From FOROYAA Burning Issues NO: 1/2003 2 - 5 January, 2003 The Lessons For 2002 And 2003 The Gambia is at a cross road. The past may have gone but its realities are still with us. There is no break between 2002 and 2003. The dalasi is still depreciating against the CFA and other currencies. 5000 CFA Francs is exchanged for 190 dalasis. Gambians can remember when the 10,000 francs could be changed for 180 dalasis. The cost of bread per loaf has increased to D2.50. A tin of Milk with which only the middle earners can afford is 7 dalasis. Sugar is D2.50 per cup. A family of five would need 25 dalasi daily just for each to eat half a loaf of bread with butter milk and tea. Breakfast alone would require a monthly income of 750 dalasis which is one third the annual income of the average farmer. It is therefore no surprise that 69% of the Gambian population are living in abject poverty. The youth population constitute 60% of the population. 195,000 children are in primary school and 68,000 in Upper Basic School. The youth population is growing so is youth employment. 2003 would therefore be crucial in developing means to tackle growing youth problems. The attitude of the Department of State for Tourism towards the youths classified as bumsters indicates a trend towards coercion. There is an attempt to try to solve youth social problems by enacting harsh laws which may further marginalise and antagonise the youths. A national campaign needs to be launched by the civil society to sensitise the youth to become guardians of their own destiny, instead of accepting to be marginalised by raids, arrests, detention, degrading treatments. The youth constitute the majority of the population. They do not have to become desperate. They should be alert and judge objectively who can best protect their collective interests. The women of the country are very hard working. Some are in the gardens and others in the markets. They are the teachers, nurses and administrators of few entrepreneurs. They are becoming conscious of their dignity and worth. They desire to develop a rewarding partnership with men. The government pays lip service to women empowerment. Neither the rural nor urban are economically and politically empowered. Loans of few hundred dalasis are dragging them down to indebtedness. Subservience to political patrons for little favours is still the order of the day. After many debates it appears that women are now taking themselves seriously as a force which can shape Gambian society. In 2003, it is necessary for women to refuse to be rivals to men as many agents of government perpetuates. they are quite aware that our traditions have separated men and women and assigned them different roles which have disadvantaged women more than men. Women however are becoming conscious that men too are disadvantaged that they should work together in harmony to put an end to all disadvantages. There is need for raising the awareness of women in that they will not be used by any political personality or group. They should know their enlightened interest as pioneers of a just, humane and prosperous society. By their love and care for the young they will inspire men to express the same care and love for their family members and this build a stable families. The workers in the country are undergoing very difficult period of their lives. There wages are stagnant while cost of living is becoming higher and higher. They have always been beggars even though they work from sun up to sun down. Those who are watchmen, street cleaners are being subjected to hazardous work conditions everyday end up with pension allowances less than 500 dalasis and live wretched lives after using all their muscles to others. They need enlightenment to understand how to defend their interest. The Trade Unions need to be incorporated in the administrative life of the society. The farmers who constitute 67% of the labour force and whose efforts provide 70% of export earnings are left to earn less than 3000 a year. Many of them live in poverty and destitution. Agriculture, the main stay of the economy cannot feed the population. our food import bill is high and what we produced is hardly processed. this trade deficit of 2.5 billion dalasis. We earn only 417 million from exports and pay 2900 million on imports. There is need to reverse such trends and more towards food security. Any government which is unable to accomplish this is not fit to govern. 2002 witnessed the continued closure of Citizen FM. Walfajri in Senegal is still operating despite its critical pasture. The media is as mature as the society which gives and receives information. No media can survive without an audience. A government which is accountable and transparent has nothing to fear. Its officials will challenge any one who disseminates wrong information and expose them. The country does not need a media commission which is a quasi judicial body to try journalists. What it needs is a media commission that will look into laws and practices which fetter the freedom of media and promote standards that will ensure that truth is disseminated in good faith in the public interest. 2003 should witness the shaping of a new Gambian who is alert, conscious and active, working for a society of liberty. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: FOROYAA (Freedom) NO: 1/2003 2 - 5 January, 2003 ISSN: 0796- 08573 Address: FOROYAA, P.O.Box 2306, Serrekunda, The Gambia, West Africa Telephone: (220) 393177 Fax: (220) 393177 Email address: [log in to unmask] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~