One on One: Interview with Dr. Ismaila Ceesay _ CA Party Leader

One on One: Interview with Dr. Ismaila Ceesay _ CA Party Leader

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hello welcome back to another video if you're  new here I am billion and this is billion tv   my guest for today's video  is Doctor Ismaila Ceesay thank you very much billion okay and  welcome to my humble house my humble home   and also thank you for having me on  your program thank you very much doctor   first of all doctor can you introduce yourself to  my advice my name is ismaela sisi i'm a gambian   born in brikama i did my primary schooling in  brigama and also the dara that is introduction   to islamic studies in brickhammer after upon  sitting my common entrance in 1990 i could not   get the pass mark that would take me to one of the  prestigious high schools at that time there were   very few high schools at that time uh we had the  common entrance system um so a pass mark was set   that anybody who has that pass mark and above  you go down to prestigious high schools like   saint augustine's gambia high muslim high to  some extent armitage but i could not get the   pass mark to go to either of these high schools  so the option was technical secondary schools   which was only from four and i didn't want to  go there because i was in a technical person   so that forced me to quit school for almost one  year i was in the neighborhood doing nothing   then my mom decided to ship me off to sierra leone  to finish my education so i went to sierra leone   and did my high schooling in sierra leone up to  form five which i finished in 1995. i came home   back home to the gambia look for jobs i could not  find a job another time the nav syndrome was very   infectious every young person wanted to travel to  the west to look for greener pastures because we   thought that we had no future in this country so  i was among the young generation of gambian that   migrated to the west in particular to sweden to  look for greener pastures to work and to help my   family back home so i was in sweden i lived and  worked in sweden for a couple of years and then   i decided that i should study because i was so  fascinated with the development of swedish society   in the way they built their country in  the way they cared for their society   so i i also had the same vision for the gambia  and i knew that the only way i could achieve   that vision is for me to educate myself that was  when i decided to study and live work to study   i enrolled at the university of stockholm to  study political science initially my application   was rejected because they would not accept  my high school certificate from here so i had   to go to high school again in sweden another  three years and then apply again at stockholm   university and i got accepted studied political  science for four years which i finished in 2006   and then i proceeded on to scotland in edinburgh  to do my master's in african politics at edinburgh   university which i finished in 2008 2009 then  after that i had decided that it's time for   me to go back home to gambia and contribute  my own quarter to national development that   the idea was that my knowledge was worthless if  it doesn't help develop my country country that's   when i came home to the gambia and i knew that i  wanted to lead the vanguard of young ambiance to   build the modern gambia and that i could not do  it alone even if i was armed with the knowledge   to do with the young people that i needed to come  with me to do this fight needed to be armed with   technology as well there was no better place  to equip them with this knowledge done at the   university was when i decided to apply to teach  at the university political science at university   and i got accepted and started teaching at  utg for 10 years but in between i went back   to scotland to do my phd in african studies  which i finished in 2016. came back home and   continued my work at utg at some point i was  head of political science department at utg   i was also the founder and then the director of  the master's program in international relations   and diplomacy i was also at some point the  president of the staff and faculty association   until recently when i took leave  of absence to focus on politics   that's that's that's that's a good move  what uh an amazing uh background uh but   uh with all this experience and all this  you are living a good a good life already   why running to be the fourth president of this  country well for two or three reasons and i'll   break it down for you one is my belief in  the potential and the power of this country   but however that potential and that power  has not been matched by the leadership   needed divisional leadership needed to  transform that potential under power   to make sure we raise standards of living and  make sure we build a country where our resources   can be harnessed and equitably distributed so  that every government can live a dignified life   so every gambia no matter where you are born in  this country no matter from which parent no matter   from what tribe no matter from which region  no matter from which village or town or city   you have access to the most basics you have  access to clean water in your own house without   going to fetch water in the well access to cheap  electricity access to good roads that connect our   communities no matter where you are if we have  good roads connecting vigillo and kololi and   cursing and backward we should have good roads  connecting collier and all those villages in that   surroundings in phony and in naomi so that every  child that is born in the gambia no matter where   you are whether you are born in colorado or callie  or you have access to the same quality education   it's unfair for a child born in color you can have  access to good education while the child born in   color doesn't have access to good education they  will all grow up in this country but they'll not   have access to equal opportunities so that  every child has access to quality education   every government has access to quality healthcare  so when you are sick you are cured where you are   you don't have to travel far for you to access  healthcare and that is my vision for the gambia   and also i thought that i have my phd but my  phd is worthless if it doesn't positively impact   my society in the government particular  or the african continent in general   if my knowledge and my expertise and my  experience is able to provide me a nice house   a good nice car a nice family going to private  schools but it doesn't help lift my people out   from poverty both in the gambia and in the african  continent it doesn't contribute to coming up with   the ideas to make sure that our young people have  jobs where they can live a dignified life in their   own country and make it here it doesn't help with  the ideas that can provide clean water for every   household it doesn't provide ideas that can ensure  that our children have access to good education   that we build the good roads that are needed  that we build a good country that every other   country can envy then my knowledge and my  expertise and my experience is worthless   it is useless and i thought that now it's  time for people like us who understand   the problems of this country and  have solutions to these problems   to also play that critical role it's at that  juncture we have a dual task billiard the   fourth task is to build a country for today to  solve our complex problems of today they are   young people they are 65 percent of our population  they like jobs they feel deprived and frustrated   they'll work all day all week all month earlier  they cannot even provide the most bare minimum   basic for themselves women are suffering in the  farms in the gardens to struggle all day all   night from 4 a.m to 10 a.m before they go to bed  they cannot even get by all eight pensioners are   living in in dignity some of them are forced to  rent until they are living their families renting   our children are not getting access to  the education they need so they build   they have a good life our people have access to  clean water this is our problem of today but also   population growth is telling us that  we'll be five million people in 2050.   we need to build a country for five million  people we need to start thinking of the jobs   we want to create for those young people who are  coming in 2050. what kind of education system do   we want in what kind of healthcare sector do you  want to build in 2050 what kind of rules do you   want to build what kind of society do we want  to build into individual that works that style   so we have a dual responsibility therefore we need  every gambian with the expertise and the knowledge   and the patriotism and the compassion needed to  join politics and ensure that politics is about   the competition of ideas to bring forward  the ideas that can develop this country   that is why i joined okay doctor you've uh  not long ago uh visited europe and we've seen   your post on facebook you visited so many places  in the germany uh tell us about the outcome of the   visa well it was a very successful visit the  visit had two purposes the first purpose was   to and that was the primary purpose in fact to  visit gambians in germany especially the asylum   seekers who are living in different times and in  different asylum homes to understand their plight   to know exactly what they are going through to  talk to them to encourage them to also advise them   to be law abiding in germany and to discuss  their situation to see how we can help them   because we've seen that uh the majority are  living in anxiety fear of being deported we are   just there to tell them that we will not allow  any deportation to regain of any gambian young   gambian from germany or elsewhere at this point  in time our institutions are not strong enough   to accommodate them our society is not ready to  accommodate them we don't have the wherewithal to   receive deportees from germany or elsewhere so i  just wanted to talk to them to know their plight   because i'm always been fighting for their course  in the gambia and for me to able to effectively do   that i need to get first-hand information about  the applied their situation whether their rights   are being respected and what they want and that  was the purpose and i met a lot of young ambience   in the asylum homes where they live in the streets  at very intensive discussions with them now i have   a better understanding of their situation i'll be  more than ready to fight for their course and show   that their rights are respected and that  international covenants are also respected   and they're not deported back to the gambia  and instead gemma should pursue a policy of   reintegration that is reinteg helping those  younger men so they integrate into german or   european society by providing them skills training  and jobs that is the primary purpose of diversity   the secondary purpose was to also visit critical  institutions sector institutions like agriculture   livestock and also energy in line with our  vision to transform this country into 21st   century countries when it comes to agriculture  our vision is to transform the agricultural sector   from subsistence-based agriculture to commercial  like skilled agriculture with its value chain   of manufacturing so the idea was to look at the  new technologies the new knowledge understanding   new knowledge that can help us achieve that  goal and shall we also move away from seasonal   agriculture which is every rainy season to run  the agriculture how do we harvest rain water how   do we make use of our surface water or underground  water to ensure that we build the right irrigation   systems that can water our plantations year-round  but also the new technologies and the new machines   and the new knowledge that can be used to make  sure that there is large-scale commercial farming   but also to understand the entire value chain  and how it works and the technologies and the   knowledge needed to to create that to make sure  that we also transform our commodities into room   into our raw materials and commodities into  finished products in factories in the gambia based   on regional what they call regional specialization  for example if we know that phony as the right   climate and the red soil to grow fruits we want  to see plant a hectare as hectares of plantations   of pineapple bananas mangoes in phony but  also a factory in food that can transform   those fruits into secondary products  for example juice and pineapple um   smart pineapples and teens and so on and so forth  and also to understand the energy sector how do   we transform gun based energy sector we shift  away from using generators 100 hfo to making   sure that we use indigenous renewable resources to  provide energy and then so we have energy security   within this shortest possible time to ensure that  we start powering our industries and our homes   with solar energy with wind energy with water  energy and also with biogas i visited those   companies those factories those institutions  those universities that do cutting edge research   in these issues to help me understand  more these things and how they can help   us achieve our vision of making sure we  built a truly 21st century in the gambia   okay uh you spoke about uh agriculture and  energy these are the most uh important things   that need to be fixed in this country  but what do you think is the problem   leadership leadership has been our sole problem  since independence we've not been lucky to have   the innovative visionary leaders that can have the  right mindset to come up with the right ideas that   can transform the capital we have into tangible  benefits for our people if you have you can be   sitting on a gold mine here with diamond and  oil and everything if you don't have the right   leadership with the right mindset that believes  in itself that can inspire the population to work   and sacrifice and transform come up with the  ideas to transform those materials into world   and that wealth is used on selfishly selflessly  to invest in people then there's a problem like   you said we had independence since 1965 that  is flag independence let me just digress and   tell that no country is independent today  we live in a globalized world that's what   they call global capital global production  chains that's what they call global trade   so no country is independent passage but we had  flag independence in 1965 it was when the british   handed over governance to gambians by lowering  the union jack and raising of the gambian national   flag and giving us our own national anthem and  telling us that now we have our own constitution   we are ready to govern ourselves being in  charge of our own destiny and our own resources   but again since 65 what have we achieved as a  country we cannot feed ourselves everything we   eat comes from outside even the staple food that  we rely on everyday rice we cannot even grow it we   only grow 19 of our rice needs that's very little  oil sugar butter you name it ketchup mayonnaise   everything we eat but we have the potential to  make it here ketchup is made from tomatoes some   tomatoes are spelt in women's gardens mayonnaise  is made from eggs we even import eggs when we have   the potential to have one of the biggest poultries  in the world even milk simple thin milk we have   to import when we have the potential to expand  our livestock industry to provide milk that can   be made to thin milk and condense the milk and  yogurt and ship outside of this country to sell   by boosting our terms of trade we have not been  able to donate we can't even feed our people   when we are sick the medicine that comes comes  from outside we cannot even provide our energy   needs for our people today power cuts power energy  is erratic we cannot provide water for our people   so we have not really achieved uh that's why  i told you that the power and the potential   of this country since 65 hasn't been marked by  the leadership needed to transform this country   um or to provide the dividend that is needed so  leadership has been our sole problem and i think   it's time for us to have a visionary dynamic  innovative leader an effective leader who can   come up with the right ideas with the right vision  with the right mindset to inspire the population   to sacrifice and work hard and transform  our indigenous resources and harness it   and make sure that we create the world needed  and invested in our people dr you spoke of   the migrants you visited in germany most of  the young people who leave this country for   europe in particular uh lose hope for this country  and that is the same thing that's still continuing   here most of the youth in this country lose hope  in the system they don't think they can make   it in the game so what do you think it's the  problem well it's not a new phenomenon i lost   hope in this country in 1995 when i left i did  not get a scholarship to go and study in europe   i left because i looked for a job for one year  i couldn't find a job i left i lost hope in this   country i thought that i have no future in  this country but after getting my education   in the west i came back to give hope to the young  people but what is wrong is that we've neglected   our young people we fail to invest in our young  people young people must have the right skills   and the right job the decent job so they can  stay so they can feel that they are part of   this country so they can have access to the  most basic needs good jobs jobs that pay them   good money so they can take care of themselves and  their families so they can buy their basic needs   so they can feel that they're part of the country  but when they are neglected they feel deprived   when there's so much inequality in this  country when the country is not balanced   you know it's like a skill a few people having all  the wealth are up there the rest are having the   population are down here that is why we want to  inject the country with the social interventions   and policies to balance the skill so we build a  bigger middle class so young people can stay in   this country and become what they want to be in  a successful manner if you want to be a cameraman   you're a successful cameraman you can buy your own  compound and build it as a cameraman and have your   own car and take care of your own family if you're  a carpenter you're a successful carpenter you have   your own car and your own house and take care  of your family if a plumber you're a successful   plumber you can buy your car as a plumber and your  house and take care of your family if you want   to be a footballer you're a successful footballer  here in gambia by investing in the national league   to make sure that all those who are playing  they are professional and they are well paid   once you don't create that environment where  young people can feel that they have they have   opportunities in this country to make it they live  and these are the push factors that push them out   that they feel that they have no opportunities  here they feel deprived there's so much inequality   you wake up in the morning as a young man you  don't have even breakfast it that comes with   the structural violence the jutsu nayar my name  nobody respects you even in your home or in your   community people look at you in disdain they  see you as a failure even your younger brother   or your friend who's been to europe and come  back after two or three years with a car they're   expecting more than you even in your own house  your younger brother is more respected than you   his breakfast is kept nicely and decorated  for him to wake up and eat his breakfast   if you wake up late there is no breakfast for you  his dinner is also kept nicely on the table and   decorated for him to eat dinner even if it comes  at 1am if dinner finds you outside you'll have to   go to the kitchen to scavenge and see what you can  eat your sisters will not wash your clothes but   they'll wash his clothes that is your younger  brother they'll consult him on family matters   they'll not consult you because you're a police  officer or a teacher and your salary is not enough   that is painful that is painful that dutina is  painful that is why most young people that's   violence that's structural violence that  deprivation is what forces them to say you   know what i'd rather die at sea than to face  this humiliation in my own home in my own   compound from my own parents from my own family  from my own community from my own neighbors   that is why these are the push factors what is  the relationship of citizen aliens and these   other political parties right now well  we have a very good relationship when we   got registered and i was elected as the party  leader one of the first moves i made was to   visit each and every party leader to promote  peaceful coexistence among political parties   and to promote you know to promote political  diversity to make them understand that we are   the same we'll have an objective to move this  country forward the vision might be different   the programs and policies might be different the  way we understand the problem and the solutions   might be different but we are all one and the  same peoples we have very good relationship with   every party we don't engage in insults we don't  engage in political castigation we don't attack   other parties unnecessarily we don't engage in  insults we so we have a very good relationship   with each and every part even with the ruling  party what do we expect from a citizen alliance   government from 2021 well what do you expect is  development development and development i've said   this before and i'll repeat it on your platform  that in 1965 we voted for independence in 2016   we voted for democrats and the rule of law this  2021 is for us to vote for development because our   independence and the democrats will be meaningless  if there is no development we are going to ensure   a promise or what you can expect from the ca  government is that our resources will be harnessed to create wealth needed and invested in our  people we want to ensure we have a society where   we have a large middle class that every citizen  must have access to the basics that there are   six things that we must provide for our people and  this is the contract we are going to have with the   people one is to provide jobs for our young people  that every young company has a decent job and they   have paid the value of their labor that the cost  of living is reduced so every gambian can eat   three square meals a day our kids can have the  nutrition they need so they can focus on school   every child has access to quality education  no more discrimination no more unequal   normal disparities in access to education where  some children have access to private schools   and the rest are going to bad public school  you're not going to allow that we're going   to stop that we're going to invest in public  education to bring quality to public education   that every government has access to healthcare  where you are you don't have to move away from   any village to go to a big turn to access  healthcare will bring healthcare to the village   that every community is linked to the road  good road networks the feeder roads are created   that every gambian has access to cheap  electricity which is clean as well   the rest governments have to  do it for themselves but this   is our contract with the government people and  we are going to fulfill it so this is what you   can expect from the citizen science government  doctor what's your advice to the young people   who are looking up to you as a mentor well  to believe in themselves first and foremost   i remember that was a time when my education was  most uh was spoiled but i don't believe in myself   i was in i'm not from a rich family i never had a  scholarship in my life everything i achieved today   i worked hard for it by believing in myself so the  young people to believe in themselves and to be   ready to make the sacrifice for them to make it in  life let them not wait for the government to give   them anything let them demand it let them  be disciplined let them know what they   want and let them go for it they must believe in  themselves let them not be discouraged by anybody   the sky is the limit whatever you want to be you  can be it if you work hard so i advise them to   work hard to sacrifice to believe in themselves  and to be disciplined and to be law abiding   and not let and let them not allow any politician  to use them politicians today the young people   are currency in this country they decide who  goes to state house on the 5th of december   young people will decide so every politician  will come for them but let them be very smart   they don't allow politicians to use them give them  t-shirts put them together let's take them around   and play them around and then when they win they  forget about their plight let them listen to every   politician and ask them the critical questions  what are you going to do for us as young people   when you come to power and that question must be  answered satisfactorily if not let them not give   them their vote any politician that comes with  the rhetoric of tribe and region and whatever   don't vote for those politicians they have no  ideas so young people will decide it's their   election therefore it should favor them whoever  wins in 2021 must work for the young people that   is why i've said before that this election should  be the election for young people by young people   and nobody should take that away from them is  there anything that you wish to say that i didn't   ask you about no i think you've asked the right  questions you became prepared with your questions   i think you've asked questions that you  want to ask so i'm yeah i think we are   both satisfied with this interview thank  you thank you very much thank you very much foreign

2021-07-30 01:09

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