COVID-19 Has Exposed Gambia Terribly, Says Sidia Jatta

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By MOMODOU JARJU

Veteran politician cum lawmaker, Sidia Jatta, has uttered that the deadly novel Coronarivus, known as COVID-19, has exposed The Gambia terribly due to its disorganized nature.

The Wuli West lawmaker, while speaking during the debate on the proposed extension for a state of public emergency for 90 days at the national assembly in Banjul last Friday, argued that even if the country has billions of dalasis, it would be difficult to handle the crisis due to how disorganized the country is.

“This has exposed this country terribly. This virus has exposed our country terribly. It has exposed the disorganize nature of our country. If you were organized from Kartong to Koina, you will have an inventory of all business persons, small or big…When there is a crisis like this you will know what to do because you have everything here. We don’t have that,” he said.

Jatta said the country is not prepared to combat COVID-19, saying as of Friday, no single material has been distributed to his constituency from the ministry of health. He said only 70 empty buckets was given to him without pump heads. He said before the declaration of the state of emergency up to date, the government still claims that they are looking into the situation.

“They cannot see (lawmakers laughed). You are laughing? This is not a laughing matter. They are still looking. Minister of finance they are looking, they cannot see. And I applaud members of this assembly who deep their hands into their pockets and bought materials to distribute in their constituencies to provide hand washing materials so to their people,” he said.

The PDOIS chairman questioned how prepared is the country to take care of the weak and vulnerable for 90 days, at the same time asking people not sell and transport drivers not to take the number they are usually taking.

“If they don’t do that what are you going to do? A shopkeeper who is closing his or her small shop, where would he or she gain her livelihood for 90 days? How will he or she be going to survive? You are not telling how that person is going to live and yet, you want to convince me to say, yes, to 90 days,” he queried.

The Standing Committee on Human Rights and Constitutional Matters met on Thursday to scrutinize and review the government’s 90 days proposal and cut it half to 45 days instead.

Jatta said he agreed everything in the report of the Committee except the 45 days because there are no bases for it.

“You have not convinced me that the government has the means. Anyway you talked about a fund, what is in the fund? How much is there? How much are you going to deal with the fund?” If you tell me that mathematically, and convincingly, I would be able to determine whether that can be sustained for 45 days, or for 30 days or two weeks or three weeks,” he said.

He added that if he was told an amount of money and materials would be given to the weak and the vulnerable, prevented from what they earn for their livelihood, in compensation, then he would be convinced to accept either 45 days or 100 days.

Speaking further, Jatta said one big cure to a sickness is to eat and to be able to have energy.

He said the government cannot even provide hand washing materials to its people yet they are asking for 90 days extension. Even 45 days is too much, he added.

“How many months have we been in his terrible thing, we cannot even provide hand washing device for our people,” he said.