By: Kebba AF Touray
Bakary Camara, the National Assembly Member for Kiang Central said critical decisions and thinking is needed to contain the spread of COVID-19 in the country in these difficult times.
Camara said this during the debate on the extension of the State of Emergency proclamation.
“We should be critical in thinking and in terms of the decisions we take. Desperate situations require desperate measures. To control the spread of COVID-19 in the country, we should be very cautious not to make decisions that will make life difficult for the citizenry,” Camara said; that a situation obtains wherein most people live from hand to mouth; that they go out and look for something for their families whilst the authorities demand that people should restrict their movements; that if this is to happen, ‘‘people have to be extra cautious in order not to create another situation that will be more harmful than the pandemic.”
He said recommendations in the report of the Human Rights Committee of the National Assembly are essentially geared towards containing COVID-19; but that they should consider the status quo of some citizens and provide them with relief packages; that once one is asked to stay at home, it will be fair enough to provide some support to them in order to cater for their families; that we must be careful in the way we manage the assistance that is pouring into the country to fight against COVID-19
Camara recommended that the National Assembly be given the responsibility of monitoring the way COVID-19 funds are administered as well as disclose all sources of the funds.
“In the country, we are being told that D500 million is earmarked to control COVID-19 in the country. It is important that we know the source of this fund. It is one thing to have regulation in place and another to have it implemented. And we as Representatives of the people have to implement the regulations in order to meet the target,” Camara said.
He called for continuity in sensitizing the people because there are still some who do not believe the existence of COVID-19; that this sensitization will enable such people to clearly understand that the disease exist. This he said will greatly assist in fighting and containing COVID-19 in the Gambia.
