The Daily Observer (Banjul)
28 May 2008
opinion
Yesterday's story and pictures about members of the Gambia Armed Forces thoroughly cleaning up an area of Bakau set a fantastic example for us all in this our little Gambia.
Seeing the soldiers engaged in such a socially useful exercise, I stopped and enquired from the commanding officer whether I could send a Daily Observer team. He said yes at once. On arriving at my office, I asked my senior reporter and the cameraman to go and take pictures and interview the commanding officer. "I saw them earlier too", said my senior reporter. That earned him a reprimanding retort: "Why then do I have to point the story out to you?"
The answer is that as a youngster in Kenyatta's Kenya I grew up with an outstanding National Youth Service - uniformed youth militarily organized throughout the country with SPADES. My school's headmaster for 46 years was also Kenyatta's Youth Service Commander (in full-uniform and accorded the same protocol as the Chief of Defense Staff!). The NYS became a by-word for nation-building and their nationwide barracks became centres from which roads throughout the country were constructed and repaired.
As Scouts and members of the President's Award, we the pupils of the NYS Commander's school became well-trained in physical work, not only to develop our school but also to develop the country. Since 1959, my old 40-acre school has never had cleaners, gardeners or painters because we did it all - and still do so to this day!
I think it is this background that made me notice the wonderful work that the GAF soldiers were doing, while my senior reporter failed to appreciate it first time! I also write to congratulate the GAF and also suggest something else. I have also wondered why countries do not respond to human needs with the same organized military precision that they apply to killing people. From this point of view, I would like to make two suggestions to the Commander-in-Chief of the Gambia Armed Forces, His Excellency Dr. Alhaji Yahya AJJ Jammeh.
Firstly, I would like to commend the GAF on the cleaning exercise and suggest that they widen and expand this activity. The GAF is already a much respected defence force, but I am certain that their involvement in such useful social activities will raise their status even higher than it is at the moment.
Secondly, I would like to suggest that we look at ways to apply our galant soldiers in the field of agriculture and farming in every district of this country. I believe that with such a disciplined force in the lead, the nation will follow their example and guarantee food self-suffieciency.
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