Chief Servant Adama Barrow just concluded his two-week long meet the people’s tour where he made several promises. Reading various media reports I got to understand that these promises form part of 42 projects that are identified under his National Development Plan.
Since the days of Jawara and then Yaya Jammeh we have these presidential countrywide tours where numerous promises are made. In most cases these promises are not fulfilled but get repeated at every tour.
This trend has to stop. But if only citizens begin to actively identify these promises in order to track their implementation.
Citizens in each and every village, town, ward, district or region must begin to list these promises made to them so that after the tour they start the process of following up with the relevant Government institutions as well as their National Assembly Member and Local Government Chairperson, Governor and Mayor to ensure that the promises that the Chief Servant gave them are fulfilled.
This is the only way we will end the usual practice of empty promises imposed on citizens by politicians. This is the only way we will make our presidents honest and effective. This is the only way citizens will ensure that no politicians and public officers take them for a ride.
Therefore, to start that process, I have gone through various media reports to capture some of the promises made by the Chief Servant Adam Barrow and some of his ministers during the tour. I urge you to also go back to those reports to identify which promise was made to your village or town or ward or district or region. We must not let Adama Barrow treat us as how DK Jawara and Yaya Jammeh treated us.
11. To build fish processing factories and storage facilities in Tanji and Brufut that would create more than 20, 000 jobs. Work to begin 2019.
15. To make Jarra and Kiang the first to benefit from national electricity roadmap.
19. Minster of Education Claudiana Cole promised Kombo North a new and accessible senior secondary school for the district if the people can provide land.
26. A digital register that would register all pregnant women in the country to enable health workers to monitor, respond and send alerts to them.
What was promised to your village or town or region? Find out and start tracking the fulfilment of the promises. Promises, when made, are to be kept and not broken!
CSOs and NAMs and other stakeholder must also follow up on these promises. Let us help Barrow fulfil his promises!
Adamas’ track record has so far failed the apt title of “chief servant” after merely one and a half year in office. He is gradually turning into a tyrant, warning would-be protesters about severe consequences Jammeh-style, and demeaning Gambian political activists abroad (I have a problem with the term diasporans, whatever that means). Don’t shy away from the term a dictator in the making, Madi.
We are witnessing glaring similarities between Adama and the past FAILED presidents of the republic. That should be a call for more vigilance and scrutiny of all aspects and branches of an administration that is evidently taking us downhill. Nevertheless, expecting any different results from Adama and Ousainou, from that of Dawda and Yaya will be pure insanity.
Madi keep up the unflinching loyalty to your people and the truth.
I say jerre jeff, njaraama, abaaraka.