Gambia-l:
I wish to thank the management for adding me to your list. I have followed
discussions for a while, and now I see it fit to express my views as well.
I hope to contribute to your discussions regularly so that a different
vantage point may be appreciated.
As the subject of this letter indicates, our country is in a downward spiral
in virtually every sense of the word. (I will expand on this in my future
postings.) It won't take a rocket scientist to detect the atmosphere of
despair and hopelessness that now characterizes both the Gambian body
politic and the populace.
Prices of basic commodities have continued to skyrocket, perhaps at the same
rate as tempers. Queues for fuel may soon become as common as those for
meat on Koriteh day. The regime would not now dare attack anyone on the
issues of absenteeism and tardiness given the acute fuel shortage that it
apparently has brought about. Hundreds of workers and students line our
streets for hours seeking transportation to work and school respectively
while government and ruling party funtionaries shamelessly cruise around the
country in their expensive SUVs.
The dalasi's nosedive, as incomes remain stagnant, has made matters even
more untenable. The people are getting poorer and hopeless by the day, yet
the government could not come up with any possible remedies, credible or
otherwise. All one has to do to appreciate the crisis in which we find
ourselves is to watch our venerable Dr. Jammeh address the nation on TV. It
is embarrassing as well as a good barometer for the country's pulse.
In an address to religious leaders on GRTS recently, Jammeh appeared
frustrated with the pace and direction of events in the country. He seemed
to be void of answers to the many problems he incoherently spelt out. The
president implicitly blamed various ethnic groups for some of the price
increases: Jolas for palm oil, Fulas for meat, etc. As usual, Gambians were
described as lazy people which, according to him, is why most of our
tailors, fishermen, drivers, teachers, and so on, are foreigners. There was
no shortage of groups responsible for the messy situation we are in, except
that Jammeh and his administration were not among them.
The President never disappoints. Despite being at the helm for more than
eight years, the guy lacks tact and any understanding of diplomacy. He used
innuendos to belittle the religious leaders who assembled before him, as he
preached to them about Islam and its teachings. This was followed by the
presentation of a "personal gift", an automoble, to the Supreme Islamic
Council by Pres. Jammeh.
Beyond those matters, Jammeh's body language and demeanor were
characteristic of one who needed help, yet he was either too proud to ask or
didn't know how to. There was clearly despair in his mannerisms. Even
die-hard APRC supporters now privately express disappointment in the regime
and fear for the immediate future of the country. Things are unraveling and
no one tends to know the end game.
I promise to shed light on matters from my vantage point (in a more coherent
manner) as my work schedule allows. Thanks for enlisting me.
Ebrima S. Conteh
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