Sanusi:

Well put! If I may add, remittances also help pay for school fees, compound
rates/ taxes, fees paid for medical, water, telephone and other services.
Gambians who have completed or are building houses at home can attest to the
fees for the building(s), water and electricity installation charges, not to
mention telephone service.  Also, part of the money spent on other goods and
services, end up in government coffers as taxes.   And given Gambia's social
system, many in the Diaspora help support people outside their immediate or
extended families.

The situation in The Gambia is, simply put, worrisome and no amount of
"talk" can mislead people of the reality.  All one needs to do is call home,
which I am sure most of you do.  In fact, one does not have to be political
or be critical of the regime to come to the conclusion that the bulk of
Gambians are suffering.  It is a daily reality.  Let us accept it as a given
and work to remdy it.  And while the fuel, electricity, water and other
shortage(s) are emblematic of a deep economic crisis and mismanagement, the
fundamental problem is political.  Jammeh can hire, fire, blame or assume
all Government portfolios but that will not solve the crisis.  He can blame
all the oil companies and his ministers but responsibility for these
problems are primarily his.  It is clear to me and most others, that the
Jammeh Administration, alone, can not reverse this crisis. Jamme's
"meat-money" and "lettuce" antidotes make my point.

I cringe and mourn personally whenever I hear or read of another hand-out or
act of charity to The Gambian people.  This may continue  well into the
future.  The next major crisis is likely to be the impending Hajj to Mecca.
If Jammeh insists on business as usual, rather than leaving it to the Travel
Agents who know better, we may see a repeat of the problems.


Price:  Thanks for your report.

Abdoulaye





>From: Sanusi Owens <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: [log in to unmask]
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [>-<] THE DEBATE: Are Gambians In The Diaspora OUTTA TOUCH?
>Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2002 18:17:59 +0000 (GMT)
>
>[ This e-mail is posted to Gambia|Post e-Gathering by
>=?iso-8859-1?q?Sanusi=20Owens?= <[log in to unmask]> ]
>
>
>Gassa
>
>You wrote:
>
>"There are some who constantly keep on yapping at how
>  much of a role the  monies remitted by Diasporan
>Gambians have in  propping up the economy of
>  the country and as such how much we, in Gambia,
>  should recognize and appreciate that role. To that
>extent, some seem to  think of us as being
>ungrateful, unconscious and obviously irrelevant in
>  the bigger scheme of  things. However, what these
>people fail to realise  is what becomes of those
>  monies and how it indirectly has a role in worsening
>  our plight."
>
>Gassa
>I am really shock with this analogy ! Don't you know
>that its not the hard cash that we only  send to our
>families but other necessities which requires us to
>pay duty and this is actually a source of revenue for
>Customs and Excise. Don't you know that a good amount
>of gambians living diaspora do contribute towards
>generating revenue for Customs???
>
>You also wrote
>
>"For starters, those families for whom they are
>intended use the monies  being remitted to family
>members. Money sent by  George Sarr for the family
>of George Sarr goes to the Sarr family and not the
>Jaiteh, Gassama, Ndure  or Gaye families. In other
>words, these monies are  meant for the use of
>those families and not all of us. As such, it does
>not matter that much to  the rest of us as
>individuals"
>
>The cash flow of foriegn currency that we send to OUR
>FAMILIES in the Gambia does aid our economy. If this
>is untrue then perhaps you should advise the APRC to
>scrap plans of introducing £5.00 Airport tax  for  all
>people from the UK visited the Gambia. This new levy
>is paid by all Gambians desperate to visit their
>families.
>
>Finall, how about the worthy causes that we support
>through recognised charitable organisation working in
>the Gambia. I would suggest that you give this topic a
>rethink before offending us for assisting our beloved
>ones sufferring under APRC.
>
>Have a wonderful day
>
>Sanusi Owens
>
>
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