Gassama, I am so happy that you decided to talk about these ‘projects’.
Some housekeeping first.  Since Jawara and PPP are now members of the APRC,
can you please save us the crap of taking us back to the PPP era.  We want
to look at the AFPRC/APRC record and what they (AFPRC/APRC) could have done.
  So, there is no point lying about the PPP regime to provide a smokescreen
for exaggerating the AFPRC/APRC record.  Just as an example.  You
conveniently ignored the fact prior to 1994 the Banjul-Serrekunda Highway
was in good condition.  Almost all the major streets inside Banjul were
paved.  I do NOT hold brief for PPP, but want to debunk your lies when you
pretended that the roads in the country were in a ‘terrible state’ and were
rescued by the AFPRC/APRC.  See, AFPRC/APRC has to lie about PPP in order to
look good.  Another housekeeping.  Rest assured that you are dealing with a
well-informed ‘Diasporan’.  You CANNOT lie to me and get away with it.

For this posting, I will just deal with your first issue: the road
‘network’; since the Arch is a non-issue for me.  The difficulties both you
and others have explaining exactly what you mean by the ‘road network’ goes
to show that what you are engaged in is exaggerations and lies.  One read
your pieces, one is NOT sure what roads are completed and which ones are
‘plans’ and ‘commitments’. Tell us in plain English what roads the
AFPRC/APRC has BUILT.  How many kilometers?  Then the whole world would know
that after all, this bogus ‘development’ you people constantly rattle about
(the ‘development’ that should make us tolerate child murderers), is nothing
but a mirage.  Remember, the PPP argument is out of the window now.  Once we
establish what the AFPRC/APRC did in terms of ‘development’, then me and you
will move on to the ‘sources’ of these projects.  There we will talk about
corruption.

I will NOT talk about human rights or the rule of law.  Let us just talk
about ‘bread-and-butter’ issues and what ‘development’ AFPRC/APRC brought to
the country.  The story you told about the villager from Nuimi is very
interesting.  I heard a somewhat similar story from a friend of mine that
came back from Gambia after his Christmas vacation.   The funny thing about
the story I heard from my friend was that he had to change and take a shower
after traveling from Latrikunda Mampatokoto to Westfield.  You (Gassama)
come here and talk about Westfield-Mandinaba road.  Do you care to tell
people what stage of ‘construction’ that ‘road’ is in?  In 1994 the road
from Brikama to Westfield was at least passable and one would NOT be
showered with dust trying to travel from Latrikunda to Westfield.  Now, if
someone wants to travel that distance, one has to have a change of cloths in
order to appear presentable in Banjul.

You go to Banjul, only the streets that were paved pre-1994 are in good
order.  If you want to go to certain streets, you have to park your car
several city blocks away and walk through ‘poto-poto’ streets.  In other
words, all this hype about ‘road network’ is just talking about a dead-trap
(Kombo Coastal); because the road is NOT well-lit.  I will read the rest of
your gibberish and get back to you if need be about the ‘hospitals’.  That
ridiculous Arch, I would NOT even discuss.  I hope when I read the bit about
the hospitals I will NOT see the same story about the roads: instead of
talking about things that have actually been done, you want to mislead
people by giving them ‘plans’, but will pretend that the ‘projects’ have
been completed.  Plans and commitments are cheap.  Yaya and his cohorts can
dream about things they ‘want’ for the country.  You can come here and say
that APRC ‘plans’ to build roads throughout the country.  Did Yaya not say
that he was going to electrify 98% of the country by July 2001.  ‘Plans’ are
cheap.  The reality on the ground is a different matter.  I speak to honest
Gambians that are NOT sycophants and are NOT needy of praise from AFPRC/APRC
stalwarts and they do NOT owe their livelihoods to Yaya.  They tell me what
roads are built and the ones that are in the fertile imagination of APRC
clowns.

You can fall for AFPRC/APRC gimmicks when they see elections coming and ask
CSE to pour gravel on some roads to pretend that we are going to have a
‘first-class’ Highway.  Some of us are NOT that gullible.  We know it takes
more than that to build roads.  Right under your nose, the mental midgets
running our country are engaged in shenanigans when they deal with CSE in
this manner; ignoring international procurement benchmarks.  But simple
minds like yours do NOT see that.  You are too eager to come to G_L to lie
to people and pretend that the road is already built.  Do you have the
slightest idea what went on behind the scenes about the Westfield-Mandinaba
road?  Like I said, in due course we will get to ‘sourcing’ and the merits
and demerits of these projects.

You can fool some in the Diaspora about AFPRC/APRC ‘developments’.  But you
CANNOT finesse me with your lies.
KB


>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: Feeling like a fish out of water.
>Date: Wed, 6 Feb 2002 13:22:32 +0000
>


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