A mid-afternoon radio talk show on the Gambia Radio & Television Services yesterday has served as an extremely vital forum to highlight the high cost of living in the country.

The show has not only helped to show-case the hardship that the man in the street has had to endure but it also exposed the inaction of those in positions of trust to alleviate our hardships. The discussants had passionately talked about the untold hardship that the skyrocketing commodity prices are wreaking on Gambians and non-citizens resident in The Gambia. For example, the prices of sand, gravel, charcoal, gas, firewood, have shot through the roof and nothing apparently is being done to check the problem. Talking about escalation of commodity prices; the price of essential commodities such as cooking oil, rice, sugar, chicken, flour are increasingly making them luxuries for the average Gambian.

What is all these leading us to especially when we were told that the Dalasi has significantly gained strength in relations to other major currencies? When will the appreciation of the Dalasi translate into tangible benefits for our poor, hungry stomachs?

If it is true that businessmen are profiteering from the poor population by hiking prices, then what are our authorities doing to curb the situation? Indeed, when it comes to the issue of price hikes, state inaction can not be excused. As ours is a free market this government has a responsibility to make life livable for Gambians. We are not recommending price control, but it is germane to note that threats cannot yield any tangible result. There is no point in going to the television or radio to issue threats. What Gambians need to see is action not rhetoric.

Src: Point , The