Dear Editor,
As a concerned and patriotic citizen, I wish to send in few concerns to President Adama Barrow.
I will limit myself to only 2 things which is the plight of victims and also the issue of those appointed by the president.
Mr president, you will agree with me that, Gambians have gone through a lot in the past regime of Yahya Jammeh. He ruled this country with absolute power and left this country with memories that will forever remain in the minds of a good number of citizens. Up to today, victims cannot reconcile with what had befallen them. I want to remind you of even your comrades who were killed, tortured and even jailed in pursuit of a better Gambia. The likes of Solo Sandeng, Solo Nkrumah, Lang Marong and many others. I want to appeal to you not to let their sacrifices go in vain. Mr president kindly treat the issue of victims with urgency because they’ve been waiting far too long.
Mr president, on the issue of your appointments, I will first put to you my disappointments and send you a reminder of the 2016 political impasse. Gambians stood their ground by making sure that your victory stands by all means. Some vulnerable ones fled the country for safety who had equally endured a lot along the way. Sad to tell you that, the very people who pioneered the whole idea of denying you and majority of Gambians that victory are the ones you appointed and empowered in this NPP government.
Mr president, this issue had made victims and many other Gambians lost hope in your administration. I will like to advice you not to let those people who voted for you to turn their backs at you. Having raised the above concerns doesn’t mean am not NPP, let me make it categorically clear that I am NPP today than ever before.
Long live The Gambia
Ousainou Bye Sankareh
Open letter of complaint on the slow process of registering children at the US Embassy in Banjul
I am writing to you as a concerned US citizen currently residing in The Gambia. I have been experiencing a prolonged delay in the registration process for my child born as an American citizen in The Gambia. I understand that the embassy has been understaffed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused a backlog of applicants waiting for over a year. However, I have noticed that the process has not improved despite the embassy’s efforts.
The appointments for child registration are made online, with only a maximum of 10 applicants processed every month. I have been trying to book an appointment for six months now, but the 10-day allocation per month is always fully booked. I am concerned that at this pace, the registration of my child may take forever.
I am writing this letter to express my frustration and to urge you to take action in finding a more efficient method of speeding up the registration process for children born to American citizens in The Gambia. It is imperative that this issue is addressed as soon as possible to prevent further delays.
As a US citizen, I believe that my child has the right to be registered and recognized as a citizen of the United States. It is disheartening to see that this process is taking longer than it should, and I implore you to take this matter seriously and to find a solution to this issue.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I look forward to hearing from you soon.
Sincerely,
Concerned US citizen
Banjul, The Gambia
