The Gambia is becoming an undisciplined nation. We see it every day. On our roads, where red lights are ignored and drivers insult traffic officers. In our schools, where children insult teachers and parents defend them. In our markets, in our workplaces, in our compounds. Respect for elders, for authority, for the law and the values that once defined us as Gambians is disappearing fast. And now, that indiscipline is turning deadly.
The rising number of murder cases in this country should alarm every Gambian. Young men killing their friends over a phone. Husbands killing wives. Neighbours killing neighbours over land disputes. Stabbing at street fights that start over nothing. We read about a murder almost every month. This is not The Gambia we knew. We must stop pretending that this is normal. It is not.
People no longer fear the law. Criminals believe they can kill and walk away, or that their family will beg for forgiveness and the matter will die. Justice is slow, and sometimes, it looks selective.
Kush, marijuana and cheap alcohol are destroying our youth. Many of these killings happen under the influence. Our young people are idle, intoxicated and angry.
Parents have lost control of their children. The extended family system and the Kabilo that used to correct a child before he became a criminal is now silent. We say “I don’t want to be involved.”
Many young people are jobless, hopeless and feel abandoned. While this is not an excuse to kill, it creates a generation with nothing to lose and little value for life.
We have removed discipline from our schools but replaced it with nothing. We have stopped teaching civic education and character formation at home.
Murder must have swift, visible consequences. The Judiciary must expedite murder trials. The Attorney General must ensure that murderers are prosecuted and punished according to law. When justice is delayed, it emboldens the next killer.
The Drug Law Enforcement Agency and the Police must intensify the crackdown on kush and other narcotics. Every ghetto known to the community must be dismantled. Drug peddlers are murder merchants.
The Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education must restore civic and moral education. Schools must be empowered to discipline students. At home, parents must go back to parenting, not just providing. A child who is not corrected at 10 will be corrected by the police at 25.
Alkalos, Chiefs, Imams, and youth leaders must be empowered to report and prevent crime. The police cannot be everywhere. Community early warning systems must be revived.
Government must urgently invest in skills training and job creation for youth. An idle youth is a time bomb. A youth with a job has dignity and hope.
The Gambia cannot develop when its people are living in fear of being murdered by their neighbours.
We have lost too many young Gambians to senseless killings. If we do not restore discipline now in our homes, in our schools, on our streets, and in our justice system we will lose this country entirely.
Peace is not just the absence of war. It is the presence of law, order, and respect for human life. It is time for The Gambia to reclaim its soul.
