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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
 Posted - 09 Oct 2011 : 17:38:09
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I am sorry to say that IF THIS PRACTICE is happening,I would like to make the following observations:
Police pay is poor,
The cost of tyres is excessive due to "duty" payable
The profit margins of PRIVATE transport companies is small
The quality of "GAMBIAN MAINTENANCE" is abysmal
The skill base of MOST Gambian mechanics is very limited.
IF corruption is endemic then correction MUST be of a top down basis which is very unlikely.
To sum up in simple terms nothing will change unless policies similar to those that I have suggested are put in place,decisive action in the near future ? I don't think so.
One more thing its about time that the blame game directed to "our former colonial masters" is not brought up time and time again like a constantly playing gramophone record, if Gambians had wanted to change the previous perceived system then they should have decided to do it themselves,have they ? No.
http://dailynews.gm/africa/gambia/article/in-the-greasy-highways-the-rule-is-scratch-my-back-and-i-scratch-yours
In the Greasy Highways, the Rule is Scratch My Back, And I Scratch Yours
Saturday, October 08, 2011
If the idiomatic ‘scratch my back, and I scratch yours’ is an old English custom, it appears that our former colonial masters have bequeathed it to us, and it is still alive and well in Gambia, especially in our greasy highways.
Indeed, if the drivers’ allegations and the confirmation of that police woman are anything to go by, corruption is rampant among traffic police in Gambia.
It is apparent that by simply bribing a traffic police officer, drivers can get away with driving overloaded trucks or trucks carrying illegal products.
The taxi drivers can also get away with driving faulty vehicles – worn out tires, faulty brakes, among others.
This unfortunate relationship between the drivers and the police appears to be so deep that even a learner driver and a newly recruited traffic police officer seem to have mastered it, even though the rules are unwritten and more often than not, condemned in public statements.
The practice is no doubt so common practice on our highways that we now tend to overlook it. We accept it as a normal behavior and some passengers would often laugh it off.
Infact that police woman could not be more right in impliedly admitting that if the police could be culpable for accepting bribe from the drivers, the latter too, could be equally culpable. So, in essence, she was admitting that, the rule of their game is: “Scratch my back, and I scratch yours.”
Records of the trend of Gambia’s traffic offences are undoubtedly unimpressive. The blame has been largely apportioned, but to the drivers, who would chastised for reckless driving, rude driving, drunken driving, among others.
However, the police, who allow a driver to ply the roads with a worn-out tire or a faulty brake, cannot be entirely absolved in the event of any eventuality.
Infact is it not ridiculous that the police who would accept bribes for a faulty vehicle to ply the roads, will at the same time arrest and prosecute them if they cause accidents. How could a vehicle with a faulty brake ply, for instance, from Brikama to Banjul without passing through police checkpoints?
We hope that the office of the Inspector General Police will look into allegations against its reputable institution and address the situation.
Convinced that the root of corruption in Gambia in general and in police in particular is the very low pay, we are also urging the government to reconsider their pay.
It is long overdue as prices have gone more than triple since the last time government increased salaries.
It will be difficult to eliminate corruption quickly, so the government needs to combat corruption via a long-term plan.
The authorities need to pay attention to the major areas where serious corruption takes place, and prices for basic goods and salaries need to be more balanced.
It is a known fact the feasts such as Tobaski come with its avoidable traffic tragedies. And ‘operation Haari Tobaski’ will no doubt exacerbate it.
Let us move in time to address it before it is too late.
Author: dailynews
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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Edited by - toubab1020 on 09 Oct 2011 17:40:05 |
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Momodou
Denmark
11640 Posts |
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toubab1020
12306 Posts |
Posted - 10 Oct 2011 : 00:04:44
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The last paragraph of this reads;
"However, a female police officer sitting at her desk in the same office with the police spokesperson, though uninvited in this discussion, rose to her feet and says: “The drivers should tell you that when they have problem with the law, they would not want it to reach the courts. They bribe the police, so they too commit a crime.”
Hmmmmmmmmmm. Well done Sister but , I think that she may well be transferred to an outpost way way up river I hope that the paper keeps an eye on her career and whereabouts.
Bet the Boss was fuming at such an outburst from "a female officer "
quote:
Originally posted by Momodou
Related topic: Drivers Decry Police ‘Operation ‘Hharr’ Tobaski’
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"Simple is good" & I strongly dislike politics. You cannot defend the indefensible.
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