The Daily Observer (Banjul)
Amadou Jallow and Assan Sallah
22 May 2009
The president of the Republic, Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh, yesterday, continued his 2009 'Dialogue with the people tour' with meetings, on day 11 of the countrywide presidential tour at Marakisa village in Kombo Central, and Gunjur in Kombo South, Western Region.0
At Marakisa, the Gambian leader announced government's plan to establish a mango processing plant by the year 2010. President Jammeh, in his usual tone, calling on Gambians to take up their responsibilities for development said: "What I want from Gambians is for you all to stand firm and work with me." Aware of the unbearable losses dealers in fruits and other related products realise during their seasons, the president observed that the coming of the factory will surely address such wastages, and will also engage the youth to make the better of themselves instead of having to take to risky and deadly ventures in fruitless attempts to reach Europe through the high waters. "Yesterday, one could sit down without doing anything and survive on another person's sweat. But it is a different thing today," he said. The Gambian leader added that if the Gambian people want to develop the country, they must work hard.
President Jammeh then announced at the gathering that The Gambia is losing its secret glory, the fact the people have left all the country's resources to be occupied by foreigners. "The tailoring industry and commodity businesses," he said, "are all dominated by foreigners." And he added: "Even our river can be well explained by a foreigner than anyone of us."
President Jammeh then repeated his call for Gambians to change their attitude towards national development. He thanked the people of Marakisa for their warm welcome and promised to construct the Marakisa-Brikama Road. For the women of Marakisa Ward, the president promised a milling machine as well as a high school in response to a request by the people.
In his conclusion, the Gambian head of state informed the people of Marakisa of the coming of the rural electrification project, which he said aims at electrifying from Karton to Kalagi. Marakisa, he said, will not be spared. "Before July 22nd 2010, he added, I promise that Marakisa Ward will have electricity."
Yankuba Touray, secretary of state for Fisheries, Water Resources and National Assembly Matters, called on the people of Marakisa to embrace President Jammeh and his back-to-the-land initiative, saying that 75% of all Gambians rely on agriculture. This, he said, was what prompted The Gambia government to come up with The one-million-dollar Gambia low land project aimed at supporting and empowering Gambian gardeners and farmers to realise good produce from their farms.
SoS Touray then called on Gambians to invest in agriculture, saying that government has a tax-free system for importation of materials intended for use in the agriculture sector. Earlier in the morning, President Jammeh visited Wellingara Horticultural Garden, where he promised to upgrade the water storage facility in place. He called on the workers there to grow more local vegetables and plants that could be used as herbs. He promised to buy this season's produce of the gardeners.
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