By Omar Bah
A former GMC women mobiliser and now a strong member of the NPP has appealed to President Adama Barrow to provide a listening ear to the cries of the Gambian people including his own supporters who are frustrated in the manner his government is running the country.
Asiatou Jallow, who has over seven years political experience with the GMC, told The Standard yesterday that she was speaking out of frustration and not because she has anything against the president.
“But truth be told, a government should be responsive to the needs of its people. This is why I want President Barrow to open his ears and listen to our cries and find solutions to wipe our tears. The Gambian people are really suffering,” Madam Jallow said.
She said the government has disappointed the Gambian people and she cannot keep quiet about it just because she supports the NPP.
“That is not patriotic. So, I am speaking out because the way this country is going is so terrible that even those who are running it, have no idea where it is heading to and that is worrying for any country,” she said.
Madam Jallow said all Gambians irrespective of political beliefs are affected by the country’s situation, especially the poor.
“I am a woman and go to the market every day I know what I see. Sometimes you see a grown-up woman crying because of the hike in prices and the government is giving deaf ears to all these happenings in this country. I heard them talk about the issue of security. How can you ensure security when there is stress everywhere?
“It is because the majority of us are under serious distress that people are killing each other here and there. Things are now so bad that people will start running home by 7PM because they are worried that someone will attack them – innocent Gambians are dying like birds,” she said.
According to her, the Gambia has lost its peaceful nature and its people are no more smiling.
“We are no longer secure in our own country. This is all happening because the majority of the people are living under very difficult circumstances while few individuals in government are enjoying taxpayers’ money,” she argued.
She also criticised the introduction of the new biometric birth certificate as another government white elephant project that would never yield its desired goal.
“There is a lot of injustice in this country, even with our national documents. You see people using their influence to acquire them. This is why I said the biometric birth certificate will not work,” she added.
