The words of Mr. Henry Gomez, leader of the opposition Gambia People Democratic Party (GPDP), published in The Point today are very pertinent indeed. He has expressed the view that though the just concluded two-day political consultative meeting held in the country is significant in all aspects, there is still need for greater collaboration between the Government of The Gambia and its opposition parties.

We as a nation should all be proud that The Gambia would be engaged in such talks as we have just witnessed, but it follows that representatives of all the people should be involved fully and not just in attendance. While the APRC is the largest party in The Gambia it is not the only one, so when talks of this kind take place representatives of all parties must be allowed to play a full and active role in the deliberations.

Here in The Gambia all our population love peace and want to see peace and stability spread throughout the sub-region and indeed the continent as a whole. We can accomplish this if we all work together to represent our nation fully at such talks. Great change can come about when a greater variety and quantity of ideas and views are discussed between people. It reminds one of the old adage “two heads are better than one”.

Another pertinent proverb that applies to this situation is “charity begins at home”.

Mr. Henry Gomez stated in his interview, “If the government of The Gambia is doing that for political party leaders of Guinea Bissau with the sole objective of bringing lasting peace in their country, I don’t see any reason why they can’t do it here in The Gambia.”

There is a lot of sense in this statement. Through dialogue, discussion and an exchange of ideas we can all benefit as a nation as we move forward on our common path to development. The Millennium Development Goals we are trying to reach, the food self-sufficiency we are trying to gain, the high quality education we want for our children and the peace and stability we wish to see in our nation and sub-region are not the goals of any one party; they are the goals of every patriotic Gambian.

So in the future let us see a more inclusive politics practised in The Gambia. We would all reap the benefits with such eventuality.

The deputy Imam of Gunjur and the State House, Imam Muhammed Lamin Touray alias Lion, has called on people to consider the poor.

Speaking during a very prolonged sermon in Gunjur recently, Imam Touray spoke of the importance of helping the poor and the needy as well as the rewards that awaits those helpers and the punishments facing those who don’t. He said the world would be a wonderful place to live if people would just help each other as this is the best way to create love and trust within our societies.

According to Lion Touray, Allah is not compromising with people who do not help the poor and the needy. He quoted Chapter 107 1-3 of the Quran saying, “Have you seen him who denies our religion? It is he who harshly repels the orphan and does not urge others to feed the needy.”

Imam Touray, concluding his sermon in tears, said that we are all humans, creatures of Allah the Almighty and brothers and sisters of one another. “Why are we so mean to each other? How is it possible that you eat comfortably and sleep well when your neighbour is dying of hunger and cannot sleep?” he asked.

The recent comments made by the celebrated Arabic pioneer Sheikh Oustaz Dumbuya are very welcome indeed. He has called on all businesspeople and those responsible for recent increments in the price of basic commodities to reduce prices. He made his comments in an exclusive interview with The Point. He said it essential that those in business show absolute sympathy to those less fortunate than themselves and the poor in society. “We should be mindful that the rising cost of food and basic commodities will have the most negative impact on poor people,” he said. He is correct in what he says but we must bear in mind that the increasing price of food is a global problem and in a lot of cases simply beyond the control of The Gambia’s businesspeople. What must not be tolerated is the exploitation of people, particularly those who are suffering the effects of poverty. Anyone who is aware of this kind of behaviour must report those responsible immediately to the authorities who must be swift and decisive in their response.

For this reason we support Sheikh Dumbuya in his appeal to government to set up a task force that would monitor the activities of businesspeople so that there can be a concrete price control system.He said it is shameful to see that fishmongers are now selling three pieces of fish for D100 while one kilogram of meat costs D75 in the market. These prices are fast rising beyond what people can afford and he is absolutely correct in saying that something must be done.

On the issue of foreign currencies depreciating against the Dalasi he said, “ the Gambian government has worked tremendously to ensure that the Dalasi appreciated against major currencies therefore businesspeople have no cause to complain.

This is of course correct but the other side to this issue is that the money which flows into this nation in the form of remittances is now worth less to those who are receiving it. This combined with the rising cost of food is causing great suffering to many people and is also something which must be considered when we discuss the issue of exchange rates.

There is no doubt we are facing a crisis and it is very heartening to see intervention by such high profile figures. Only constant discussion and analysis of the problem will lead us to a solution that benefits everyone.

Forex Bureau Rates:

M J Finance 9965635

Buying

GBP  =              D39.00

US    =              D19.00

5000CFA =        D235.00

EURO =            D30.50

Swedish Kroner D310

Danish Kroner= D370

Selling

GBP   =             D41.00

 US     =             D21.50

5000CFA            D 250.00

EURO                D33.00

Kroner                D340.00

Danish Kroner     D425

Editor,

I was wondering if I wrote stories or poems could they be published in your newspaper?

thanks for your time

Ayisha Cham

Editor note, We will be happy to consider publishing them Ayisha. Just send them in!