Dr Papa Faal, the secretary general and party leader of the Gambia People’s Advancement Party (GPAP), has promised that the Gambia First Coalition under the leadership of the UDP, will bring Gambians solace amid their desperation.
Dr Faal was delivering a statement to supporters on behalf of the other members of the GFC during an MoU signing ceremony at the Kairaba Beach Hotel in Senegambia over the weekend.
Mr. Faal underscored that there has never been a period since independence so urgent as now. He explained: “Our country is in a difficult state. Our people are desperate. Their survival is a daily struggle. Cost of living, cost of basic needs, have become unaffordable for an average Gambian family. Our economy no longer provides fair participation for our young and old people. The daily toil of our women has become unrewarding, leading their family to perpetual poverty. Our youth are desperate and have resorted to illicit drugs, crimes and backway because of hopelessness and lack of promising future.
“Because of poor health care systems in this country, basic illnesses become chronic and life-threatening. Meanwhile, because of lack of proper land use laws, land ownership has now become accessible to only the super-rich and unaffordable to average Gambians. Our agricultural sector, which purportedly meant to be the backbone of our economy, has not provided the needed food sufficiency requirements of the country because of unproductiveness and practical dormancy. Our natural resources and natural assets, which are our human capital, benefit only a few individuals. The list goes on and on. All the aforementioned require us to take urgent action to rescue our country, our people and ourselves.”
Mr. Faal maintained that this dire situation, which he said is caused by the NPP government, can only be remedied if they unite. He said that such is the rationale behind their bold steps to putting aside their differences and come together for the greater good, as the people deserve better.
He argued that the people asked for nothing less. Faal assured that they will tirelessly work together “to make sure we bring solace our people so desperately aspire” and “implement practical solutions that will make meaningful impact on the daily lives of our people”.
He emphasised: “These solutions must include the Gambianization of our commerce and economy, so that all Gambians can participate and be able to build wealth that will stay in this country; a robust and holistic security system that will protect our people both internally and externally, as well as our sovereign borders; a health care system that will be well-funded, advanced and equipped with the best technology; a system that is affordable, available and accessible, instead of outsourcing them to an external interest.
He equally assured that they will ensure “equitable land distribution that will not only be affordable for the Gambian people but also provide space for agricultural use for generations to come; a skill-based education system that will enable our children to be self-reliant and equipped with the right tools to become productive citizens; retraining our youth so they can work and stay in this country, so they don’t have to go Backway; an impactful agricultural sector that will ensure our food security; a constitution that conforms to our needs, our culture and our values, and protect the sanctity of our morals and ways of life; and ensure a term-limit presidency to protect our institutions, to restore all our national assets and our natural resources back to our people”.
He concluded: “When we are united as a people and as one Gambia, we can do all these things and more for the benefit of our children, many generations to come. We can and we must do this so that when our children ask what we did for them, we can answer with authority that we put aside our differences and united to secure their future. And I urge all political parties and entities to join us in this endeavour to secure our future and the future of our children and grandchildren.”
