Editorial,

A report about a young man setting his father's compound ablaze out of anger and frustration, after his request for the property be sold to raise money for him to travel to Europe was turned down by the father, is a sad reminder of a social malaise yet to be expunged from the collective psyche of our youths: The Babylon syndrome. While the consuming crave of some Gambian youths to migrate to Europe is a worrisome phenomenon; this recent arson debacle clearly indicates that it has assumed a manic dimension.

It made a young man commit a barbaric act which was clearly a negation of our time-honoured traditional norms and values which include giving maximum respect and honour to our parents and elders at all times. The arson was uncalled for and it goes without doubt that the young man belongs to the clique of lazy bones who are not prepared to work but prefer to depend on their parents, idle away, and fantasize on how to pick gold on the streets of their imaginary El-dorado –Europe. His action did not only lead to the destruction of a family house, it also rendered the tenants destitute.

Our youths must be cognizant of the fact that they are the future leaders of this nation, and that the greatness of any nation depends on the quality of the minds of its people. Developing a warped mindset that economic fulfillment and the good things of life are obtainable only in Europe, does not augur well for Africa in general, and The Gambia in particular.  

The Gambia must be developed by the citizenry, with the youth taking the lead, as constantly stressed by the Gambian leader through his back-to-the-land call and advice that the young people acquire skills to enable them earn decent livelihoods and contribute meaningfully to national development.

Opportunities abound in this country for young people to tap into and empower themselves economically; the lands are waiting to be tilled; our marine resources are bountiful; business opportunities beckon; the list is unending. Migrating to Europe to do menial jobs will only lend credence to the assertion by some old colonial school of thought that Africans are meant to be hewers of wood and fetchers of water. We wish to extend our deep sense of shock, sadness and disappointment over the careless act of the young man to the victims of the arson and urge them to have faith in God the creator of the universe, who gives and takes.