Mr. Conteh;
Thank-you for the brilliant analysis of what is happening on the grounds in
our dear motherland. You couldn't have said it better. The Gambia is in a
desperate situation yawning for someone to come to the rescue.
As you rightly pointed out, prices of basic commodities are skyrocketing at
an alarmable rate. The dalasi, which use to be Gambia's pride in the sub
region due to it's stability, is now nothing other than a laughing stock.
Gambians would rather be in possession of physical commodities than the
dalasis. Businessmen would in the same way be rather paid in foreign
currency than the dalasi. What makes this situation even worst is that
salaries have not been adjusted to makeup for the rising prices.
T
he Gambian youths are the one that are most affected by these
developments. Jobs are unavailable and yet still the government is on their
ass daily accusing them of being lazy and aimless. Education is at its
darkest moments in the Gambia. Teachers are underpaid and under
appreciated. The only hope left for our youths is to find a way out of the
country and seek heaven somewhere else even if that means having to put up
with all the woes that go with being an immigrant in a foreign land.
What makes the situation in the Gambia scary is that the government is
either ignoring or failing to acknowledge their bad economic policies. In
an effort to shift the real debate of the economy from Gambians, the
government resorts to intimidation and suppression. Being a realist, I know
very well that those tactics would work but just for a short period of
time. The government will have to face the reality of their bad policies
one way or
the other. Which begs the big question, what if anything can be
done to alleviate the situation in our country. The answer to that question
is what everybody on this list seems to be failing to address in a profound
manner.
Some people call for unity in the opposition. That we know is almost
impossible. The opposition in The Gambia seems to be more in opposition
among themselves than to the government. Some call for some form of revolt.
We also know that would in essence be a long way from accomplishing
anything. So now that we've talked the talk, it's about time we walk the
walk. Whatever that walk would entail, it would be up to every one of us.
-----------Have a great day everybody---Abdoulie Jallow
On Mon, 9 Dec 2002 00:05:48 +0000, Ebrima Conteh <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
>Gambia-l:
>
>I wish to thank the management for adding me to your list.
I have followed
>discussions for a while, and now I see it fit to express my views as well.
>I hope to contribute to your discussions regularly so that a different
>vantage point may be appreciated.
>
>As the subject of this letter indicates, our country is in a downward
spiral
>in virtually every sense of the word. (I will expand on this in my future
>postings.) It won't take a rocket scientist to detect the atmosphere of
>despair and hopelessness that now characterizes both the Gambian body
>politic and the populace.
>
>Prices of basic commodities have continued to skyrocket, perhaps at the
same
>rate as tempers. Queues for fuel may soon become as common as those for
>meat on Koriteh day. The regime would not now dare attack anyone on the
>issues of absenteeism and tardiness given the acute fuel shortage that it
>apparently has brought about. Hundreds of workers and student
s line our
>streets for hours seeking transportation to work and school respectively
>while government and ruling party funtionaries shamelessly cruise around
the
>country in their expensive SUVs.
>
>The dalasi's nosedive, as incomes remain stagnant, has made matters even
>more untenable. The people are getting poorer and hopeless by the day, yet
>the government could not come up with any possible remedies, credible or
>otherwise. All one has to do to appreciate the crisis in which we find
>ourselves is to watch our venerable Dr. Jammeh address the nation on TV.
It
>is embarrassing as well as a good barometer for the country's pulse.
>
>In an address to religious leaders on GRTS recently, Jammeh appeared
>frustrated with the pace and direction of events in the country. He seemed
>to be void of answers to the many problems he incoherently spelt out. The
>president implicitly b
lamed various ethnic groups for some of the price
>increases: Jolas for palm oil, Fulas for meat, etc. As usual, Gambians
were
>described as lazy people which, according to him, is why most of our
>tailors, fishermen, drivers, teachers, and so on, are foreigners. There
was
>no shortage of groups responsible for the messy situation we are in, except
>that Jammeh and his administration were not among them.
>
>The President never disappoints. Despite being at the helm for more than
>eight years, the guy lacks tact and any understanding of diplomacy. He
used
>innuendos to belittle the religious leaders who assembled before him, as he
>preached to them about Islam and its teachings. This was followed by the
>presentation of a "personal gift", an automoble, to the Supreme Islamic
>Council by Pres. Jammeh.
>
>Beyond those matters, Jammeh's body language and
demeanor were
>characteristic of one who needed help, yet he was either too proud to ask
or
>didn't know how to. There was clearly despair in his mannerisms. Even
>die-hard APRC supporters now privately express disappointment in the regime
>and fear for the immediate future of the country. Things are unraveling
and
>no one tends to know the end game.
>
>I promise to shed light on matters from my vantage point (in a more
coherent
>manner) as my work schedule allows. Thanks for enlisting me.
>
>Ebrima S. Conteh
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>Help STOP SPAM with the new MSN 8 and get 2 months FREE*
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>
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