Gassa,
Since the days of your incognito operation days on the L, it is obviosue to
anyone with a brain that your job is to try to paint anyone who dares to
point out the ugly side of this regime as full of hate and refusing to
acknowledge any good that they do.
I repeat that people cannot eat the infrasatructure and they cannot afford to
have their rights abrogated just because someone is improving the
infrastructure. Priorities are being directed to areas that will not impact
the condition of the majority of our countrymen and women. Most of them do
not own vehicles that they can drive on the new roads and most of them cannot
even afford telephones. This does not mean that accomplishments in these
areas are not good, but they are certainly not urgent and first priority.
Addressing the suffering of the people and implementing programs to alleviate
this suffering takes precedence for any government that says their priority
is the people.
By the way, this si not advocating a welfare state as you said in your
response to me. We are talking about giving the people a means to work and
improve their circumstance.
Gassa, I am the daughter of a man who made a living for over 50 years buying
groundnuts from Gambians farmers. As child in Jangjangbureh, I watched daily
as farmers would bring in their groundnut crops to my dads' premises to sell
and as they
also stocked up on all the food and supplies they would need for the year
from the proceeds of the sale of their crops. Even as a very young child, i
could see the happiness and relief and sense of satisfaction and
accomplishment on their faces
because they were able to provide for their families for the coming year.
I watched this for years not only in Jangjangbureh, but in Kuntaur whare my
grandmothers' husband Pa Omar Jallow also engaged in the same business as my
dad, as well as in Bansang where the husbands of two older sisters of mine
did the same. There were buyers of groundnuts all over the country, and
Gambian farmers could sell their crops and feed their families, and live in
dignity.
I remember how lively Jangjangburah used to be and the market business that
would continue into the night at Kuntaur because framers were able to sell
their crops and buy the goods they needed to see them through to the next
harvest season.
The house I was born in still stands on the banks of the river in Georgetown
and is now a tourist attraction because it was a house that was connected to
the slave trade, something we never knew as kids.
At any rate, I also watched farmers in kombo South bring groundnuts and palm
kernel nuts to sell to my dad and purchase their supplies for the year in the
same manner.
Gassa, you told me the other day that there was no poverty in The Gambia
although the exchange between us was triggered by an article you forwarded
where the government had solicited for funds for the alleviation of poverty.
Yet you say there was no poverty.
Gassa, i am telling you the above to show you that I am not just a spectator
when it comes to knowing our country and and how the majority of our people
earn their livelihood.
The majority of Gambians are not civil servants or priviledged wealthy
businessmen. Thay are not people who have funds to take advantage of
investment opportunities that may come up. The majority of our people are
farmers, groundnut farmers up and down the river Gambia and into the Kombos,
this is how the majority of Gambians have fed their families and maintained
their dignity over the years.
Unless someone has substituted that for more lucrative ways for these people
to earn a living, all they have is their groundnut farms and their crops. If
these people do not sell their crops, they are deprived of the means to feed
and clothe their families for yet another year, and how many years has it
been since there was a decent groundnut season where these people could sell
their crops and feed their families?
Yes, these people are suffering and the progress in the areas that you come
here to peddle will not put food on their tables or clothes on their backs.
If any government whose majority constituents are comprised of people like
these does not see that situation as priority, and instead concentrates on
improving the infrastructure to entice outside investors, this is worth
talking about.It does not make us less patriotic, but rahter more so because
it is our job to demand that those who come forward to lead us do what is
required since we are the reson they are there and not the other way round.
Do not worry, i am not trying ot undo anything to curry favour with anyone. i
leave that to those who have no worries except their own welfare.
Outside investors are good only if what they bring will impact the entire
population. These improvements and the resultant investments in and around
the greater Banjul area will not do a thing for farmers in the interior of
the country, and it will not do anything for Gambians who have no money to
invest or even have partnerships with these foreign investors.
At best, more of our people will migrate to the city to look for
opportunities just like they did during the Jawara era, and most of them
spent the majority of their time sitting around waiting for opportunities
that never materialized.
I remember people sitting around the ports authority infrontt of our former
home on Wellington street in the early 1980's when I came home. My heart sank
each morning i walked outside to go to work, and saw all these people just
sitting there. My mother used to call some of these people in discretly and
give them left-overs to eat because most of them would spend the day right
there with not a penny in their pockets.
What has happened in our country is that since most of our young men and
women cannot find opportunities at home, they have left the country to find
jobs elsewhere. These people have proven to be the lifeblood of their
families back home because they send money for the farmer who has not been
able to sell his crops, or the parent or relative who cannot find work or
opportunity or funding to get into business.
The mark by which to measure the accomplishments of any government is how
they respond to the urgent needs of the people, ow they utilize the resources
albeit meager that we have for the benefit of the people, and where their
first priorities lie.
Attracting foreign investment by concentrating on cosmetic improvements and
other premium services that the majority of the population cannot afford to
partake in, instead of implementing programs to empower Gambians to be the
majority of investors in our country is creating a situation where our people
will become just a cheap labour pool for foreign investors who are able to
take advantage of opportunities that should go to Gambians simply because
they have the funds and our people do not.
Our government is busy enticing foreign investors by concentrating on these
improvements that few can enjoy due to their limited means, so it is easy to
see where the priorities of this government lies. The few priviledged and
their supporters are gearing up to position themselves so they can benefit
from the foreign investments while the majority will just be spectators and
if they are lucky, maybe they can join the cheap labour pool.
As for my commentary on the speech by Ambassador MacDonald, my comment is
that the U.S government was once partners with Osama Bin laden and they gave
biological warfare materials to the Iraqis. One of their valuable allies now
is the president of Usbekistan, who is killing and arresing people for
simply going to the mosque 5 times a day. He has even given himself the
divine power of telling the people the number of times they are allowed to
go to the mosque.
Today, Usama is enemy number one.
If The Gambia was to become a non-strategic location for the U.S, ambassador
Macdonald will probably be outlining all the human rights abuses that the
Gambian people are suffering at the hands of the Jammeh regime and telling
the World that these are some of the reasons that Jammeh is such a bad guy.
In the meantime, we Gambians know this and have been shouting about it all
over the place. The U.S is not oblivious of our situation under teh regime of
Yaya Jammeh, the ysimply shoose to ignore that aspect of things for the sake
of expediency and self interest.
To take the comments of the U.S representative in our country as proof that
all is bliss in our country is only for those who are novices in this game of
modern day diplomacy which is more like a game of " you scratch my back, and
i will scratch yours"
The urgent matter we have is a majority population that is not making ends
meet, and anyone who is sincere in helping us move forward will not stand up
to say that all is well without addressing the pressing human rights issues
in our country and the poverty that investments that do nothing for suffering
majority will bring.
We can celebrate all the accomplishement only when the urgent needs are given
priority and when all issues are addressed, not just those that serve only
the interest of a few, but are nevertheless being peddled as useful
accomplishments for all.
You have a good day Gassa, but I will urge you to sear your conscience
always.
Jabou Joh
In a message dated 10/2/2002 3:28:23 PM , [log in to unmask] writes:
>
> Jabou,
>
> Let's just say, you can't unring the bell. Both you and I know that
> progress is being made in all the areas that you consider as prerequisites
> for development. You just wouldn't admit it.
>
> By the way, why are you mute on Ambassador McDonald Jackson speech when he
> opened the Business Forum at The Kairaba Beach hotel last week. Take your
> cue from that speech and accept that slowly but surely we are getting
> there.
>
> Have a good day, Gassa
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