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Subject:
From:
ABDOUKARIM SANNEH <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Wed, 31 Oct 2007 20:08:32 +0000
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Dr Jaiteh and Haruna
  What a good comment. For Haruna please don't waste your time about
 contacting Yahya Jammeh. I disagree with you that Jammeh did some good
 but can you weight against evil? I don't think you are compromising you
 principle but every decent citizens who is aware of the demage this
 regime have effect on our people should isolate them. They can use your
 ideas without acknowledgement and abuse you in the end. Haruna has you
 stated this regime have no respect for highly trained Gambian and damn
 what the so-called jealousy and moral adjudication coming from Suntou.
 Sometimes we have seen jealousy in our country manifesting in tribal
 dimension, educational achievement, material accumulation and access to
 opportunities. Your contribution to the thematic issue remind me about the
 research works of Gambia's Dr Ebrima Sall of Council for Development of
 Economic and Social Science Resaerch in Africa- about the state of
 academic and Intellectual freedom in Africa. Brain drain in our
 continent is cause bad government, erosion of human rights and lack of
 security for our continent's brain.

Haruna Darbo <[log in to unmask]> wrote:  
Malanding,

I associate myself with your concerns and verily financial remuneration is 
the single most important consideration given the suffocating poverty in 
Gambia. Since Gambia has a long way to go even after Yahya to match the financial 
alternatives available to new graduates, I tend to share the belief, as you 
indicated, that given a modicum of financial consideration, Life, Liberty, and 
the unfettered pursuit of happiness and choice will do wonders in a short 
period of time. And those things cannot just be promised. They have to be seen 
to be givens. Professionalism must also be important to Yahya and it cannot be 
bought. I know Yahya has the capacity within him to make it happen. What a 
great day that would be for Gambia.

In my own case for example, I was not lucky enough to be allocated a 
scolarship. I wasn't even looking forward to it. I knew that whether I went abroad 
for further studies or not, a university degree or not, I could be a valuable 
citizen of Gambia and inmspire my fellow citizens. Luck would have it that I 
was brought to the US by an acquaintance. All the while I was planning to 
return to Gambia to give back even when Yahya first came. Meanwhile, and as luck 
would have it, the graduate school of engineering afforded me an opportunity 
to engage in research for the Texas Oil company and Aramco even before I 
completed my undergraduate studies. I was still looking forward to going to 
Gambia to work for the country. Even though I was handsomely compensated by these 
two companies, I ended up giving most of it away to charity and endowment to 
Morehouse school of Medicine. The ensuing events of wanton disappearances and 
idiots running around town with weapons they could hardly operate just 
sapped the enthusiasm from me. When I was finally ready to go, but sans zeal and 
desire, (you know I can't keep quiet about important matters, hell I can't 
even keep quiet for benign matters), I just fooled around and submitted a 
proposal for a recurring annual contract for a multinational company and when it 
was accepted I wasn't even exopecting it. But the rest is history.

I am going to Gambia soon with the hope that I can share some ideas with 
Yahya, without needing or requiring payment for it, just to lend me his ears. I 
think even Yahya is tired of doing wrong now, at least that's what mutual 
friends are telling me. I think I can make a difference in his life FOR GAMBIA 
even if he has to take my life for it. It will have been well worth it. I see 
he is making some effort and I think he needs encouragement.

Thanx again for sharing. At the risk of going on and on about the fleeting 
promise Yahya holds for Gambia, Haroun Masoud. MQDT. Al Mutawakkil. I just have 
to liqudate my assets or give them away first or perhaps exchange them for 
value in Gambia. If anyone is interested in a beautiful home or two, one for 
$340,000.00 the other for $200,000 and a few drilling rigs for a total of 
$10,000,000.00, Lemme know quick. They are priced to sell. I will be in South 
Africa soon so giddy up folks.
In a message dated 10/30/2007 12:06:37 P.M. Mountain Daylight Time, 
[log in to unmask] writes:

Suntou,
I am sure you will agree with me that all things (job security, proper 
pay and personal safety) equal, few Gambians including yourself would 
want to migrate to the West. And who says that an educated Gambian 
living in the Gambia is more valuable than that who lives in Japan/New 
Zealand, Spain or USA? Bytheway, did you check to see what effect 
recent changes at Gamtel had on this fellow's decision to migrate?

Suntou, it is not really difficult for one to figure out that many 
Gambians (male, female, educated and illiterate) leave because the 
Gambia failed to provide them Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of 
Happiness (Thomas Jefferson). Trust me if the government of the Gambia 
spends its time and energy to ensure these three things for the 
citizens, few will think of migrating. And those already away will 
surely return if things improve.

If we do the arithmetic - A university graduate (MSc engineer) at middle 
level management position in the civil service earns about D15,000 per 
month take home. This is less than 700 today's daollars. With 
moonlighting (as building construction supervisor or running after 
travel per diem) the guy is doomed to embezzle public funds just to put 
food on the table.
The same person in the US could take home $5000 per month. This could 
easily guarantee him a mortgage, a car loan, food at the table, a chance 
to buy a government allocate plot of land in the Gambia for $12,000 and 
a regular monthly stipen for family back home of $100(D2000 todays dollar).

May we should see government scholarship as investment on its citizens. 
If the return on investment is higher when recipients work in Mexico 
than in the Gambia, let it be. Bonding or other restrictions could only 
worsen the situation.


Malanding Jaiteh



Suntou Touray wrote:

>some Gambian students are fortunate enough to gain scholarship into 
>expensive overseas universities.this is a big opportunity for every hard 
working 
>son/daughter's of the gambia.but i have one major concern.the government 
>spend thausands of dollars into this students .what policies do the 
>government or regulators put in place to make sure the best is gain from 
this 
>students ? again ,what measures are in place to make sure some of this 
>students return home after graduation ?
>
>i have seen quite a few government sponsored students who overstay or 
>return home only to come back to europe or america in a very short period.
>
>i just heard of a case recently of a gamtel sponsored students who spend 
>over three years doing his degree and then his masters .he return home four 
>months ago . i heard he got a job in u.s and he is planning to travel to 
america 
>by next month.what a waste of public fund.on average a sponsored student 
>spend 20000 dollars par year .how many civil servants can get their wages 
>paid from that ? why are this people abandoning our country after the tax 
>payers money has been spent on them ? 
>who is to blame for this mess ? many have gone breifly to the government 
>just to be seen and then disappear into either non-government organistion 
or 
>some other work places. what sort of bond do this people have to sign ? i 
am 
>not the least jealous of any one who went through a government scholarship 
>program ,i only want appropraite repayment back to the gambian people.it 
>doesn't make any one wiser to cheat our system.i may not aggree with 
>government in place but if any one accept a scholarship from them ,then it 
>only right you fulfil the terms of the aggrrement.
>
>いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい
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>いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい
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>

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