FOROYAA BURNING ISSUES NO: 4/2003 13 - 15 January, 2003
CONTENTS:
* President Jammeh And The Former P.P.P VIPs
* "There Is No Allah's World Bank For APRC" - Halifa Sallah's
Enlightenmnt Tour Of Serrekunda Central
* Some Aliens Vouch To Leave The Country
* Halifa Sallah's Reaction To The 2003 Budget Speech
* Sidia Jatta's Reaction To The Budget Speech
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Editorial
President Jammeh And The Former P.P.P VIPs
Are They Being Used?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The invitation of some of the VIPs of the Former Regime to State House to
speak to the Vice President is being interpreted in many different ways.
Some claim that the Jammeh Regime has shown its incapacity to rule and is
calling on members of the former regime to help him to run the country.
Others claim that since many political parties are calling for a national
conference to discuss about the future of the country, President Jammeh has
decided to ignore such a call and is now engaged in his own way of
consultation, just to give the impression that the opinion of all
stakeholders have been taken on board.
On The Visit
A careful observation would reveal that President Jammeh may well be
trying to dismantle the PPP. In short, if it was just to get advice, the
Ex-head of PPP, Ex-President Jawara has already visited him and had offered
to be an elderly statesman who would not hesitate to give any advice.
The associates of the Ex-president had protested that he had settled his
case with the APRC government without putting up their case. It appears
that the Jammeh regime is engaged in a fact finding mission before the PPP
comes up with a congress. The outcome of the consultation should be
awaited with caution.
There is no doubt that Ex-president Jawara and the Ex-opposition leader
Dibba have both shown that they will not compete with President Jammeh.
Many NCP stalwarts have already joined the ranks of the APRC. It appears
that the Jammeh regime is widening the net.
In our view, what the country needs is not a national conference where
political elites share ministerial posts. What is needed is the opening up
of the public media for national debate. For example the producer of the
indepth programme presented by Mrs. Neneh Macdoll-Gaye should invite
representatives from other political parties to discuss the state of the
economy.
Experts in all sectors such as bankers, economists, university students,
farmers, workers, market vendors can take turn in questioning the panellist
on all aspects of national life and giving their opinion. This is what can
promote a search for solution to address our problems. This is what can
help to enlighten the people. Rumours about private meetings between the
Vice President and Ex-PPP VIPs serve very little purpose. Such naive
comments that Jammeh calls them to learn from them on how to run a
government only helps the people to be ignorant of the real issues. Jammeh
had the big fishes like Ex-president Jawara and Ex-opposition leader Dibba
singing praise to him. Why should Gambians occupy themselves with visits
to the state house by those under Jawara?
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"There Is No Allah's World Bank For APRC"
Halifa Sallah's Enlightenmnt Tour Of Serrekunda Central
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
On Friday 10th January 2003 Halifa Sallah commenced a three-week
enlightenment tour of the Serrekunda Central constituency to inform them of
developments at the National Assembly in particular and the country in
general. The meetings are being held at strategic locations in the
community.
Unlike previous meetings, Halifa comes with documents such as reports of
the National Assembly proceedings, budget speeches, questions and answers,
agreements and other resource materials. He frequently made references to
such
materials and supplied the messages for the electorates to understand.
A major point made by Halifa Sallah is that, he is the watchman of the
constituency. His duty is to speak on behalf of the electorate. He informed
them that everything he or other National Assembly members say is produced
in a form of a report. Halifa took out the reports and promised that he
will deposit copies at the New World for Youths Library in Bundung. He
added that once they are photocopied he would deposit some in offices of
youth organisations and school libraries so that the educated can read what
is going on at the National Assembly. Halifa emphasised that if the readers
of the National Assembly proceedings disapprove of most of the things he
says at the National Assembly they should know that he is not the type of
person they should vote for in the next National Assembly elections.
Halifa then went on to explain why the dalasi is falling, prices are
increasing and poverty is growing.
He explained central and local government operations. He backed everything
he said by making references or reading the documents he brought. The
audience became so overwhelmed with facts they demanded for longer meetings.
Some of the issues highlighted are as follows:
On The Economy
Halifa explained that government revenue provide services in the area of
health, education, agriculture also can be derived from four sources (a)
Loans and grants (b) Taxation, (c) Service charges (d) Profits from Public
enterprises.
He argued the government needs money to meet its day-to-day expenditure. He
said he has asked the Secretary of State for Finance and Economic Affairs
how much profit government is deriving from public enterprises and was
informed that none
of the public enterprises except two had paid dividends to government. GPA
paid D1 million while Banjul Breweries where government has shares paid
D20, 000.
Halifa observed that the budget for 2003 is 17000 million dalasis; that if
public enterprises pay less than 2 million dalasis to government it would
have to gain over 1600 million from loans, taxation and service charges;
that this is
why service charges and loans are increasing. Halifa put the debt of the
government to commercial banks, other people and enterprises in the country
at 2900 million. This is done by issuing treasury bills. He added that the
total debt burden of the country is 13,000 million and that over 30% of the
total budget amounting to 539 million dalasis is allocated to the repayment
and servicing of loans.
Halifa indicated that since the national loans are becoming too much the
government is now depending mainly on service charges and taxation to
derive revenue. He explained that this is why drivers licences has
increased from D150
to D300 dalasis. He said this is why Alien Registration and Residential
Permits have also increased. He said carpenters and hairdressers are also
to pay. He mentioned all the sum to be paid but cautioned that those who
earn not more 7500
dalasis a year should not pay direct taxes.
He said he has also spoken to the authorities and he is told that they will
first investigate the category in which to place different workshops and
businesses before starting to collect tax. He asked the people to inform
him of collections before the date appointed by the tax collectors so that
the practice can be stopped.
Halifa mentioned that Taiwan has given up to 500 million dalasis to Gambia
which was used to build the Airport, the Arch, the Kerewan road, Ice plant
in Banjul and two generators. He said this is the Allah's World Bank the
President used to
say. Halifa indicated that the government got generators but did not
consider that the transmission lines could not transmit the electricity.
That they had to approve a loan of 500 million dalasis for the replacement
of the transmission
lines.
He said this is a case of putting the cart before the horse. He added that
the most an honest can do, is to tell the people where it get revenue, how
much and what it has done with it. If the people are happy they will
support the government. If not they can replace it. He said the government
gets money from the people or takes loans which are to be paid by the
people.
TO BE CONTINUED
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Some Aliens Vouch To Leave The Country
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The recent budget speech by the Secretary of State for Finance, Mr. Famara
Jatta on the taxation is seen by some aliens or other foreign nationals as
a threat to their stay in the Gambia to the extent that some of them are on
the verge of
leaving the country.
There are rumours already that some have already left the country upon
hearing the taxes they are supposed to pay to the state for the year 2003.
Foroyaa mounted an investigation to know whether some of them are leaving
the country or have already left due to the said budget on alien taxation.
One Momodou Barry a Guinean shopkeeper residing at Latrikunda Sabiji told
our reporter that he is preparing to leave the country because he cannot
pay all the taxes levied on him and his family. Mr. Barry said when the SoS
for Finance mentioned taxes for Aliens like him since that day he could not
sleep well, thinking about how to pay for five people's Alien card
including himself plus the licence of his shop. He said because of that he
has no other option but to leave the country.
Asked how long he has been in the Gambia, he said for eight good years.
Our reporter informed him that it is stated by the Immigration Department
that some countries like Guinea have been exempted from paying Residential
Permits; that nationals of such countries need to pay just Alien ID Cards.
He said for
Guineans to be exempted from paying Residential Permits is a good gesture
but there is nothing he can do as at now to stay in the Gambia as far as
this taxation on Alien ID Cards is concerned.
He was asked whether he would stay if alien tax and other taxes are revised
to a standard that he can afford to pay? But he doubts if there is going to
be any revision on the said alien taxation. He said he has no hope of such
a thing happening since this is government policy and he does not think
there can be any revision.
The next person our reporter met was Abdoulie Cherno Jallow also a Guinean
National who said he has been in the Gambia for more than twenty years now
with a large family. He has two wives and nine children some whom are
school children. So when he heard about the budget speech on alien taxation
he was shocked and could not believe what he heard. Asked whether he is
also on the verge of leaving the country as others are about to do, he
said, it is indeed difficult for him to decide whether to leave or not
because he has children who are born here and are attending school. He owns
a compound here and has been doing business here for the past twenty years.
So to go back to his original home country could create a lot of problems
for him and his family.
One thing he is really worried about which he cannot also understand is
when it comes to paying aliens identity card; that this is whether he is
the only one as head of the family who should pay or the whole family.
"If", he said, "the whole family is to pay Alien ID Cards, then there is no
other alternative but to leave the country because I cannot pay the Alien
ID Cards of the whole family every year."
A Senegalese by the name Dam Faye who owns a metal workshop also talked
about the tax levied on them. He said he knows that the Senegalese are
exempted from paying Residential Permits but still there are other taxes
they are suppose to pay.
"There are Alien Identity Cards, workshop taxes, licences etc. All these
payments indeed are impossible," he said. "What about if one is with a wife
and children how do you expect to live with such taxation?" he asked.
Mr. Dam Faye said he owns a metal workshop where he works with ten young
people who he is training as apprentices and they are all Gambians. So when
he learnt about the exhorbitant tax been levied on alien identity cards,
and workshops he has no other alternative but to go back home to Senegal.
He said since he opened the metal workshop, five years ago, many young
Gambians received training from him and some are at the moment benefiting
from the knowledge gained from his workshop. They acquired from his
workshop. His stay in the country he said helped him a great deal because
he was able to work, get something to send to his people in Senegal but he
said he cannot do that now because of the depreciation of the dalasi. And
secondly, this alien tax plus the increased taxes on workshops like his has
made things more difficult for him to cope with. So the only thing he can
do is to go back to Senegal, because he can no longer get what he used to
earn; that now he earns from hand to mouth. Asked whether he will stay if
the taxes are revised, Mr. Faye said he prefers to stay. He said if
revised to a situation where he can pay, he will prefer to stay but also
provided that something is done on the depreciation of the dalasi otherwise
conditions will remain the same because it will still be difficult to obtain
something to send home.
Some Nigerians and Sierra Leoneans who prefer anonymity talked about how
they have been discriminated with regards to residential permits. They said
that other nationals have been exempted from paying Residential Permits;
that some of them are in the teaching field educating young Gambians, some
of whom are holding key positions in many institutions; that their
countries are part of ECOWAS member states but when it comes to Residential
Permit they were not exempted , for what reason they cannot understand.
They complained that since most of them are in the teaching and health
sectors and are paying income tax like other government employees, they see
no reason why with the major role they are playing in the above mentioned
sectors they are
not exempted from paying Residential Permits like other foreign
nationals. "If some of these taxes levied on us is not revised, we will
leave the country, because with the present economic situation of the
country we don't think we can cope but to leave," they complained.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Halifa Sallah's Reaction To The 2003 Budget Speech
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Continued from issue number 88/2002
After the Secretary of State for Finance and economic Affairs, Mr. Famara
Jatta delivered his budget speech, members of the National Assembly debated
it. We started with Halifa's reaction.
Halifa focused on work, savings and investment being the basis of
sustainable development. He pointed out that government is relying on
domestic debt to meet it's budgetary outlays. Domestic debts, he said, has
grown to 2900 million dalasis and 200 million is budgeted to service this
debt. Subventing this budget deficit with debt, he emphasised is
unsustainable. The external debt is also unsustainable.
He went further to say that The Gambian economy is parasitic because it is
dependent on the re-export trade, i.e. it is not producing but selling. Let
us pick up from where we stopped.
Institutions
There are plans for the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation to
invest in the building of houses in many plots. But what I have not seen is
the linkage between those who are contributing to Social Security and
provision of housing for them. Why do we not have housing schemes where the
tenant pays small amounts until he or she owns that place? And that being
situated near the place of the work? I know it is a complex matter but
these are the things we need to look into.
If you want to overcome the rural-urban drift and get people to move from
the urban area to the rural area then facilities can be built. If for
example I am a teacher and I'm asked to go back to the area I come from and
I'm provided with a
support system to be paying and owning a house, I think I would go back to
that particular village to teach. That is a way of reversing the rural-
urban drift and still help people to be productive and contribute to the
development of society. Housing schemes must be strategically located. It
can have direct impact on productivity and development of our society.
Youth, Sports And Women Development
The issue of women is fundamental. We reduce the topic to mediocracy by
virtue of the concept of what women's rights are. The essence here is to
build a society of partnership which can promote the development of the
country. In that regard, men and women must encourage each other.
I must say right away; Honourable Speaker, that we must look at the issue
in a broad way. To do that we need institution building. What we have is a
women's bureau linked to a women's council which has no legislative
authority. The origin of all these schemes is political.
And we must move away from manipulating our citizens. What is essential is
to create institutions for development. And I should suggest that instead
of a women's bureau under the president's office, we need a women
development centre, just like the tourism development authority.
We need an independent institution handled by competent people with
integrity whose only role is to monitor what is happening to all
programmes, all the laws to protect women's rights and make
recommendations. We have a policy, we have
international conventions. We need institutions that will ensure the
implementation of what is stipulated. I would recommend that the women's
bureau be converted into such an instrument.
As for the women in the Women's Council, let us encourage them to
participate in the local councils which do have mere advisory capacity.
They can work to change. The country will be better placed in promoting
women's development by
creating such an institution.
Agriculture
In agriculture the Honourable Secretary of State did indicate the amount of
wealth, which is being pumped into what is considered to be the productive
base of the economy.
What is happening? You are talking about rice production dropping from
about thirty thousand to about nineteen thousand tones. That is a serious
decline. The major import bill of this country is food constituting almost
42% of our import
bill.
If we are talking about development to eradicate poverty we must focus on
food production. There too lies the answer to the trade imbalance and
strengthening of the dalasi.
The food bill constitutes our greatest menace and in agriculture we have a
solution to that but we have seen the drop.
It is necessary to review the expenditure on agriculture to find out where
the money really went, did it go directly into production or into support
services which is fundamentally different. Pumping money into the support
service at the
expense of production has made many projects fail in the past. The farmers
need the nitty-gritty of production, fertilizers, etc. You may come and
build something for them, which may be far remote from enhancing their
production.
From my own perspective the country has the capacity to export
horticultural products and to utilise it internally. Market women go all
the way to Senegal to purchase onions, tomatoes, carrots and other
vegetables to sell in our markets at tremendous loss of foreign exchange.
Many products sold at our markets are imported from neighboring countries.
We have to look into that, Honourable Speaker.
Our women are hardworking. What we need to do is to develop expertise to
know what the limitations are in order to enhance their production.
If we invest into that sector and build that base likelihood that we will
reduce our import bills and expand production.
Tourism And Culture
The studies have shown the importance of linking tourism and the productive
base. Some studies have indicated 26 million dollars are derived from the
tourist trade but most of that filters back because of lack of linkage to
the productive base. It is important for us to see that as a primary drive.
But one thing which is also important, Mr. Speaker is to realise the
strength of the Gambia as far as tourism is concerned, the strength of her
people, the good people of the Gambia has been the base of the development
of tourism.
I draw you attention to 1994 and 1995 when the travel advice was given. The
tourism industry collapsed but ultimately it is the people of the Gambia
who made this country stable and ensured that the tourists see it as a very
stable country capable of providing holidays.
The recent trend of taking oppressive measures in the name of
squashing "bumsters" is not only detrimental to our people but detrimental
to tourism.
Some people may, at the end of the day, assume that the increase in
arrivals is a consequence of their measures when in reality a lot of
promotional activities have taken place. I attended a workshop recently by
the Association of Small
Scale Tourism Enterprises, which had participants from Kenya, Tanzania,
everywhere. When the "bumster" problem was analysed it was seen that the
mechanism is how to ensure that social education takes place. People all
over the country will be educated to see that visitors are human beings
like ourselves rather than going after them and saying "Tubab."
Ecotorism needs to be developed, some people simply want to go to the
countryside visit parks and join boats. What would be more productive than
to study these people we call "bumsters," know their origin, their
educational background, their level of development, prepare a programme to
enable them to participate in small scale tourism enterprises? That would
be more constructive than to develop a mechanism that ultimately may be
considered as oppressive which would undermine. The very image of this
country, the very people whom you think you are securing will ultimately
be disgusted with those measures.
We must take the developmental approach of helping our people to become the
type of people who can promote the interest of the country.
TO BE CONTINUED
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Sidia Jatta's Reaction To The Budget Speech
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In the last issue Sidia Jatta emphasized the importance of fiscal
discipline, noting that the last time the Auditor General submitted its
report to the National Assembly was in 1998 contrary to the conditional
mandate that it should do so annually. He further emphasized that the
report be submitted to the National Assembly. Let us pick up from where he
stopped.
If anybody is not worried about government's tergiversation on their policy
regarding price control, I am. It is sometimes free market procedures,
sometimes it is interventionism. The recent official declarations about
fuel
crisis are quite illustrative of that. Furthermore, if one refers to the
GGC case, the issue of interventionism becomes clearer. The latter case
cost the national coffers 11.4 million Dollars. So government has to be
clear as to what
they really want. They either have to go for free market economy without
any form of interventionism, or they have to go for a controlled market
economy, but not both at the same time.
As regards the private sector being the engine of growth, it is really
ludicrous. How can the private sector be such an engine in our
circumstances? A private sector that is stifled by being burdened with
taxation of all sorts; a
private sector that cannot borrow from banks because of high interest
rates; a private sector that can therefore hardly accumulate in order to
invest to generate more money!
How do we then bring about growth? Something has to happen for us to grow,
because we cannot remain in the current situation. Investment goes with
risks, particularly in a situation of high interest rates and currency
depreciation.
That is why, the private sector contents itself with buying treasury bills
and makes profits without any fear of risks. Even though they make
profits. Those profits are not ploughed back into productive sectors.
However, that is also
not something we can go by because it is not helping the situation. It is
rather aggravating it, because government's internal debt is skyrocketing
to astronomical figures.
It requires that we look at everything globally with a view to providing
solutions to these perennial problems.
Mr. Speaker, development is about sustainability. In other words,
sustainability is the core of development. There cannot be any development
without sustainability. And development is inconceivable in the context of
dependency. On cannot be dependent and hope to develop!
Mr. Speaker, nobody is saying that we should not contract loans. What I am
contending is that we should reject any loan that has a tendency to make us
dependent. In other words, we should reject any loan that does not help us
to do away with loans. Any loan that makes us loan wanting is a loan we
must reject outright. This is so because we should also be striving to
create an economy which will be so buoyant as to make it possible or us to
give loans too, to others who may need out help.
With regards to the issue of good governance, some people think it is
simply limited to holding elections and parties winning and forming
governments. That is a fallacy. Good governance is characterized by
recognition of democratic
institutions and their responsibilities and then creating an enabling
environment where people will feel free and secure in executing their
duties.
Mr. Speaker, we must realize that the ultimate solution lies in sub
regional integration. That is numerous conferences have been held and are
being held to bring about integration. And that is why I am disturbed by
some of the tax
measures, particularly those which concern foreigners. Mr. Speaker, more
than 60% of the teaching force in this country is constituted by
foreigners. The measures are undoubtedly going to force many to leave the
country, especially now that the troubled waters of their countries are
calm. If that happens, the repressions on the education system will be
terrible. Already, some schools are suffering for lack of teachers. If
more teachers leave now at this time of the academic year, our children
will be the innocent victims. I would like to suggest a reconsideration of
the tax measures regarding the so called aliens. I know it is going to
have a sad repercussion if they are implemented as they are.
Mr. Speaker, I said earlier on that the ultimate salvation is sub regional
integration and of course, continental integration. It therefore behooves
all of us to promote that ideal since it is eventually going to promote our
universal solution.
Honourable Speaker, I have no doubt that if we succeed in implementing the
type of measures I have described earlier in an atmosphere where people
will perform their duties free of fear, implementing economic measures that
have potentials
of generating revenue without being forced to take loans we will eventually
established a republic characterized by freedom and democratic procedures
scintillating with peace and prosperity.
Regarding the issue of globalisation, when others talk about it they do so
in the context of us serving as markets. When I say us, I mean the so
called developing countries serving as markets on a permanent basis. That
does not augur well for us. For centuries our continent, our countries
have been the market place of all commodities from other countries. It is
now time we learn to shoulder the responsibility of at least producing
those basic items without which we cannot survive. We cannot afford to
rely on external factors for the production of very essential items, for
when they fail us the whole thing will collapse under our feet.
Mr. Speaker, thank you very much.
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Source: FOROYAA (Freedom) NO: 4/2003 13 - 15 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]
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