By Momodou Justice Darboe
The leader of the Gambia Democratic Congress has faulted the D35M reportedly earmarked by the government to impart lessons to students through the media.
Kandeh told The Standard that the purported funds could have been utilised to provide emergency aid to poor Gambians as the country continues to suffer from a partial lockdown imposed by the state due to Covid-19 pandemic.
“The D35M spent on education is good but it could have been better spent on helping Gambians through this emergency,” he pointed out.
According to the GDC leader, the reported D35m investment on learning through radio and television is a misplaced priority. “How many rural Gambian households have electricity or television sets? So is like favoring some and depriving others,” he stated.
Meanwhile, there are deafening calls on the government to provide an emergency support system for the population as Covid-19 crisis bites but the leader of the Gambia Democratic Congress said government’s lack of adequate COVID-19 preparedness can make this a tall order.
President Adama Barrow last week declared a state of public emergency and, as a result thousands of Gambians are told to stay in their homes to keep COVID-19 at bay. But some of the thousands of Gambians who are currently staying at home etch out a living on daily basis and this has led to many appeals from the larger public to the government to help provide a coping mechanism for those citizens who live from hand to mouth.
But according to GDC leader, the Gambia government has poorly prepared for COVID-19 considering the size of the country.
“This is not the time for blame game. This is a time of emergency when all citizens should come together to fight this virus but the government’s early preparedness was poor,” he asserted.
Kandeh lamented that the Gambia government had poorly prepared itself for the Covid-19 outbreak and it could have lessened its effects on daily income earners.
“I was the first to call on President Barrow to cut his Dakar trip short and return home and respond to Covid-19 but unfortunately he didn’t,” he added.
He said the government could have prepared the grounds when it became apparent that Senegal was registering cases.
The GDC leader asserted that he was not convinced that the Gambia government is taking the COVID 19 outbreak as a learning curve.
He however called on Gambians to unite forces to defeat COVID-19 as unity, he adds, is what the current state of affairs calls for.
