign exchange is not available in the banks for their transactions and this may lead to not only increment on basic commodities, but motor parts, such as printing materials, and fuel etc.
The Central Bank of The Gambia should intervene without delay to find a solution to the scarcity of foreign exchange to rescue the business community.
Mr. President, the Ukraine Russia war has caused serious impact in the livelihood of the citizenry, and charges on airfreight and containers coming in the vessels have increased tremendously which is seriously reflecting on the prices of goods in the whole world and Gambia in particular.
People need more explanations about the high cost of living which is affecting their daily lives and some possible ways of managing it.
Mr. President, your government should help commuters with public transport because people find it very difficult to and fro from work or schools.
The Transport Union is suggesting a transport increment but it won’t be fair for the commercial vehicles users to be paying large amounts of money to drivers for them to be dividing the destinations they should ply.
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When the fares were recently increased, the public were made to understand that commercial vehicles would have specific destinations with stickers attached to their vehicles to identify their stops but still nothing.
It has been awhile since the government added transport allowances for workers but drivers keep adding and dividing destinations without any move done to avert the issue.
The Ministry of Works, transport union and the police should find a solution to this unnecessary division and over charging of fares and also minimise the traffic jams in the country.
Once again people are appealing to your office not to close the traffic for long hours when you are travelling as this causes delays as commuters wait for hours in the traffic which affects people’s transactions.
Finally Mr. President, regarding COVID-19, people should use sanitiser and promote cleanliness in our environs. It is the rainy season and mosquitos use stagnant waters for breeding. Health personnel should be patrolling areas, and arresting people who usually create holes for dirty, stagnant water and soakaways from their compounds into the streets, thereby causing more harm than good.
COVID infections in 110 countries as WHO’s Director General warns pandemic is far from over. Thedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned that the world’s ability to track Covid’s genetic evolution is”under threat” as countries relax restrictions.
Gambia health authorities should continue to sensitise the public on the Covid-19, and some other diseases affecting people in the country.
Good day!
