Mike,
I just sent a response to your this wonderful piece, but it seems it did not
come through. However the crisis in the country seems to be more serious than
some of us can imagine. That the value of the dalasi is still diving downwards
is an indication. Had it not been the case, we would have seen an effective
government intervention. That there is crisis is no more the issue but how
serious the crisis is and with this warning letter, from the butcher, IMF, the
government must speak now before it is too late. The recent speech by Jammeh,
which a section of the media referred to as the best speech they have heard
from him, full of passion and regret might also be signalling sometime, but
plain talk is what is  needed. Speaking of failures and regret whiles
political prisoners are still behind the bars is suspicious. The big loans
that built the four lanes etc are indications that we need leaders and
economists who are not suffering from neo-colonial hangovers. A book I read
sometime back, a critic of post colonial African Leaders and Intellectuals,
the author insisted that had it not been that our leaders were weight down by
the idea of technological backwardness, we might have chosen our own way to
economic freedom. This does not apply to post -colonial African leaders alone,
the fact that with all the economic crisis we are facing right now, parliment
approved a loan to build a five star Hotel make this critic still valuable.
The crisis might go longer than any one of us can  tell, that is why calling
all these big roads and first class airports as development makes me mad. What
I know as a Gambian is that, our people are hungry and they are getting more
and more hungry. Bro lets pray for miracles, to get us out of this trouble, we
are too small a country.

For freedom
Saiks























>===== Original Message From The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
<[log in to unmask]> =====
>Confirming what most people already know, Gambia is showing signs of
>inability to service its debts. This was confirmed by a senior economist at
>a seminar at the MDI not long ago. The economist had indicated to the
>audience that the IMF had written a stern letter of warning to the
>government after they were a month overdue in arrears. This is significant
>because at a time when the government is showing off flying fighter planes
>it is finding it difficult to meet its financial obligations. This truly is
>ironic, for in any planning programme I assume that the theory of the three
>concentric circles apply, that is meeting the needs of the essentials,  the
>necessities and then the nice to haves. But it appears that those
>responsible for designing  policies have got their priorities wrong. Instead
>of focusing on the provision of the essentials they are focused on the nice
>to haves. One would have thought that the government with all its rhetorics
>will focus on providing basic necessities, but at a time when things have
>become deserate our priorities should not be geared towards war
>preparations, this is absolutely misleading.
>
>I hope the call for so-called foreigners to regularise their stay is not
>designed to be a penchant diplomatic response against certainly
>nationalities. If this happens to be the case it would be serious diplomatic
>blunder for instead of enhancing commonality it would be very divisive. In
>this day and age Africans should not be experiencing certain types of
>treatment within the continent, I do appreciate the fact that we must
>protect our geo-political integrity but not at the expense of humilliating
>and treating our fellow Africans in a humilliating fashion. The Gambia can
>only benefit as a haven in the sub-region, those that come there in the hope
>of economic bettement should be encouraged, after all they contribute
>towards the labour market cosequently adding value to the economy. I hope
>the way the police go about this is will not invoke sentiments of revenge
>from other countries. Afterall Gambians are scattered all over the world
>contributing in their own way towards the economy. Imagine how the
>government will cope if all those Gambians were to be sent back home,
>obviously they will not be able to cope considering that the Gambia is
>already experincing economic hardships of unprecedented magnitude.
>
>The rhetoric about Pan-Africanism must be matched by positive concrete
>action. One would have been gullible to believe that Africans will never
>experience any form of harassment under Jammeh considering his rhetoric, but
>the facts do not tally with the experience. Africans do sign treaties in
>defence of their citizens but this means nothing to non law abiding
>presidents, at then whiff of their arms they can consign all those hitherto
>protocols or agrrements into oblivion.
>
>I hope the Gambians will not scapegoat their African brothers and sisters as
>responsible for the woes of the economy. Instead of being myopic or looking
>for scapegoats the leadership should confer to the people the reality. The
>economic mess we are in is maily due to the loans that were taken under
>Jawara as well as under Jammeh. The leadership should have the audacity to
>tell the people that they are building roads and hospitals with loans that
>have  high rates of intrests which would be paid by the sweat of the hard
>working ordinary people. It must be made clear that the state operates only
>as debt collector to money lending organisations that do sometimes impose
>unbearable conditions. They must inform the people catergorically that the
>country is living above it's means and that is why some people oppose taking
>more debts.
>
>If the leadership had been honest to the people and the proceed to impose
>stringent economic policies especially state wastage they could go a long
>way in helping the country. But no instead what charactersie the nation is
>wastage and propagander, wherever the presidents goes he showers the youths
>and the village with enormous amounts of money that he may not be able to
>account for from his wages, that is precisely why I feel that the money
>given to Gambians in the USA should have been refused out of conscience. In
>what country can you find  a president dishing out money as Jammeh does it
>is absolutely ridiculous, the reality of it is catching up with the people
>and all those who shared in accepting such a money should take part of the
>blame. A country that cannot fulfil its international financial obligations
>as well as pay its farmers should not be able to give charity, it is
>abosolute madness to say the least. I hope Gambians especially those in the
>diaspora will avoid such cheap way of giving their allegiance.
>
>
>pan- africanism
>
>
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