Can somebody please help me out here? Is it not the case that most of these people selling and buying foreign currency are doing so under license? Are many of these not legitimately registered businesses largely encouraged by the government's own development drive to make Gambia a regional financial centre through liberalising the financial market, among other things? ("Forcing" poor countries to open up their financial markets and banking systems to foreign competition is a well-known policy of the IMF. Perhaps someone from the Central Bank would have the courage to tell us what strings the IMF is hanging the Gambian economy with? Governments themselves dare not say a word about such institutionally induced impoverishment!).
These are important questions. But perhaps more serious is the President's blanket accusation and targetting of foreigners. That is a very grave and unfortunate line of thinking in adressing the nation's economic woes, especially given that most foreigners in Gambia are from neighbouring African countries seeking refuge and/or employment in Gambia. Now you hear President Jammeh lambasting Gambians for not willing to take up jobs foreigners are picking up under their very nose; then you hear him accuse the same foreigners for deliberately destroying Gambia's economy. 

As a concerned Gambian I should request that my President takes me seriously and explain clearly the root causes of our dismal economic situation. If anything those operating as foreign exchange vendors are mere symptoms of a huge disease. It is dangerous, undiplomatic and perhaps even unGambian to officially buttress  xenophobic sentiments that could easily channel widespread public frustration against immigrants many of whom are law abiding and hardworking nationals of neighbouring countries. 
The President ought to be confident that Gambia's  law enforcement agencies are able to bring all kinds of crooks to book, without for that matter going out of his way singling out any particular groups. 
When Stockholm's police chief openly made blanket accusations labelling all Gambians as drug dealers in 1999, we protested vehemently using all media channels we could access. Two years later the erstwhile police chief apologised to the Gambian community. It hurts to be an indiscriminate target in a foreign country, and Gambians perhaps more so than other nationals need to be aware of that fact, if for nothing else, but for the fact that one out every twenty Gambains is a foreigner somewhere. 
(There is much to be said ....but let this suffice for the moment)

Thank You Mr. President 
Momodou S Sidibeh


From: "Momodou Camara" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, October 02, 2003 6:19 PM
Subject: FWD:Jammeh In His Own Words


The following is culled from Gambianet.com

-------------------------------
01st October 2003

Jammeh In His Own Words
by Malick Mboob - Daily Observer

President Yahya Jammeh has vowed that his government will henceforth
enforce the money laundering act to the letter.  In a strongly worded
speech on Monday as he installed two new secretaries of state, President
Jammeh announced stern measures against the hoarding of foreign currencies
to take the monies to the bank before Wednesday (today) or face the risk of
forfeiting them to charity.

......................

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