Absolutely. All is well Modou. I hope you are doing well too. Thanks for asking.
Regards,Pa. Saikou Kujabi.
 

    On Tuesday, May 23, 2017 1:09 PM, Modou Mboge <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 

 Pa Saikou, it has been a while.  Hope all is well you brother.  

Best regards,
Mboge

On Tue, May 23, 2017 at 3:31 AM, Pa. Saikou Kujabi <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

I hope they do listen Baba. The question is, will they tap and utilize the great talents in the Diaspora. Only time will tell. 
Hey Modou,what's up. Great to hear you again bro.

   

    On Monday, May 22, 2017 4:16 PM, "0000023fa19a99c8-dmarc- [log in to unmask]" <0000023fa19a99c8-dmarc- [log in to unmask]> wrote:
 

 Mboge, it is unfortunate if that should be the case. People like Dr. Baba Galleh Jallow could have been very resourceful contributors. Our country is presented with an opportunity to evolve a true democratic dispensation, the rule of law and the consolidation of institutions and structures that will last for generations to come. 

Now that we have a regime change, and most Gambians want to take ownership of this government this is the best time to bring about a system change. If we miss this opportunity it would be yet another long struggle. 

Looking at the coalition blueprint I was fascinated with the idea of the Coalition Executive Committee. This is the foundation in developing an experiment that would have been uniquely suited for our democratic experience. However, it may be overtly ambitious as the contradictions between what is possible and what is ideal become a focal issue that test our commitment to a democratic experiment.    

I believe that is the reason why some contend that the coalition was just for a regime change. And once the regime is gone the contentious issues of the character of the regime change become more pronounced. And with it the idea of the Coalition Executive Committee, I presume, become a casualty: the highest decision making organ of the coalition government. Its governing authority.    

 This was too good to be true. An "advise and consent' body that functions just like the United States senate and the US Presidency. The only difference is that in the US it is constitutionally mandated and in our case it can only work with the "benevolence" of an Executive President who wants to partake in the exercise. 

And just imagine if all the leaders of the parties that form the coalition were sitting as members of the Coalition Executive Committee. And they are handsomely rewarded with all the benefits that accrue to their ministerial positions. And instead of serving as minsters they will only serve as members of the Coalition Executive Committee: the highest decision making organ of the coalition government. Its government authority. 

It would have been an experiment. After all, American democracy was also founded on an experiment.

Rene  



-----Original Message-----
From: Modou Mboge <[log in to unmask]>
To: GAMBIA-L <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Mon, May 22, 2017 1:33 pm
Subject: Re: [G_L] Fw: Development is People

Bro Rene, that think-tank is no more I guess.  It was something as you know, Halifa was in the lead to get it going but as we all witnessed, Barrow is following the advise of his father whose party members has a visceral hatred for anything PDOIS and Halifa.

best,

Mboge

On Mon, May 22, 2017 at 6:28 PM, <0000023fa19a99c8-dmarc- [log in to unmask]> wrote:


Thanks Baba and Mboge. That is why the idea of the think-tank is so pertinent. What happened?

Rene

-----Original Message-----
From: Modou Mboge <[log in to unmask]>
To: GAMBIA-L <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Mon, May 22, 2017 11:34 am
Subject: Re: [G_L] Fw: Development is People

Baba,

It seems you have been having a telepathic conversation with Associate Professor Sanjay G Reddy of the New School. Utilizing the expertise of some in the diaspora can take New Gambia very far.  Countries like Isreal, India and Rwanda have utilized their diaspora efficiently.  Hope as you noted the government is capable of doing so.  I am not that optimistic thus far.   See this quote I took from Reddy's piece: 

"Taking an inventory of national capabilities, some of which may be hidden (e.g. in the substantial Gambian diaspora, small in absolute number but a large resource for the country) is another necessary early step. "

https://developingeconomics. org/2017/04/27/an-economic- strategy-for-the-gambia/

Sharing your piece on my facebook wall and sending you a friends request as well.

Best,

Mboge


On Mon, May 22, 2017 at 5:13 PM, Baba Jallow <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Machudo Fulbe, Ajaarama. Great that Jolas are now speaking the language of their masters. We can now call you Pa Saikou Jallow. Hopefully our new government will listen and take note of well-meaning suggestions from some of us on the outside. Thank you for the feedback.
Best regards,Baba
On Mon, May 22, 2017 at 9:42 AM, Pa. Saikou Kujabi <0000084f3dc6399f-dmarc-reques [log in to unmask]> wrote:

"Jaraama machudoJola."  Well stated Baba. If Kairaba Hotel could serve as the seat of government for so long, I wonder why any important conference cannot be held in one of the hotel's magnificent Ball Rooms. The Gambia has a long road to travel and a particularly  daunting task of recovering from decades of economic injustice perpetuated by our own governments. We as a nation have to be able to identify our  developments priorities to our donors, and indeed dictate how those funds should be spent.  I couldn't agree more with you that Education and Skill Training programs are two key important priorities in achieving our short and long-term development goals. I would argue that when a people have the requisite academic and technical skills necessary to do for themselves what others have been doing for them for centuries, only then can they claim total freedom from the economic bondage of the west. We do not want to continue begging and receiving hand-outs for ever. Invest in our young Gambian citizens NOW. Human Development is National Development.  

Keep it up guys.  

     On Sunday, May 21, 2017 4:30 PM, Baba Jallow <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 

 Development is PeopleBy Baba Galleh JallowA recent news report indicates that The Gambia governmenthas just secured a $50 million grant from the Chinese government to build aninternational conference center. The question that immediately came to mind waswho suggested the nature of the project for which this money will be spent? Didthe Gambia government ask for $50 million dollars to build a conference center?Or was the project suggested and funded by the Chinese government? Theunderlying rationale for my question is whether this money could not be betterused funding the education or training of Gambian youths in skills that wouldbring prosperity to themselves, their families and our country.Surely, a conference center is important. But it iscertainly not Gambia’s most urgent need at the moment. It is true that thecenter will provide employment for some Gambians and that it could serve as a touristattraction. However, I think if the Barrow administration has any say in thematter, they should indicate that while important, building an internationalconference center is not one of our top priorities at the moment and that thegrant money could be more usefully spent on other areas, especially on theeducation and training of young Gambians. In the New Gambia we need ourgovernments both present and future to be more discerning about our nationalpriorities and avoid spending scarce resources on projects that, while important,will only add to our national expenses. Once this conference hall is built, itbecomes another expensive structure to maintain and will hardly generate any significantrevenue for the country.  On the other hand, let us consider how many full five-yearscholarships even $10 million can pay for Gambian students in any university,especially the UTG? Just $10 million can transform the lives of hundreds ofGambian citizens and their families. Should our government therefore spend all$50 million on a building rather than use it to build Gambian lives? Cananother $10 million not be spent on improving facilities at the University ofThe Gambia, buying adequate furniture, or equipping university classrooms withoverhead projectors and labs and computer rooms with state of the art technologythat will facilitate research and learning of the highest order? How about yetanother $10 million dollars on the procurement of vital medical equipment,beds, and drugs for our hospitals and health centers? That would still leave$20 million dollars which is enough to build a decent conference center worthyof The Gambia. With all due respect, one cannot help but argue that spending $50million on building an international conference center in The Gambia is unjustifiablywasteful. We do not doubt the Barrow administration’s good intentions.But good intentions must be backed by good thinking and planning. We suggestthat at this crucial and potential-rich moment of our national history, thereis an urgent need for more discerning consideration of our national priorities.Things have been done this way since independence and we have not seen muchimprovement in terms of general development of and for the Gambian people.There is a need to start thinking of new and more creative ways of going aboutachieving our national development objectives. Old ways of doing things haveproven infective and if the Barrow administration or any future Gambiangovernment does not take the time to carefully think about our national orderof priorities and how to do things better, they will not be able to leave muchof a mark in terms of developmental achievements.The key point we want to make here is that development is aboutpeople. While building expensive infrastructure will give our country some semblanceof modernity, developing the human person through effective education andtraining will yield more significant results for our national economy and community.Investing in people is the key to African development and so far, Africangovernments have not given this crucially important issue the attention itdeserves. Who knows how many hundreds of millions of dollars in development aidhave gone down the drain in our small Gambia alone since independence? And whatdo we have to show for it? The reason for this is not hard to find. It issimply that hundreds of millions of dollars have been spent on the wrong projectsrather than on developing our precious human resources.  Development and prosperity have been elusivefor our country because hundreds of millions of dollars are invested inprojects that cannot bring about development and prosperity but take away fromthe meager resources we have. It is way past time to rethink our nationaldevelopmental priorities which demand that we put the human person at the frontand center of public investment.It is safe to assume that a Chinese company will be giventhe contract to build the $50 million international conference center from theChinese grant money. This means that while we will end up with a beautifulstructure, the immediate fruits of the grant money will benefit the Chineseeconomy and Chinese nationals more than it will benefit the Gambian economy andGambian nationals. Needless to say, the project will create employment for manyGambians during the construction phase, and it will continue to provide a fewjobs here and there afterwards. But these benefits are nothing compared to whathundreds of scholarships for Gambian students will yield. Why not considersending at least 20 Gambian students to China or a country of China’s choicefor training using at least a million dollars of this grant money? Chineseinstitutions will still benefit but the benefits for us will be more tangibleand long-lasting. Yes, the Chinese government is giving some Gambian studentsscholarships and the conference project might be a tourist attraction. Still,just one million dollars set aside for more scholarships for Gambian studentswill be extremely useful to our country in the short, medium and long term.Again, suffice it to say that development is about people and the more weinvest in our people, the closer we will get to whatever developmental goals weseek.At this moment in our history, there is an abundance ofinternational goodwill for the New Gambia. The Barrow administration is in aposition to benefit from hundreds of millions of dollars in loans or grantsfrom well-meaning members of the international community. However, it will behelpful for the Gambia government to pause and reconsider how best these moniesmay be invested for the direct improvement of the lives of the Gambia people.In particular, the government should try to make it possible for a part of everysingle aid package to be invested directly on the education and training ofGambian citizens, and on other projects that directly impact the lives ofGambian citizens. Develop the people and the people will develop their country. ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interfaceat: http://listserv.icors.org/arch ives/gambia-l.htmlTo Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRI PTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-lTo contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:[log in to unmask] s.org¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤ ¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤

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