I have seen a  tremendous improvement in Yahya's speech and demeanor. It 
could be the birth of  Baby Muhamed but it is refreshing to hear Yahya now. I mean 
the quality of the  speech, the hopefulness there-in, and the statesmanlike 
delivery are to behold.  I encourage all of us to assist him as he demonstrates 
a new vision in  governance. Thank you Allah. 

HIS EXCELLENCY  THE PRESIDENT'S NEW YEAR MESSAGE 
TO THE NATION – 1ST JANUARY  2008 

Fellow Gambians, 
As a new year dawns on  us and we begin the year 2008, it is cutomary for us, 
as individuals and as a  nation, to reflect on our achievements and 
shortcomings during the year just  ended and commit ourselve to confronting the 
challenges before us with renewed  vigor and greater collective efforts. The stakes 
may be indeed high but our  success, to a very large measure, will be 
determined by our courage and  resilience to overcome these challenges. 
In the year 2007, as indeed in the preceding  years since July 22nd 1994, The 
Gambia has continued to register enviable  progress in our development 
efforts. Thanks to the Almighty Allah, my Government  has been able to successfully 
initiate, launch, and implement numerous  development projects particularly in 
the social and infrastructural sectors such  as the construction of roads, 
health and educational infrastructure. I mus  recognise also the immense 
contributions of the private sector in complimenting  Government's efforts in 
creating needed services and jobs through their  investment activities. We have 
witnessed unprecedented investments in banking  and financial services, tourism and 
telecommunications, fisheries, housing  sectors as well as in agriculture and 
manufacturing industries.  
On the general economic front, 2007 has been an  exceptionally good year for 
The Gambian Economy. We have registered a GDP growth  rate of about 7 percent, 
built around strong and well-managed public finances,  and a sound monetary 
policy that has resulted in low inflation, and enhanced the  international 
reserve situation of the country. An important economic  development is the recent 
approval granted to The Gambia after having reached  HIPC Completion Point 
that simply means that the country will now start to  benefit from both HIPC and 
G8 Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative (MDRI) debt  relief. The resources 
that will be released from this commendable achievement  will now be invested in 
the social sectors and other priority areas of the  economy in 2008 and 
beyond. 
This will include plans that are well advanced  to address the sustainable 
development and retention of capacity in public  administration through reforms 
in pay policy, pensions, human resource  development, and related capacity 
retention programs. While these would be  addressed from the perspective of 
long-term planning and civil service reform,  my government will be coming up with 
interim measures that are expected to  contribute to the effective functioning 
of the civil service and the efficient  dispensation of public 
administration. One of these measures include a 20  percent increase in all salaries across 
the board, with effect from 1st January,  2008. Future salary increase from 
2009 will be worked out on the basis of the  Comprehensive Civil Service Reform 
Program Study that is expected to be  completed soon. 

For 2008, Government will continue to build on the macro  economic gains 
achieved in 2007. Public financial management and fiscal  discipline will continue 
to be strengthened, and monetary policy will be further  tightened to contain 
inflation and create employment. Considerable budgetary  resources have 
already been earmarked for development of the social sectors to  reduce poverty, 
and attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) as well as  the goals of 
Vision 2020. 

Government has also taken the exceptional  decision to commence financing 
huge investments in Government assets. The  building of new Government offices, 
government residences in the Greater Banjul  Area and in the Regions, the 
building of the Science and Mathematics Academy,  and major refurbishment and 
renovations of existing Government assets will all  commence in 2008 and continue 
into 2009. 

In the social sectors, notably  education, health and agriculture, Year 2008 
would be one of consolidating the  gains registered in each of these sectors. 
In 2008, the Basic and Secondary  Education sector will continue to pursue 
policy objectives aimed at improving  the quality of education and expanding 
opportunities for educational access for  Gambian children. More specialized 
Academic institutions would be built to cater  for our Development requirements in 
human resources and capabilities. The Year  2008 therefore calls for 
collective involvement to make our education system the  most robust, and most 
responsive in the whole of the African Continent and even  beyond. While my Government 
would continue to demonstrate commitment to the  education sector in a 
variety of ways, there are worrying signs emerging that  these commitments are not 
being duly reciprocated by the willingness of parents  to ensure that they 
complement our efforts at giving children the best home  training required to 
inculcate in them good behavioural attitudes in readiness  for their future 
leadership roles in this country. It is becoming an  unacceptable norm for some 
young school leavers to choose to do nothing rather  than integrate themselves 
meaningfully into society, and contribute their quota  to economic development. 
The New Year should not be a year of idling and  complacency. It should be a 
year of hardwork, patriotism and meaningful positive  contribution to National 
Development. I therefore take this opportunity to call  on all parents, 
community leaders, religious leaders and the society at large to  work together, in 
inculcating the values of honesty, hard work, enterprise and  the dignity of 
self-reliance especially in our youths as we march towards a  Gambia that we 
will all be proud of; a model not only in Africa but indeed for  the whole world. 
 
Fellow Gambians, 

May I take this  opportunity to commend the security services for their 
laudable efforts in the  maintenance of peace and security within our borders as 
well as in the peace  keeping missions abroad. One cannot over-emphasize the 
importance of peace and  stability as a prerequisite for any meaningful 
development. For without  security, peace and stability, businesses cannot be 
conducted, workers cannot  create wealth, liberty cannot flourish and even life itself 
can become  precarious. The security forces need the support of all honest, 
patriotic and  law abiding citizens and residents in The Gambia and beyond. 

In these  times of great and positive change, we must also reinforce our 
vigilance against  the evils of narrow-minded nationalism, ethnicity, 
factionalism, corruption and  self-aggrandizement. We have worked hard to maintain a 
reputable, secure,  peaceful and stable country that is fundamentally opposed to 
such malpractices.  We should therefore work harder to build upon, maintain as 
well as to sustain  this gain. We must never let our guard down as we all know 
that there are a very  few tiny devils in human form who do not wish this 
country well and are bent on  trying to sabotage our every effort at nation 
building. They will always fail,  Allah willing, as my Government will never spare 
any effort at neutralizing them  at all times. Allah is always on the side of 
Good. We shall continue to prevail  over evil forces of Luciferians and of Bani 
IBLIS. 

My Government will  continue to nurture a peaceful, enabling environment, one 
that respects the rule  of law, gives hope and power to the poor, the 
vulnerable and the marginalized;  one that also provides for a stable, secure and 
legal environment that caters  for a confident and thriving private sector. This 
would in turn translate into a  powerful ‘cordon sanitare' against political 
instability and social malaise –  weaknesses which can easily be exploited by 
trouble-shotters both at home and  abroad.  
Fellow Gambians, 

It is my fervent hope  that as we commence a new year fraught with challenges 
and exciting  opportunities, you and I will be able to stand firm and remain 
committed to the  vibrant hope and vision which were conceived over thirteen 
(13) years ago. We  must also pray for Allah's blessing and guidance; and pray 
for those in  distress, the weak, the sick and the disabled. May Allah give us 
all strength,  health, long life and happiness and prosperity. I need not 
remind you that  'Operation No Compromise' is here to stay as long as we yearn 
for a better  society and country.  
Fellow Gambians,

I now wish to take this  opportunity to wish everyone of you a happy and 
prosperous 2008. 

I also  wish to thank you all for the overwhelming support and goodwill shown 
at the  birth of Baby Muhamed. 

May God bless The Gambia 



**************************************See AOL's top rated recipes 
(http://food.aol.com/top-rated-recipes?NCID=aoltop00030000000004)

¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://listserv.icors.org/archives/gambia-l.html

To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]
¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤¤