'Gambia Spends D480 Million On Debt Annually'
The Independent (Banjul)
NEWS
August 19, 2002
Posted to the web August 19, 2002
By S.b. Camara
Banjul
Honourable Sedia Jatta National Assembly Member for Wuli West has disclosed
that The Gambia spends up to D480 million annually on debt servicing.
According to Honourable Jatta this figure, represents more than a third of our
national budget, and more than the budget for education, health and agriculture
put together.
'The budget for these three important sectors is less than what we are putting
on debt. How can we hope to wipe out the darkness of illiteracy in such
circumstances? Democracy cannot be fostered and promoted in Africa without the
African mind' he said, while deliberating on illiteracy and democracy in a
conference on democracy in Africa.
Honourable Jatta pointed out that although Africa is one of the richest, if not
the richest continent in the world, paradoxically her people are rated among
the poorest in the world.
'Post-independence Africa has failed to harness herself to a point that she is
now totally under the weight of a debt burden. It can only carry adjustments or
inadequately providing essential services for her people' he observed.
He said efforts are required, characterised by systemic economic measures to
begin meaningful and necessary social engineering towards promoting well-
managed literacy programmes throughout the continent. 'To render our people
literate is to help widen their intellectual horizon, to make them become adept
in assuming the enterprise of their children. The sovereignty of people cannot
be guaranteed without their empowerment, and literacy is the only strong way of
empowering the people' Jatta posited, adding that empowerment is the
cornerstone of any genuine democratic process, which takes its nourishment from
the sustained and awareness efforts of those prosecuting it.
Honourable Jatta believes Africa has all it needs for her people to live
dignified life. 'What's remain to be done is to raise their democratic
consciousness in such a way that it makes it impossible for any political
talent to throw dust in our eyes. In what way can situation of democracy can be
ensured from a state of manipulation, a situation in which there is crime
discrepancy between the language officially used by state and the language used
by those they are representing' he said.
He cited an example of The Gambia where parliamentarians spoke in English in
the National Assembly while their electorates staring, listening and struggling
hard to understand what their representatives are saying.
'This is mis-representation', he argued, adding that it is the requirement of
the fundamental laws of the land for them to read and speak English before they
can represent their people.
'In what way can we raise the democratic consciousness of the people in a
situation where politicians cannot adequately assume the responsibility of
promoting such a culture. How can a democratic empowerment of the people be
enhanced where fundamental instrument of government such as the constitution
are written in a language widely in accessible to the masses of the people' he
reasoned.
Another factor responsible for this according to the Honourable gentleman is
the continuous use of foreign languages as languages of officialdom and
scholarship. 'African languages must be our fundamental tools. That's the only
way we can be one with those we are representing and the only way can
participate in the developmental concepts. Otherwise we are deceiving
ourselves' he suggested.
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