By: Nyima Sillah
Former Gambia National Army sergeant cum deputy leader of the opposition All People’s Party (APP) Alagie Cham has said disaster is in the offing unless the Gambia government prioritized the safety of ferries and passengers.
According to Mr. Cham, popularly referred to as Sir Jackal, the developments along the Banjul-Barra river crossing such as the stranding of passengers and goods at the river as well as the use of boats to ferry people without proper safety measures were concerning.
He pointed out that the dependence on boats as an alternative to the ferries and the deployment of not-river-worthy ferries were a recipe for disaster.
“The ferry got stuck in the water several times whilecarrying passengers, cars, and other stuff. We have standby boats that are always on the riverside,transporting people when the ferry is not available but the boats had no stringent safety protocol in place,” Cham told The Voice in an interview.
He explained that the boats carry passengers beyond their capacity, adding that the safety of passengers has also been compromised because of the lack of life jackets for all the passengers.
“All the boats should be monitored by the security forces to ensure that all the passengers wear life jackets before the boat departs. For security reasons, they should be conditioned for the safety of lives,” Mr. Cham stated.
The APP deputy leader asserted that Gambians trifle with critical issues until they spiral out of control.
“Our Senegalese neighbors have started voicing out complaints, regarding the issue[safety of passengers and goods] and I agree with them because prevention is better than cure. There should be maximum prevention before a disaster happens. We’re looking at something that might turn into a calamity,” he stated.
Cham referenced the Le Joola Ferry tragedy as he called on the government to invest in a new ferry or new engines.
“The issue of the ferry has been going on for several years now. We all saw what happened in the Joolaferry tragedy and we don’t want history to repeat itself. This is why I am urging the government to pull out money to buy a new ferry or buy good quality engines for the ferry to operate perfectly,” Cham asserted.
He pointed out that the ferry used to carry a lot of people and goods from both The Gambia and Senegal, adding that the concern of the citizens of both countries should be taken on board by the authorities of the two countries as, according to him, the Gambian President has not been showing any interest in protecting the citizens as regards river transport
