Gambia lacks everything but brilliant intelligent citizens who are not only bright but resourceful in every capacity. The tiny West African nation may lack mineral resources such as oil, gold, Diamonds or Iron Ore, but the nation is blessed with a Human Resource that is a treasure for any young nation to have. Every advanced or developing nation which realizes the importance of its Human Resources and intellectual capacity taps into those resources to the nation’s advantage. When these resources are fully utilized and taken advantage of and used in the most productive manner that nation becomes an envy of the world.
In simple terms Human Resource is the energies, skills and knowledge of a people which can potentially be applied to the production of goods and services to render services to a nation and its people. The management and utilization of these resources for the short and long term is the most critical policy decisions a nation can make. It can be reasonably argued that for the past 21 years Gambia’s Human Resources have all but been wisely utilized for the short and long term survival and economic progress of the nation.
The stability and continuity of such a force is a must for any government to be successful in implementing its policies. Certainly there has not been any form of continuity or stability whatsoever in the Jammeh regime since he took over power in 1994. There have been almost hundred percent turnovers in almost every sector of the work force in the Gambia since 1994. Many of those most trained, most experienced and those young with the greatest potentials to grow into leadership and transform organizations have been systematically pushed out of the system either into exiled, through arrest and detention or recycled into positions they absolutely have not expertise. This has given way to people who are not only inexperience, but under-qualified or lacks the education and skills or even the potentials to understand what it takes to head a department much less run an entire organization. Gambia’s work force has therefore mirrored the skills and experience of the person occupying the executive office of President.
Mr. Jammeh’s handling of the economy, political and diplomatic policies since 1994 lend credence to his complete lack of knowledge and experience in running an army battalion much less a nation. His personnel appointments to prominent positions sometimes are laughable and a total disregards to the constitution or personnel management protocols. Sometimes it is out right embarrassing for a young President in this 21st century to act and interact the way Mr. Jammeh does especially with the international community.
The Human Resources and intellectual capacity Mr. Jammeh deprived the Gambian nation of has readily been exported to the international community who wasted no time in utilizing the highly sophisticated young and experience work force ready to render services to a willing employer. Gambians without a doubt are contributing immensely well in the international community ranging from the United Nations; European Union, Education and Corporate America, Middle East to Asia Pacific are all filled with highly smart Gambians who could have adequately been serving the West African nation. Instead many have almost given up in any desires to serve their nation especially when someone like President Jammeh continue to forcefully occupy the Presidency of the nation without any sign of willingness to relinquish power to a more experience and competent citizenry including many within the private sector in the country and the political opposition.
President Jammeh’s sense of entitlement to permanently occupy the position of President without regard to the long term peaceful coexistence and progress of the nation must be a grave concern to the Gambian people and the international community. Without the checks and balances and the needed human resources capital to help correct the looming catastrophic economic and political course the Gambia is on, this tiny West African state is very much likely to drift into another failed state in Africa. Mr. Jammeh must realized that he has had his fair share of privileges to occupy the office of President and therefore he must find a way to yield power peacefully and allow other more competent and experience citizens to run the affairs of the nation. He must in his own best interest and that of the nation begin to craft an exit route that will allow him to continue to live a peaceful life after the Presidency. Despite all the wrongs and atrocities committed directly by him or under his watch, 21 years in power is more than enough for any conscious human being who loves him or herself or their family to yield power peacefully. Change is inevitable and Mr. Jammeh will do himself justice if he begins to think about life after the Presidency. Mr. Jammeh Gambia has more than capable citizens to not only occupy the office of President but get involved in many ways to help move this tiny West African nation with a bright future. This nation’s citizens have earned the experience, wealth of knowledge and intellectual capacity to move the nation forward with or without any individual citizen. Therefore Mr. Jammeh has a choice, make hay while the sun shines or risk going down in the most ugliest of manners like history recorded for many people in your shoes. A word for the wise is enough…
By Demba Baldeh Commentary