The leader of Gambia Action Party (GAP) has called on the Government of the Gambia to regulate prices of food commodities ahead of Ramadan to avoid intimidation of customers with imposed prices by businesspeople.

Musa Ousainou Yali Batchilly predicted that this year’s Ramadan would be challenging financially, in addition to other factors that surround market prices.

“Traders are continually taking advantage by ripping off people with cutthroat prices and the Ministry of Trade is looking without introducing fixed price regulations,” the GAP leader said.

In all the Gambian markets, he added, traders are continually introducing their own market prices “without sympathy” whilst such “corruptible acts” continue to evade the eyes of government.

According to Mr Batchilly, a GAP-led government will curb corruption and poverty reduction as well as overstretched and demoralised public services including economic downturn and price regulations.

“Another significant success will be registered in bringing culprits to book as implementation of self-market prices will be criminalised in The Gambia with zero tolerance,” he promised.

The GAP Secretary General and Party leader noted that “survival should not be ignored because of poverty and one cannot afford to die due to the government’s inability to implement workable policies for all the citizens”.

In other countries, prices of basic commodities are being prioritised to prevent hunger among the people, he said, noting that in The Gambia, the people’s representatives are keeping quiet whilst ordinary Gambians continue to languish in confusion and hardship. 

He also calls on the National Assembly Members as direct representatives of the people to work together with the Ministry of Trade to implement price fixing with immediate effect.

“We are bonded by a sense of humour and commonalities,” he said. “When survival becomes difficult in a country, it triggers political and social instability.”

Mr Batchilly also seized the opportunity to call for maintenance of peace and tranquility in the country ahead of the local government elections.