Joe, you bit me on this one. I wanted to forward it to Gambia-L when I saw that
you already did:-) The word "accountability" has been flushed out into the
Gambia River a long time ago.

Momodou Camara

On 30 Oct 2002 at 20:26, Joe Sambou wrote:

> Folks, below was culled from AllAfrica website.  A parliament in one of the
> wealthiest countries in Africa, said no to their President's request to purchase
> a $51 million Presidential jet, and the parliament rejected the request.
> Another parliament in the same neighborhood as the first, also rejected a
> similar request, this time from their King for a Royal jet. However, the third
> Assembly, has an attitude of "see no evil, hear no evil, and know no evil".
> This third Assembly has a Philosopher/King - Dictatorship.  He did not request
> as the first two above, as state funds are his funds and how can he seek
> permission to use his own funds.  Naaah!  This parliament also happens to be one
> of Africa's poorest.  The first two Assemblies had a process and went through
> the established protocols and let the DEMOCRATIC process run its course.  The
> third Assembly has a similar process, but has no need for it.  Ladies and
> gentlemen, this third Assembly is none other than our very own.  Please read on.
>
>
> "Power Tends to Corrupt And Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely" - Lord Acton
> Power to the People True Or False?
>
>
>
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>
>
>
>
> The Independent (Banjul)
>
> October 28, 2002
> Posted to the web October 28, 2002
>
> Banjul
>
> Recently, we heard in the about the decision of the Swazi Parliament not to
> approve the purchase of an executive jet for King Mswati II.
>
> That was followed a few days later by loud criticisms of the plan by
> President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa to purchase a 51 million Dollar
> presidential jet.
>
> It was indeed quite amazing that the parliament of an absolute monarchy like
> Swaziland would dare to prevent the King from purchasing an aircraft while in a
> so-called democracy like The Gambia, President Yahya Jammeh seems to have
> acquired a 'presidential jet' from the blue without the National Assembly or
> anyone else being aware of it. That is indeed another indictment of the
> democratic credentials of this regime, which seems to be doing everything above
> the heads of the people. President Jammeh appears to be behaving like an
> absolute monarch who says and does whatever he likes and there is hardly anyone
> who dares to call him to order. One is therefore tempted to wonder what has
> become of transparency, accountability and probity, which this regime has made
> so much noise about. Of course it would be foolhardy for anyone to expect that
> the National Assembly as it is constituted at present to ever have the courage
> to question anything done by President Jammeh and his regime. It is because a
> majority of its members seem to owe more allegiance to President Jammeh and the
> executive than they owe to those people who they supposedly represent.
>
> As an ordinary lieutenant in The Gambia National Army before the coup in
> 1994, President Jammeh was never known to be a rich man. Therefore, if
> within eight years of coming to power he can afford a personal aircraft and so
> much apparent display of wealth and affluence, then he owes an explanation to
> the people of this country as to how he acquired all that wealth. It is
> certainly not enough to tell us that it is from the Almighty Allah's world bank
> because we all know that does not exist.
>
> Since the appearance of his 'personal' jet about three years ago as Central
> African, several attempts seems to have been made to disguise its real
> ownership, including of course its renaming as Gambia New millennium Air.
> However, all indications point to President Jammeh as its real owner.
>
> To crown all that unnecessary extravagance the regime went ahead to acquire a
> jet fighter again from the blue. It is indeed hard to imagine how anyone can
> justify any butut spent on the acquisition or even the maintenance of a jet
> fighter when the economy of this country is in tatters. We certainly do not need
> it and I do not think we ever will.
>
> To fight who? Certainly not with Senegal, our only possible adversaries,
> considering our geographical location. Even President Kumba Yalla, despite
> all his 'open calls' could not have been able to 'crush' The Gambia without
> Senegalese acquiescence.
>
> However, neither the purchase of The Gambia New Millennium Air nor that of
> the jet fighter were ever discussed in the National Assembly, let alone it
> be done with the consent of the Gambian people.
>
>
>
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