It is common to celebrate the dawn of a new year, even if one is undergoing hardship. What is however prudent is to utilise the New Year to take stock. This is precisely what Foroyaa is compelled to do.
Information is indispensable to an open society where the population has the maturity to separate facts from fabrication. Foroyaa is a medium that is committed to the principle of investigative hypothesis done in good faith in the public interest.
As we enter a new year the burning issue in the farming community, especially those living in the North Bank is the long delay in receiving cash after delivering nuts. The promise was entirely different and the president ought to take measures in identifying the source of the problem with a view to providing a solution and preventing recurrence.
Another promise made to the nation concerns the new currency notes. The Central Bank made it known to the public that by the end of the year 2023 the old currency notes would be out of circulation and be replaced by the new currency notes. However old currency notes are still being received. This is leading us to question whether all the financial institutions are given instruction to retain old currency notes for submission to the Central Bank. Needless to say, if the old currency notes are left in circulation while new notes are printed the country could experience the lowering of the value of the currency resulting to an increase in inflation.
It goes without saying that the removal of vendors from the sidewalks of pavements has made it easier for transports and pedestrians to utilise the roads and pavements. However the central government and the councils are yet to prove to the public that they are up to the task of making markets to be ideal places to do business. The councils should explain to the public why they collect duties from vendors in the streets instead of encouraging them to sell in market places and free them from confrontation with the security forces, who occasionally arrest them for prosecution. There is need for cooperation between the two governments in order to address the problem of the street vendors.
As we commence the New Year, there are many issues from 2003 which are still waiting for wise guidance. Readers would recall that the courts did ask the state to settle the cases of the children killed as a result of the consumption of paracetamol product which was purportedly manufactured by a company in India, which had ceased production and is currently under investigation. The government of the Gambia should provide all the information that it has to the Indian authorities so that they will be able to further their investigation.
We do hope that all the unresolved challenges would be given focus.
