Dear Editor,
A factual and inspiring speech about agriculture and manufacturing. I endorse his idea of creating a capital market to tap or mobilise financial resources to plough into national development. It is a realistic assessment of what ought to be done urgently to put the country on the path of economic growth and prosperity.
It would be commendable if the government takes notice and implement accordingly the ideas of the Central Bank governor.
Basiru Jobe
New York City
Dear Editor,
I agree with the governor of the Central Bank of The Gambia. Foreign loans have not had any positive impact on the lives of the masses. To a great extent, they have been used to fund the extravagant and flamboyant lives of a few at the expense of the 90% of the population who live in extreme poverty.
The main goal of government should be to generate funds from the production and export of goods and services to alleviate the extreme suffering of the citizens of a country. This can only be realised by running government ministries, departments and agencies including parastatals effectively. Contracting big loans is not the solution.
Abubacarr Bah
Serekunda
Journalists are expected to be disciplined
Dear Editor,
This appeal goes to all practising journalists in the country. As the fourth arm of government, they should maintain discipline at all times and respect each other. Journalists should disseminate information for the wellbeing of the public but not to attack or assault each other. Journalists should be professional and follow the ethics of journalism no matter who they are. There are procedures to follow so that the public can have confidence in the media fraternity.
During the recent government press conference on the Banjul Roads Rehabilitation Project at the Sir Dawda International Conference Centre, Omar Wally representing The Fatu Network [sic] confronted Babucar Bahoum from the National People’s Party media team on the issue of giving chance to others as Babucar Bahoum interrupted the meeting saying Omar Wally was asking more than one question and should give chance to others.
To everyone’s surprise, Omar Wally took the microphone at the podium and addressed the chair for expressing his disappointment with Mr Ebrima Sankareh the government spokesperson who was chairing the ceremony for allowing an NPP supporter to the press conference and disrupting the press conference. Wally said that such events are not for people like Babucar Bahoum and authorities and further told Mr Sankareh that next time in such a major press conference they don’t want to see people like Mr Bahoum.
In his response, Sankareh, told Wally he did not realise that Babucar Bahoum was present in the hall, however, he had a press card and is a journalist like him and as such he has the right to attend any press conference to ask or answer questions as he wishes, but that the right he doesn’t have is to go there and rudely interrupt meetings.
Mr Sankareh further told Wally that if he is disappointed, he is also equally disappointed at his behaviour for his lack of respect.
As a veteran journalist present at the scene, I used my experience to calm down both parties but I was very upset by the behaviour of Omar Wally who could not control his temper and wanted to attack the chair of the occasion by pointing a finger at him in the presence of six cabinet ministers and other top government officials.
Why is Wally challenging Bahoum’s credibility as a professional journalist? The event was purely for the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure chaired by government spokesman to clear doubts on the Banjul Roads Rehabilitation Project. For that matter Omar Wally should not have used the platform as if he Wally was the organiser instructing the chair of the event not to recognise Babucar Bahoum as journalist, that is totally unacceptable. Babucar Bahoum has been a journalist covering sporting activities for a long time before associating himself with the NPP media team.
Babucar S Trawally
Photojournalist
BT Express
