By Abdoulie John
Gambian newly appointed cabinet ministers have vowed to live up to expectations in achieving political and social demands. The much awaited government is expected to move the country away from Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule and deliver on a good number of promises.
“A new Gambia has been reborn today. The wish of the people has been heard by God, and the change desired by Gambians, particularly the youth, has been achieved. We look forward not only to a more developed Gambia, but a country that would afford every citizen the dignity, the freedom and the liberty that any human being deserves,” Agriculture Minister Omar Amadou Jallow told this reporter.
Adama Barrow’s cabinet has been sworn in last Wednesday at Kairaba Beach Hotel, in Kololi, located some 10 km away from Banjul, where his government is camping. Top government appointees have been asked to get down to work immediately after the swearing-in ceremony.
Omar A. Jallow said Gambians have now stopped to be prisoners. “We are freed and we will work for The Gambia,” he said.
A major shift in the country’s foreign policy is expected to take place as Lawyer Ousainou Darboe takes charge of Foreign Affairs. “We will deal with every region,” Darboe told journalists following the swearing-in ceremony.
To many observers, this is a clear signal that the Gambia will no longer be a chasse gardée of the Arab world.
The Gambia’s Minister of Trade, Regional Integration and Employment Dr. Isatou Touray said the fate of school leavers will top her priorities and assured her ministry’s resolve to provide training to the youth.
The absence of job opportunities in Yahya Jammeh’s Gambia had turned the country into a major hub of illegal migration, with youths taking the backway in search of greener pastures abroad.
“Gambian youths should know that Illegal migration is not the answer. We have a new Gambia and policies will be implemented so as to ensure that they will remain in the Gambia,” she said.
The tiny West African nation is recovering from a post-electoral crisis that has put the country on the brink of a civil war. ECOWAS troops, which have forced long time ruler to cede power to President Adama Barrow, have succeeded in making stability and continuity to prevail. Hopes are high about the ability of the first batch of ministers to deliver.
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