Bad timing, bad taste Speculation is rife than Jammeh plans another Meet The Farmers Tour. If true, the timing could not have come at a worse time for farmers and other ordinary Gambians who are experiencing the hardest economic times ever. How is the presidential entourage with a 50-vehicle convoy going to crisscross the North and South banks when none of the ferries between the Barra-Banjul points is operational. Can the government afford to fuel 50-odd vehicles for an entire tour which usually lasts two weeks, at a time when most vehicles in the Gambia were motionless for almost a week for lack of fuel nation-wide, and when the IMF is still calling for prudent spending. How would such waste of merger resource be viewed by a struggling populace, Yaya. It is equally in poor taste to display such opulence and waste in the midst of a groundnut buying season that was all but a failure, when government agents were routinely returning farmers groundnuts for lack of cash to buy them. What are those farmers to do - line up on the dusty road leading into Farafenni to greet a failed and despised president? You can proceed with your plans at your own peril, Yaya. In case you are still oblivious of the dramatic shift in the national mood, try making it to Farafenni and see first hand how your support has withered away on the vine. The support you once enjoyed through fear and intimidation is no longer there. People are no longer afraid. Call it a day, Yaya. Your time is up. Sidi Sanneh
Posted on: Thu, 10 Apr 2014 01:04:15 +0000