By Kemo Kanyi
The leader of the Peoples’ Alliance Party (PAP), Ebrima Tabora Manneh, has advised Gambians not to allow any politician to drive a wedge between them using tribal politics, adding that unity is the only strength to move The Gambia forward.
“Our party symbol is broom. This signifies that unity plays a key role in developing a nation. If we want a progressive nation, we must unite as people of The Gambia. We are here to clean the country up, ” he said in a press conference held at the party’s bureau in Banjul on Saturday.
He stressed that issues of irregular migration, rentals, economic empowerment of Gambian citizens, security, and Gambians taking control of some key areas of the economy should be the priority for the government.
Mr. Manneh alleged that the political elites in power have succeeded in separating Gambians for their political gains at the detriment of the average Gambian struggling daily.
“Therefore, change is imminent and only Gambians can effect this change,’’ he stated.
The PAP leader pointed out that his party was born out of dissatisfaction with the status quo.
“Mismanagement of public funds, unemployment, interest of the public is not protected, malfunctioning of government sectors and economic degradation of average Gambian population and a lot of other pressing issues are what PAP wants to address,” Manneh emphasized.
On the issues of groundnut farmers and the Banjul-Barra ferry crossing point, Manneh urged the Gambia government to do “the needful” so that farmers, who have been working for the past six months, reap the benefits of their labor.
“These farmers are seasonal earners. The government should make sure those, who sell their produce on credit, receive their money,” he underlined.
He enjoined the government to urgently address the issue of ferry breakdown to avoid any unforeseen circumstances the frequent ferry problem may cause.