Jammeh Addresses the Nation - 1



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The Independent (Banjul)

DOCUMENT
July 27, 2001
Posted to the web July 27, 2001

Banjul, the Gambia

Seven years ago a new era dawned, not only on The Gambia but also on the
African continent. The reason why we had to take the actions we had taken is
very clear to you. Today we are not here to do anything other than take
stock of our achievements, our trials and our tribulations or failures.

Seven years ago around this time when changes had not taken place; we were
at the Denton Bridge. At that time the city of Banjul didn't have good
roads. Seven years ago there was no university in The Gambia. Seven years
ago there was no Kombo coastal highway construction. Seven years ago
Gambians watched television signals from Senegal and Guinea-Bissau. Seven
years ago the majority of Gambians had no hope that they would even have a
good radio that will cover nation wide much more a university where all
Gambians, irrespective of political and social standing would have equal
access.

Seven years ago the children in my village in the remote part of The Gambia
never hoped to see the inside of a high school even on excursion much more
to become students in a high school. Today seven years later, every Gambian
has equal access to high school, junior secondary, primary and university
education. What else do you want? University education is the highest on
earth and we have given it to you. So the sky is the limit. Seven years ago,
people going to the North Bank from Essau to Kerewan some had to undress at
the ferry terminal knowing that they have to drive through dust. Today that
is history. We have made tremendous achievements, but we also have failed,
failed in the sense that it is the Almighty Allah that decides. For
development, The Gambia is on top of the world map.

Seven years ago most of you who traveled to other parts of the world and
invited friends the moment you are landing at the Yundum Airport you
pretended to sleep because you did not want your guest to ask whether this
is an airport or a cattle ranch. Seven years after the revolution today,
when you are flying into the Yundum International Airport even if your guest
is sleeping, you would want him or her to look at the airport and see how
beautiful it is, thanks to the revolution and the Gambian people.

Seven years ago most parents had to bribe headmasters and principals for
them to secure a place for their daughters or sons if he has passed but of
course there was limited space and the fact that your son or daughter had
passed the common entrance examination for high school did not guarantee
that your son or daughter would ever go to high school. That was the system.

Seven years later the reality today is that you have access to education as
education is at the doorstep of every Gambian. Seven years ago and let us go
back 400 years of British rule and 32 years of our own independence, we
never had more than 10 doctors in the public health system. In that same
vein in July 22 1994 to date, you have more than 250 doctors in the country,
the highest doctor-patient ratio in the whole world.

We used to have may be 100, 000 to one doctor, today we have less than that
and the next step is we want to have doctors in every major village as the
Gambian people know what I am talking about. These achievements and other
things are no thanks to Yahya Jammeh but thanks to the Almighty Allah and
you the Gambian people who have supported the revolution all the way despite
that enemies of the revolution and their international friends were trying
to scare you. You believe in God and as long as you believe in God, we will
move forward forever. Of course, we had failures and that the major failure
is in addressing the energy crises, which started, I think on Tobaski day in
1977.

I made a pledge and I made it a point of duty to promise you Gambian people
that if the issue of electricity is not addressed, we will not celebrate
July 22nd this year. And I said if we do not make sure that 98% of the
Greater Banjul area have no electricity we would not celebrate July 22nd.
Critics will say why are we celebrating now. You know we have not failed and
that is why we are celebrating. All unpatriotic Gambians whose duty was to
make sure that the promise is fulfilled, stood up to make sure that it
failed by signing contracts that were meant to humiliate the government and
that is why I kicked them out.

Gambians would wonder why the energy portfolio has to be transferred to my
office. I am now the energy minister responsible for NAWEC. This is because
since 1994 genuine Gambians will know we have made as a government genuine
efforts to solve the problems. But unpatriotic and corrupt officials always
make sure that any generator that is coming they will have at least five
million out of it and that is why they signed contracts that were failing
Gambians. That is why they always came out with technicalities and the last
time they said a black cat entered the generator, which is a lie.

Today as we speak the first, second and the third generators have been
ordered, in fact the first generator for your information ladies and
gentlemen is already here and it is even on and we have learnt from
experience now. If we said the energy is under my portfolio it does not mean
that the present minister of trade was responsible for the failure. We know
those who were responsible for it but this time the NAWEC officials will
report to me.

We will succeed and we have succeeded that is why we are celebrating. The
fact that we can have a generator and almost immediately put it on, the
NAWEC officials told me that they were surprised by putting the generator on
when it used to take them about six months before a new generator was
installed and put on. What does that mean to the average Gambian? They never
brought in new generators to this country. Seven years today we have
contributed a great deal to the African socio-economic development and
liberation. Now boys and girls we have a great challenge ahead of us. From
1994 up to date the government has spent more than 100 million Dollars in
socio-economic and infrastructural development. 100 million Dollars will be
more than 15 billion Dalasis.

We have beautiful infrastructure including Arch 22, the Airport and the
Kombo Coastal roads. Infact only may be half a million or two million
Dollars stayed in this country, the rest went out of the country, because
the workers and entrepreneurs were foreigners. How do you expect us to
develop our country if we think that it is the foreigners who can do the
work for us? We cannot boast of national pride and independence as long as
the service sector is in the hands of foreigners. I have nothing against the
foreigners, but if we allow foreigners to take everything you will become a
foreigner in your own country because if a foreigner have to feed you, you
are automatically a foreigner in your own country.

Boys and girls is that what you want for your country? We have to have love
for our country. Some of us have to be fishermen, farmers, carpenters,
engineers, doctors, presidents and ministers, but all of us cannot be
ministers or president. How can we ensure a well-developed country based on
our vision 2020? The bottom line is that no politics will bring about that
development. It is hard work and discipline.

Boys and girls discipline is the key for success in life for many human
beings irrespective of your colour, or origin. Without discipline, don't
even think of a bright future. What does that mean? Students must be
students until such time that you leave school. Students should not have to
judge their teachers because if you have the knowledge that your teachers
has, you would not be sitting in the class but you would stand in front of
the class like your teacher.

Now again, the level of discipline has gone down in the country, that is the
reality. But of course this is the attitude of the men. If you leave
everything on the hands of the women at home then it is sad that there
cannot be discipline. The women cannot go on 24 hours looking for food for
the family while you are sleeping or playing draught at the Bantaba and
expect her to cook for the family and as well as discipline the family.
There cannot be discipline because the women cannot be blamed for the
indiscipline of their children.

Let me tell you, I'm not a politician. The truth is if you want to develop
this country, we have to be truthful to each other. You have personal
responsibility as men to discipline the children, and today you want to
blame the women for the indiscipline of the children, which is not fair.

Still you want to claim being the head of the family as men. If you want
your children to do something tomorrow, you have to do something positive
that will help you and them.

You have to ensure that every child irrespective of where you come from
adheres to our cultural values and our societal values, either you come from
a rich or poor family. The police can never discipline your children because
it is the responsibility of parents. The government can only guarantee the
brighter future for the children by building and making available quality
education and that I told you the sky is the limit. But the government
cannot go and look after children at school and look at children who are not
disciplined, and try to discipline them.

But boys and girls, I will not also blame you because if the parents don't
show you your culture, you will grow in a dark tunnel trying to find out
where west is and east is, and sometimes you run in the wrong direction
thinking that you are in the right track. I will not blame you for your
behaviours but I will give you a brotherly advice. You are going to be
responsible for the future of this country. Whether progressive or
otherwise, it would be your responsibility to make hay while the sun shines
and you will never regret it.

The bottom line is that all Gambians must ensure that our children have the
best facilities in the world so that they would be able to exploit those
facilities. So that in 10 years time we would not entirely depend on foreign
countries to make sure that our hospitals and other institutions run.

We have now built hospitals but there would not be doctors to run them. This
is the bottom line. Now that is why I would want to thank the governments of
Cuba, Egypt, Nigeria and other African countries for being very generous to
us by providing not only doctors and nurses, but even judges in our
judiciary system. I want to thank Ghana and other countries as well, for
being very magnificent and magnanimous.

Coming back to the home front, some people always say why we celebrate July
22. I challenge those people why we celebrate 18th of January (February?).
18th of January (February?) brought us nothing but a carbon copy of the
British constitution, which most of the Gambian people didn't understand.
And in all references to the major clauses of the constitution, it always
referred even though we call ourselves independent to certain institutions
to her majesty's government. I didn't know that The Gambia is a kingdom and
ruled by a queen.

The new constitution, which is your constitution, is the only one that can
move the country forward. We have to thank God because seven years ago, The
Gambia was not even recognized or The Gambia had no voice in Africa, even at
the level of the OAU, but today I am happy that the Libyan Vice President is
here and he will confirm what I 'm going to tell you, one secret that you
Gambians didn't know. I am happy that Dr. Sedat Jobe is also here.

Today we are talking about African Union and every country is taking credit
for it. The idea and the vision was Ghadafi's vision, but if it were not The
Gambia, that vision would have dragged on from 8th September 1999. If it
were not The Gambia that Sitre Declaration which gave birth to the
constitutive act would not have passed through the VIP lounge or it would
not have even passed through the council of ministers much more go to the
heads of state, and a declaration was made which gave birth to the African
Union thanks to The Gambia and the Almighty Allah. This is not a major
achievement because ..



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