This is a terrific initiation. Hope to see more of its kind emulated in other constituencies. Alieu >From: foroyaa <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: PRESS RELEASE ON THE WULI FUND >Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 16:30:37 +0100 > >PRESS RELEASE ON THE WULI FUND > >The Wuli Fund was established in January 1998 after the National Assembly >decided to accept an income of D7000 for each member. The incomes of the >Minority and Majority Leaders were put at D8000 per month. The President, >Vice President and Secretaries of State were allocated incomes amounting to >D26,000; D16,000 and D13,000 respectively. > >Since the sums allocated to the political representatives are derived from >the tax money of the people, Sidia Jatta told the members of the National >Assembly that they should show the people that they are in office not to >enrich themselves at their expense but to serve the people. > >This is precisely the reason why he refused to accept the sum of D7000 for >his own personal income. Instead, he declared at the National Assembly that >he would only take D1500 from the sum received for his personal income and >D1000 for transport allowance; that the rest of the sum, after income tax >deduction, shall be put into a fund for the Wuli Constituency. > >Since January 1998, the sum of D7,000 received by Sidia Jatta on a monthly >basis is spent as follows: > > Personal Income: D1,500.00 > Transport Allowance: D1,000.00 > Income Tax: D599.08 > Wuli Fund: D3,900.00 > > >SUM DEPOSITED > >A sum of D113,100 had been deducted from Sidia Jatta's income and put in >the >Wuli Fund. > > >THE UTILIZATION OF THE FUND > >Two bureaux were opened in Wuli to coordinate work in the constituency. The >bureaux have been instrumental in receiving complaints and providing >disaster relief. They have facilitated the establishment of Disaster Relief >Committees for fire and flood victims. Relief items such as food, clothing >and other utensils had been provided to victims. The Wuli Fund has provided >transportation and logistical support in the delivery of food items worth >D3,490.00 in the aftermath of last year's flood. > >The Wuli Fund has been utilised to open up pilot adult literacy classes in >Wuli East and West. It was envisaged that once the pioneering work is done >other government or non-governmental agencies would take up the projects. >This has not happened. Consequently, since 1998 five literary facilitators >are being paid to run classes. Books have also been produced in the local >languages for mass distribution. Other items such as blackboards, chalk, >exercise books, pencils, rubbers, kerosene and gas lamps were provided to >the literary classes. The village of Bajonkoto received D3000.00 from the >Fund as emergency assistance to prevent a school building from collapsing >for lack of a roof. The FOROYAA Relief Programme mobilised D2000.00 from >the >Taiwanese Embassy to combine it with D3000.00 from the Wuli Fund to provide >corrugated iron sheets and nails for the school at Bajonkoto. > >A sum of D53,232.00 is now left in the Fund. This is to be handed over to >the Committee established to manage the Wuli Fund. The Fund may be managed >to provide grants, loans with interest or loans without interest. If the >Fund is utilised as grant to give aid to persons and communities, it will >neither be able to satisfy the demands of people and would exhaust quickly. >On the other hand, if it is utilised to give loans to persons or the >community without interest, it would be reduced gradually as different >persons and groups receive their request and take their time in repayment. >Finally, if it is utilised to give loans with interest, the Fund will >increase. It is left to the villagers in the constituency to determine the >policies regarding how the Fund is to be spent. > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------