WE COULD NOT BELIEVE OUR EYES? CHARITY OR REVELATION OF POVERTY
Author: Publisher | Date: 16-08-11 | Topic: Editorial

The supporters of the ruling party describe it as an act of generosity
but Foroyaa has constantly lamented that the battle for biscuits
thrown by the President and for milk, meat and sugar in plastic bags
thrown to the crowd by the soldiers on behalf of the President reveals
the high level of poverty in the Country. Statistics reveal that over
61 percent of the population is living in abject poverty in the
Gambia.


This became manifested on Friday, 12 August 2011 when we witnessed a
stampeding crowd at both King Fahd Mosque in Banjul and the Ghadaffi
Mosque in Serrekunda. Military trucks carried the food items and
soldiers did the distribution. The Crowd consisted young men and
women. Lactating mothers, those living with disability and some who
appeared well dressed.

Many people would jump at the same time to grab the plastic bags. It
was the survival of the fittest. The strong boys would elbow the
lactating women and one would hear the complaints of injuries and
insults. Some of the mothers were no longer conscious of the safety of
the babies on their back as they battled for food. When over- powered
they would accuse the boys of insensitivity and mercilessness.

One could hear the guys responding “Don’t say that. We are all equal
here. What Kumba wants is also what Samba wants.” Some visually
impaired men and women were also seen struggling in the midst of the
uncontrollable crowd in order to attract the attention of a more
sympathetic member of the mob who would grab or spare something for
them. Apparently, everybody was busy trying to get one or more bags of
the food item.

The worse aspect of the pandemonium was the physical confrontation of
angry and hungry youth. The whole atmosphere was catastrophic. The
more people heard about the food being distributed in the streets the
more they turned up in their numbers hoping that mother luck would be
in their favour.

It is very clear that the lottery mentality is developing in the
Gambia. Many are expecting to get benefits out of nowhere, only few
would realise their dream.

In our view the country needs certainty. It is not sufficient for the
President to use military trucks to ferry gifts around or throw
biscuits from his motorcade. This cannot feed hungry stomachs on a
daily basis.

It goes without saying that selling meat at 75 dalasi for meat and
bone and 90 dalasi for beef steak is not meant to reduce the poverty
of the poor who receive less than 50 dalasi a day. What is clear as
noon day is that a family of five would have to buy bread at four
dalasi amounting to 20 dalasi, sugar at 9 dalasi per cup, milk at 10
dalasi, and coffee 3 dalasi and tea bag 50 bututs. Hence a family of
five needs 50 dalasi daily to eat empty bread and drink tea or coffee
with milk. to As for lunch, a cup of rice is being sold in the market
at 4 dalasi, 3 set of fish at 10 or 20 dalasi, 3 small onions at 10
dalasi, 3 small firewood at 5 dalasi. In short if one does not have
another 100 dalasi one would not be able to cook a regular meal.

Hence the throwing of biscuits and bags of food as well as the selling
of meat and oil below what other business persons are selling will not
automatically lead to the reduction of poverty.. On the contrary, the
scramble for biscuits and other food items only shows more vividly the
ugly face of poverty. What is needed is a welfare programme to address
the problem of the poor in a dignified way. Secondly, the President
needs to show the Gambian businessmen where he is buying oil and other
commodities and then negotiate the retail price with the Gambia
Chamber of commerce so that both the consumers and the retailers would
be served.


-- 
-Laye
==============================
"With fair speech thou might have thy will,
With it thou might thy self spoil."
--The R.M

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