Gassa

Perhaps I must apologies that you actually wrote factories and not shops. But
here you should try to understand the point of my arguement, this time lets
take your factories.

 That our national interest and  such type of investment are at a crossing
point ,was my point of departure, our national airport is less than 4 years
old .Having foreign capital investor roaming State corridors with their own
agenda is not new, what is new today in global economic activity is that,
States in the third world countries are forced to adopt legislations in favour
of such production and against national interest and on economic projects that
are only for profits and more profits. If you have known what happened in
Mexico, you mighty see my point, you could have also find out what happened to
the South Korean Industry and then follow the developments in Argentina.
Gassa, capitalism does not care if the farmer who eats once a day produces the
Bananas that are going to be pressed in their factories. The very day the
profits are not growing they pack their things and go. The question is not if
we need factories to make the best use of our resources, yes we do need them
and now, as you rightly indicated, the question is ,in what way can we make
these projects to benefit the nation, both in the   short term and the long
term, 3000 jobs?
Just look at what happened to the Tiger economics, they crumble over night,
like rolling stones, how can such happened ? with all the tax,etc  benefits
that the industries were enjoying in these countries, some of them fled to
Chine etc, who is now facing the environment problem, the health problems, the
unemployment problem, the debt problems? is it not the State and the
people.Gassa this is the very reason why since the end of the second world war
no nation outside the industrialised countries has been industrilised.This is
why the anti globalisation movement is ever growing in every corner of the
globe.The very reason why Ken Saro was murdered in Nigeria was not that there
are long queues at petrol station in an  oil producing nation like Nigeria. It
is simply that those who own the capital do not care what is happening to the
environment and the health of the people of the Delta. If you believed that an
American producing tomato paste  at Youndum airport would care much what
happened to the Tomato producer at Mandinary,then just take a look at this

 “…. The Immokalee farm workers work for a2piece rate” Every 32 pound bucket
of tomatoes is worth 40c-the same that was paid in 1978.
To make the minimum wage, they must pick 13 buckets per hour, to make $50 in
one day, they must pick two tons of tomatoes…most farm workers have no right
to overtime pay, sick leave, health insurance, holiday or vacation pay….”
(N/L, Chicago March)
If we cannot improve the condition of our poor farmers we must not make life
worst for them. And infarct when you wrote;


In my earlier post, I said that about 20 factories and not shops are expected
to be located at the airport. The little I know about the trade gateway
project is that investors, both Gambian and foreign, would be given incentives
in the form of duty wavers imported materials for for manufacturing and some
tax exemptions amongst other incentives. The idea, I understand, is that
products from these plants would be for export and not for the local market.

I began to understand more the implication that are involved. This is
happening all over the third world, government are told that the best way
forward is to create a competitive and attractive environment for foreign
investment, when the West itself continued to fortify their   markets. Why
cant we tell them that the great idea of helping us to make best use of our
resources must go hand in hand with our national objectives. We are not
interested in taking loan to upgrade an airport that has just been completed
and even cotton are not produce in the whole of Western divisition. We will
build out roads to Basse and beyond and build a cotton factory there; this
will save us from the  increasing tempo of rural/urban migration, which is
today a big problem for us.
And Gassa you wrote again;

“The little I know about the trade gateway project is that investors, both
Gambian and foreign, would be given incentives in the form of duty wavers
imported materials for for manufacturing and some tax exemptions amongst other
incentives. The idea, I understand, is that products from these plants would
be for export and not for the local market.”

What are the raw materials that are going to be imported for our factories
that needs so badly tax exemptions and duty waver. Is this not the typical and
brutal experience that many third world countries have experienced. You don’t
need to know much if only you understand that the global capital aggressive
movement has as its primary objective to obtain maximum profit at minimal
production cost. this is the backbone of capitalist production. Investing in
20 factories would never give economic development if its primary objective
were not in line with that of the need of the nation.

  Gassa, I am not kidding by insisting that government to provide capital and
dictate the model and need of our development is the best way to take care of
our problem at this moment. If you can tell me which, just one country where
economic development has taking place in the interest of the nation without
having the State as the primary provide of capital. Just take a look at your
own Gamtel.Until then lets wait for more info on these projects.

For Freedom
saiks



















>===== Original Message From The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
<[log in to unmask]> =====
>Gassama,
>
>This is news to me...I was with the impression that SMS services is not
>provided (locally) by any operator in The Gambia. So if I understand you
>right, SMS services is currently available in The Gambia.
>
>Thanks for the help.
>
>Br,
>Alieu
>
>PS: My interest stems from the fact that this is my area of speciality, and
>would like to know how this technology is unfolding in The Gambia. Presently
>I work for Nokia as a software engineer and perhaps one day I may come home
>and join your ranks in Gamtel....:-)
>
>_________________________________________________________________
>MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos:
>http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
>To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web
interface
>at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
>To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
>[log in to unmask]
>
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~