Mr. Sidibeh,
thaks for the reminder about the US-help to Europe 1948-1953, the socalled
European Recovery Program.

Because  that is also a comment I made two years back on the Gambia-L, that
Africa needed a booster. For the african people and states to get to a
level, where they can use the fantastic potential inside the continent and
the people, it is my opinion, that they have a great need to get get out of
a situation that keep them in a state, where they can not get into a
positive circle, get to a level where they can negotiate us on equal terms.
Right now there are problems to produce food enough, even the land is there
and fertile, and the people is there to do the work. Many things looks like
a fight  "just to survive". (I know this is very very general)

To get over that hill or point I think that Africa (also very general, but
don´t misunderstand that I know some differences) needs a booster, a
Marshall-plan. 

It is in our own interest here in Europe (The West) that Africa as a
continent can become a partner for us, like the East-Asia has been for many
years now. That was also what USA thought after 2.nd World war, that a
Europe in ruins was not in the interest of USA.

Those days Denmark was given  raw material, feeding stuff, grain as a gift
over the 5 years -period, which we could not buy due to lack of finance. And
we also got some machines to our industry but mostly to modernise our
farming. Over the 5 years a total value of 235 million $. And we got some
loans value 40 million $, 2 % interest.

Within short time we will see the worlds leaders come together in South
Africa to evaluate the 10 years after Rio. Those days in Rio the
western/rich countries promised within short to reach a level where we gave
0,6 % GNP to the "poorest" countries for development. Today we know that USA
f.in. has only reached 0,1 % and when they decided the big announced
"help/package to Africa" they got up to 0,14 %, but annonced it as was it a
revolution in american help. Most of the EU countries has not yet reached
the promissed level. My point is, that IF we did so, there was enough money
to make a new "Mashall-plan" towards Africa, give the continent a booster,
and if not for the people in Africa, so for our own benefit (if you are so
selfish).

So thank you for the reminder. It fit very well in when it comes to my own
idea of what we maybe should do from here.

And your comments on the Gambia should build on mixed economy is also what I
wrote some years back to the Gambia-l. The government should invest in
labour-intensive industry/production, eventually mixed with some private
enterprise. Some sort of the old-fashion scandinavian
social-democratic-ideology. (which our socialdemocrats are now running away
from, but that is another comment)

Regards Asbjørn Nordam


on 22/08/02 19:57, Momodou S Sidibeh at [log in to unmask] wrote:

> Mr. Nordam,
> 
> Many thanks for your comments. Oh yes, I remember the very fine
> presentations of your observations and analysis of the electoral campaign.
> 
> True, Gambia has become increasingly indebted under the Jammeh regime but
> the onus is on the government to reverse this trend. It betrayed its mission
> statement from July/August 1994, and shelved attempts to genuinely devolve
> power to local governments  and so initiatives towards building collective
> and /or cooperative ventures could not be experimented upon as a national
> political agenda. (A meeting of all political parties to launch this process
> in Mansakonko was disrupted by July 22 Movement hooligans who agitated
> violently against the presence of Lamin Waa Juwaraa - the current rabble
> rouser inside the UDP). This government must have to look that way not only
> for the sake of popular participation and economic self-reliance, but to
> expand the productive base of the economy. There is no reason whatsoever to
> wait on foreign investment!
> 
> IMHO, Gambia is fertile ground for a mixed economy - allowing some degree of
> private enterprise but otherwise the state must intervene in the economy. I
> have no problems with the construction of a five star hotel when this offers
> school-leaving youth employment opportunites and especially if their is
> genuine political will to plough back tax revenue from such schemes into the
> public sector.
> 
> True Denmark borrowed heavily to build its infrastructure during the
> post-war period. But the Marshall plan helped Denmark not only stabilise the
> Danish Crona, but it provided funds used to facilitate the import of
> machinery and raw materials and thereby helping to modernise Danish
> agriculture and industry. This is what laid the foundations of Denmark's
> welfare system.
> Of course taxes are high in Denmark but except for extremists like Mogens
> Glistrup few Danes prefer doing time in prison as an alternative to paying
> tax; and as Peter Hoeg maintained, the entire population of Denmark is
> middle class - an exageration yes, but not an extraordinary one.
> 
> The current government in Gambia has the responsibilty to inculcate a
> culture of self reliance. It has to invest in the population and summon the
> courage to experiment with social advancement programs by creating local
> democratic structures where ordinary people define their own problems and
> design creative local solutions to them. We have every reason to learn both
> from Cuba and Kerala, as well as from Scandinavia.
> 
> Sidibeh, Stockholm/Kaatong
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Asbjørn Nordam" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Monday, August 19, 2002 7:58 PM
> Subject: Re: The Fisherman's Tale - 2
> 
> 
> Momodou S. Sidibeh,
> thank you for a very fine analyse and comment on the ordinary gambians daily
> life, a historic view, and putting things into perspective. As always a
> pleasure to read your comments.
> 
> December last year after I spend a month in the Gambia around the
> presidential election,  I tried to balance a comment based on what I saw,
> heard and felt.
> 
> Like all gambians I am glad to see the infrastructure developments and all
> the other things that happens. But I´m afraid that the gambian people will
> have to pay for all this in the coming 100 years or more.
> How can I say so ?
> The danish development into a modern european standard of infrastructure,
> industry and with a social welfare was made in a tempo  like in the
> infrastructure-building of todays gambia. Made over a very short period in
> the 50´ties and beginning of the 60´ties. But  since those days the tax -
> pressure in Denmark has increased every  year, and I think that we are one
> of the nations, where the working people pay most in income tax. And we are
> still trying to get rid of the loans we took those days 40-45 years ago,
> because we wanted to change our standard so fast. From a old-fashion farming
> country, to a modern industrial one. We build so many roads, airports,
> bridges, schools, apartments-buildings, small houses in new planned suburbs.
> And families should have cars etc., etc. The standard was build on foreign
> loans.
> 
> This is my perspective when I look at the very many progress in The Gambia.
> I´m happy about them, but I know what they will cost the ordinary gambian in
> many generations from now on. It´s paid with the decline of the dalasis, the
> daily costs for food, lack of school materials, lack of medicine. And this
> got me to say in december after my return, that I should like the people to
> understand how a state budget was like a family budget. And a wish that the
> political parties would try and inform the people, the supporters how the
> different parties has different solutions to all this, different directions,
> and why.
> 
> Keep on, when I read your Fishermans´s tale my thoughts went back to "small"
> Makumbaya, "big" Kartong, the friends and families.
> 
> Comment and regards from
> Asbjørn Nordam
> 
> 
> 
>> 
>> 
>> The Fisherman's Tale - 2
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
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