The following article was posted 2 week ago. It may still be relevant. Thanks to the management of the L for eventually tracing it. BMK >From: Bakary Kanteh <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: This year's groundnut trade: Questions >Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 18:23:01 +0000 > >From the Point Newspaper: "Sallah revealed that in six weeks time good >refined Gambian oil will be available." >If this is fulfilled, it does not necessarily represent a positive >development. In order for Gambians to gauge its cost-effectiveness, the SOS >for Agriculture needs to reveal how much was spent from public funds >towards >establishing the refinery project? Is it an entirely public enterprise? If >not, what is the private sector's involvement? >If the private sector is involved, what is the agreement on the ownership >of >its assets and the share of liabilities and profit or loss? >The SOS also needs to spell out how viable the oil refinery will be in the >face of massive oil imports into the country? What measures will be adopted >to make it viable? Are costs towards its operation going to be subsidised? >and if so, to what monetary extent or timescale? or is it going to >protected >through import volume and tax controls OR is it to both protected and >subsidised? >In the dispensation of public business, it is the public's right to know >how >so-called development projects are executed through the disclosure of >financial and agreement reports. Fulfilment of the public trust is not >limited to getting things done but making it known to the taxpayers how >such >objectives were realised. >If parliament is truly representing the interest of the public, they must >individually and collectively insist that this is done; the media also has >an important role to play in bringing this about but it is the ultimate >responsiblity of the citizenry to ensure that all public stewards are >accountable because the final say should be ours. > >Finally, the Point should try to verify the accuracy of the following from >the Senegalese Government: "A caller told this paper that Senegal this year >produced 1.2m tons of groundnut but was only able to market 400, 000." I >don't beleive this to be true at all but if the Point is really interested >in getting to the point in this regard, they need to ascertain what >happened >to the balance of 800, 000 tons of Senegalese groundnut that could not be >marketed either by Senegalese farmers or their government. > >The yoke of oppression must be shattered! > >BMK > > > >>From: Jungle Sunrise <[log in to unmask]> >>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list >><[log in to unmask]> >>To: [log in to unmask] >>Subject: This year's groundnut trade. >>Date: Thu, 28 Mar 2002 09:28:07 +0000 >> > > > > >_________________________________________________________________ >Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp. > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _________________________________________________________________ Join the world’s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. 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 To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~