By: Kebba AF Touray
Mamour Touray, a longtime community worker and PDOIS aspiring candidate for the upcoming Council Election in Banjul New Town Constituency, in collaboration with ‘One Sight’, has offered a day long screening for eye patients in his Constituency. ‘One Sight’ is an Eye Care Service Unit that offers eye care service to patients suffering from such ailments. The day long screening according to both stakeholders and beneficiaries, is a move in the right direction and portrays ones love for his Ward, Constituency, community and Nation. A number of eye patients benefited from the gesture which the stakeholders indicate will continue to other areas.
Speaking to this medium, the aspiring candidate Mamour Touray, opined that this initiative of his, is geared towards the development of his Ward and the Nation, even if he was not selected as a candidate; that it was the first time his community has benefited from such an initiative; that this was just the beginning and he believes that every patriotic Gambian has his or her quota to contribute in national development.
“This is a community outreach and sensitization campaign and we need to know our responsibilities as citizens. We must execute such initiatives to the best of our ability, in the spirit of national development. This phase of the screening programme targets elders, owing to the fact they have paved the right way for us to arrive at this level today”, he said. He called on his co aspirant candidates to put national interest before personal interest; that their role as Councilors is to ensure that the will and interest of the electorate reigns; that politicians come and go but the state remains.
Vincent Mendy, Country Manager at ‘One Sight’, explained that the initiative came at the request of Mamour Touray and the services they are rendering are provided free to the needy in communities across the country, as stipulated in their mandate. Mendy said their constraint is in the area of community awareness about the screening program and mobility; that this will be sorted out.
One of the beneficiaries who spoke to this reporter, expressed gratitude and appreciation to Mamour Touray and partners for the gesture and implored on them to keep up the momentum. Mr. Pa Modou Jobe said this will help make vision a possibility for them.
The Member for Banjul North Hon. Ousman Sillah, said people need services which are to be offered by representatives and commended the people for answering to the call of their Candidate; that this manifests the interest Mamour has for his people.
“We feel that providing this service will help address the problem of sight in the community. There are statutory roles for Councilors as defined by Law, but there are other essential services that can be offered to the people and the screening program is one of such”, he said.
He urged the electorate to see their representatives as servants who should render services to make life easy for them; that the electorate should vote for competent candidates, regardless of party affiliation, race, religion or other backgrounds.
