On Wed, 12 Nov 2003 13:00:44 +0000, Momodou H Njie <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
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><DIV></DIV>
><P><BR><BR></P>Hi Tomaa, </DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>
><P>As always, many thanks. I am reading this mail for the first time
today , and I think it is a very good contribution. Keep up the Good
Work.</P>
><DIV></DIV>
><P>Cheers,</P>
><DIV></DIV>
><P>Momodou</P>
><DIV></DIV>
><P>>From: Momodou S Sidibeh <[log in to unmask]></P>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
<[log in to unmask]>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>To: [log in to unmask]
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>Subject: Re: Intellectual Support Needed to Develop Gambia
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>Date: Sun, 19 Oct 2003 22:31:43 +0200
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>Dear Mr. Sillah,
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>Your response to Mr. Dibba on this important issue
highlights a very serious anomaly in the way many returning Gambian
professionals experience in their relations with Gambian institutions to
which wish to render their services in the general national development
effort.
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>I know a decent number of professionals who "return" home
to which they describe as a reverse culture shock, from which they repack
their bags and escape in deep frustration.
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>It is the same with returning academics as well as trained
professionals wishing to start businesses.
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> Concerned Gambian authorities need to pay attention to
this matter. But it is my belief that unless those who suffer from such
bureacratic red-tape and harassment bring up the issue we cannot hope for
redressing such a tragic waste of our human resources.
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>The university of the Gambia is one intitution for which
the current regime should be much praised. But if such official
callousness prevails there, then it has yet another unnecessary cancer to
get rid off before serving the true development needs of the country.
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>Many many thanks for this initiative Mr. Dibba.
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>Momodou S Sidibeh
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>----- Original Message -----
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> From: bukhari Sillah
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> To: [log in to unmask]
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> Sent: Friday, October 17, 2003 12:03 PM
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> Subject: Re: Intellectual Support Needed to Develop Gambia
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> Dear Mr. Dibba,
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> It is a good recommendation you have made; it is a good
idea and well articulated. I am pursuing a PhD in quantitative economics
at University of Kiel, Germany. I had your ideas two years ago when I left
Malaysia to become a lecturer in the enfant university of the Gambia. The
time I left Malaysia, I was already an assistant lecturer and was offered
a place to to do my PhD, upon completing which I had to be a full time
lecturer of the sponsoring institution. I did not like this contract,
because it tied me to a foreign institution and might deny me an
opportunity to serve my people. Thus, I saw my coming to the Unversity of
the Gambia as a great relief and joy( you can ask my students at the
faculty of economics and managemen - UniGambia - how enthusiastic I was).
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> When I came in, I was not happy with the economics and
management curriculum, with 120 credit hours of graduation requirements,
50 credit hours were allocated to courses(so-called general requirements)
that are unrelated to economics and management. Together with my Nigerian
colleagues at the faculty, we demanded changes to the curriculum; and
reply to our demand was a disappointing no. Why? The answer was
because 'high calibre' scholars developed that curriculum. Due to
persistent pressures, they allowed us to come up with an alternative
curriculum, which we quickly did. But they did not want to hurt the
feelings of the 'high Calibre' scholars by telling them look here is a
better curriculum than yours; and 'high calibre' scholars too did not want
to accept the existence of a better alternative - theirs is the final. The
students were then drawn in to the dispute. They chose the alternative. A
cofusion was created when the two curricula were to run concurrently, and
students
were disburbed. Because the old curriculum lacked relevant economics and
management courses, no lecturer had incentive to teach the old one; so,
they illegally(the authorities did not approve) shifted from the old to
the new one - . Until the time I left, no approval was given. Then, came a
pressure to get rid of me from the Unversity. When I signed the contract
with UinGambia, I told them very clearly that I was always prepared to go
for my PhD, and I liked the university to sponsor me so that I could come
back again to lecture. Through my own effort, I obtained an award from
Germany, but it was incomplete. The award required me to sponsor my
personal expenses(food and room). I approached the authorities and asked
them to sponsor that personal expenses by just putting me on study leave
with salary. They rejectd my application and then stopped my salary for
two months while I was still lecturing. I was shocked, really shocked.
Well, this was my second experience of any time I try to leave the Gambia
and furth
er my education. The first was when I was forced out of PMO (personnel
Management Office) in 1999 to further my master degree in Malaysia. I
wonder if I should put myself in a similar situation again in the future.
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> The environment for intellectuals is stiflening and
suffocating. That is, if ungualified people are charged with affairs, then
wait for the doomsday.
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> Bukhari Sillah
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >From: Bulli Dibba
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >To: [log in to unmask]
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >Subject: Intellectual Support Needed to Develop Gambia
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2003 01:33:02 CDT
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >Intellectual support
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >There is not a single country on earth that does not
experience economic
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >downtowns. Lets remember the great depression and the
crash of the stock
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >market, what Americans had to go through. The current
economic situation in
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >Gambia is not going to last forever and we would come
out of it. I belief
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >that the road to economic and social progress in the
Gambia would be
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >through greater productivity, and such productivity
could be enhanced by
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >the discipline imposed by Gambians oriented toward
greater efficiency and
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >productivity. The rise of a new and successful Gambia
would be
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >attributable not only to the Government, but to the
increasing influence of
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >our Gambian intellectuals. With the creation of a
managerial class
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >dominated by economist and those trained in
economics, if large number of
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >university-educated candidates, highly committed to a
rationalized and
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >task-oriented concept of public administration were
to return home and
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >hired into high-level positions, we could set new
values in the Gambia
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >drawn from market economics and business management.
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >Gambian intellectuals must contribute to building a
collective share notion
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >of public interest. Our goal should not be to find a
quick solution to the
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >current economic and social problems. The process of
establishing a vision
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >for our society is not something merely to be left to
elected political
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >leaders or appointed public administrators. Instead,
the activity of
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >establishing a vision or direction, of defining
shared values, is something
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >in which widespread public dialogue and deliberation
are central.
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >I call on all Gambian intellectuals to take a vital
role in the process
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >of bringing Gambians together in settings that allow
for authentic
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >discourse concerning what we Gambians could do for
our nation at the time
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >of great need. Based on these deliberations, a broad-
based vision for the
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >nation can be established and can provide a guiding
set of ideas for the
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >future. It is less important that this process result
in a single set of
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >goals than it is to engage administrators,
politicians, and citizens in a
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >process of thinking about a desired future for our
nation.
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >I know there are many angry Gambians out there and
among us, but the
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >solution to our problems is to work together. I am
therefore calling on
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >Gambians both at home and abroad, to suspend the
politics of hate,
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >negativity and personal attacks and bring our ideas
together and work as
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >one people with a common goal to do what is best for
our country.. Every
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >Gambian most now take it upon him or herself as moral
obligations, that we
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >will work hard to generate solutions through
processes that are fully
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >consistent with the laws of our nation, our culture
and tradition, our
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >values, with norms of justice and fairness.
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >Lets remember that the folks in Government and other
administrative
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >positions are our brothers and sisters, they too have
Gambia at heart and
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >would prefer a peaceful and prosperous Gambia for all
Gambians. We can work
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >with them, a times disagree with them and give them
feed backs for a job
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >well done. Let our intellectuals ask our government
to play an important
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >role in creating arenas in which citizens, through
discourse, can
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >articulate shared values and develop a collective
sense of the public
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >interest. Rather than simply responding to angry and
disparate voices by
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >forming a compromise, public administrators will
engage citizens with one
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >another so that they come to understand each other's
interest
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >Peace
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >Bulli Dibba
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>> >
><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
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><DIV></DIV>
><DIV></DIV>>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Tomaa,
Many thanks. It feels good to know that you may drop by once in a while to
comment on issues. My reaction to this important matter was poorly
written, and I am disappointed that many did not react to Mr. Sillah's
exposition of this tragic anomaly at our highest institute of learning.
Momodou
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