By: Nyima Sillah
Lawmaker for Foni Jarrol Constituency, KebbaTumanding Sanneh, has contended that the high cost of living in the country does not match the earning capacity of the civil servants and therefore making people poorer.
“The way things are going; the government has to come out and speak out. The government has to bail out the poor, bail out the farmers, and help the civil servants because their salary does not match with the high cost of living,” Hon. Sanneh told The Voice in an interview yesterday.
He pointed out that the majority of civil servants are paid a salary less than D5000 from which they pay rent and feed their family. He argues that some merciless landlord will increase rent anytime the price of commodities goes high which confuses the “poor” civil servants.
“This is why I doubt how this country will fight corruption. Imagine receiving D3000-5000, having a family to feed, and paying rent how do you feed your family? That is where corruption comes in because any opportunity they have at work that will give them money they grab it. I am not saying people should have an excuse to be corrupt but it will be hard to avert it,” he asserted.
People are suffering, he said especially those in the urban area paying high rent and at the same time giving out fish money, adding that perhaps in the rural area people don’t have to go to the market but that is where the unemployment rate is higher.
“These are farmers, who need to feed their families during Ramadan but prices of basic commodities have increased and these are people who are not employed.’’“The Government needs to come out and help people. I feel sorry for myself, the farmers, and the Gambians everything in the country is extra expensive. Prices of commodities have increased drastically within a short period,’’ he added.
“Sometimes we don’t have to blame the government for everything because they are not into business but it is their responsibility to put in place regulations that should be followed by everyone because the prices of basic commodities are increasing based on no genuine reason,” NAM Sanneh decried.