It has always been our desire to acknowledge the yeoman's work being performed by individual Gambian and non-Gambian businessmen and women under the most unfriendly business environment ever. No matter how terrible a regime is, there will always be those who remain for assortment of reasons which can range from seeing themselves as being patriotic to simply lacking in viable options. Whatever the reason for staying, we salute you.
Being practitioners and promoters of the private sector, we cannot but appreciate the critical role that these special breed of Gambians and non-Gambians play in keep the entire edifice from collapsing.
There's a second category of these unsung heroes who are of the professional class, namely very young and inexperienced men and women who are in the lower echelon of the civil service, keeping their heads down and their noses on the grind and staying out of the limelight to gain experience. We hear you too.
In the absence of seasoned civil servants to train these young Gambians, it is doubtful whether the value of the experience gained is worth the risks of working for a regime that jails and dismisses civil servants at will. All the same, they are prepared to take the risks. Unfortunately some make is unscathed but many to our chagrin end up being maliciously maligned and their resumes permanently tainted in the most unfair and unjust ways.
The belated acknowledgment of these special breed of Gambians, and their valuable contributions in keeping what's left of the ship of state, is because it is no fun to show appreciation without naming names for fear of retribution by an intolerant regime.
We salute you, the unsung heroes for the tremendous display of gusto of staying put and operating your businesses under the most difficult of circumstances. In providing the goods and services to the citizenry, you are also creating jobs, however limited, given the current inappropriate policies, for Gambians. Without the decision to stay, the situation could have been much worse. If you see yourself in this blog, it is meant for you. Thanks.
