Dear Editor,
1. (The Standard, 19th December, 2024) Degazetting Monkey Park to build a hotel in it is not only irresponsible and illegal but it is also a decision that can only be influenced by corruption. While the Forestry Act provides for degazetting of a forest or part of it, it does not follow that any forest deserves to be subjected to such a decision. Monkey Park has suffered several unjustified and illegal encroachments over the years thereby endangering its precious and already endangered flora and fauna. It’s heartless for anyone to further subject its prime inhabitants, the poor red colobus monkeys to destitution and hunger. Minister Rohey John-Manjang must be stopped from her unbridled ambition to destroy our environment. Since she became an environment minister, she has allowed our environment to be assaulted in ways never seen before. Under her watch, our forest cover, wetlands, beaches and waters have become terribly endangered as she allows private businesses to destroy the environment for profit!
2. (The Standard, 19th December, 2024) Three thousand and thirty diplomatic passports? Who are these diplomats? In a country of 2.4 million people? What diplomatic function do these people provide for the country? Once again this indicates the lack of leadership and direction of the foreign minister Mamadou Tangara. Our diplomatic passports cannot be dished out to any Tom, Dick and Harry. Since assuming the foreign ministry, Tangara has shown utter lack of direction of our foreign ministry. He has shown total incompetence in effectively managing our foreign missions which have become a disgrace to the dignity and integrity of The Gambia due to uncountable shameful scandals erupting in our embassies across the world! Not only has the foreign service been turned into a dumping ground for inexperienced and failed politicians and corrupt technocrats but most of these missions also do not bring any benefits to the country hence waste public resources for free. What these headlines indicate is the blatant mismanagement of public resources and affairs by public officials. These ministers should be asked to resign and the issue of allocating forests to businesses and diplomatic passports subjected to investigation. It is questionable and unjustified to degazette any part of Monkey Park for profit, and to dish 3,030 diplomatic passports to people who are not diplomats at all.
Madi Jobarteh
Kembujeh
The Gambia must become a parliamentary democracy
Dear Editor,
The rejected Draft Constitution failed to make provisions for The Gambia to become a parliamentary democracy despite the rampant politics of playing smart with the people by the likes of Dr Ceesay, Mai Fatty and the APRC nutters in the Barrow government.
The rejected Draft Constitution is a halfway built house. To rebuild the Gambian democracy on strong foundations cleansed of the likes of Mai Fatty, Dr Ceesay, Seedy Njie, Momodou Sabally, Fabakary Tombong Jatta, Tangara, Seedy Keita and the rest of the unelected and unelectable nuisances, Darboe must promise to make The Gambia a parliamentary democracy.
Darboe must understand that Gambians are not going to vote for more of the same nonsense. What national development project has Mai joined President Barrow and the NPP for? I suppose his own personal development project is the reason why he joined NPP. How long will the self-serving politics continue in The Gambia? Darboe is the most unimaginative opposition leader imaginable. Darboe wants to be the president of The Gambia but Darboe won’t promise to change anything wrong about Gambian politics. Despite the overwhelming dejection of Gambians against the dysfunctional political governance system in the country, Darboe won’t promise to change anything.
Well, if Darboe won’t promise to change anything, he should not be surprised why he’s repeatedly failed to win the presidential election.
Yusupha ‘Major’ Bojang
Brikama
