Folks,

I have to say this:  did President Jammeh *really, really* deliver the speech below?
If this was a speech he gave, then God help us; we're in BIG trouble.  Furthermore,
I'd like to point out a few issues.  First, the claim that about 300 doctors for
roughly 1.3 million people in The Gambia translates to "the highest doctor-patient
ratio in the whole world" is totally false.  According to my calculator, the above
numbers translates to a doctor-patient ratio of 3 doctors for every 13,000 (thirteen
thousand) people.  This ratio, expressed in the standard number of doctors per 1,000
(one thousand) people translates to 0.23 doctors per thousand, or about 23 per
100,000 (one hundred thousand).  Is this ratio the highest in the world?

Well, according to the WHO (http://www-nt.who.int/whosis/statistics/menu.cfm), the
number of physicians per 100,000 for The Gambia was 3.5 per 100,000, well lower than
the figure above.  Even if we accept the figure of 23 doctors per 100,000 of the
population, that is by no means the highest in the world given that Cuba has 530
doctors/100,000.  All this talk is, of course, just that, talk, when you are sick and
can't find or afford the drugs prescribed for you, or you can't communicate with best
team of doctors surrounding you because they all speak Spanish, and you speak Jola.
In short, we should take these numbers in perspective.

Second, I found what is either a typographical error, an outright lack of arithmetic
skills, or wishful thinking.  To quote from the speech: "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."  The above numbers just don't jive with reality.  The only way 100 million
Dollars will convert to 15 billion Dalasis if there's an exchange rate of 150 (one
hundred and fifty) Dalasis to the Dollar.  Given that current exchange rates are
about 15 Dalasis, I propose that President Jammeh should have said 1.5 billion
Dalasis.  Clearly, this is an order of magnitude less than what the speech claims,
and I suppose warrants that his rhetoric be discounted by as much.

I guess that's about all for now.  Have a great week(end), and best wishes.

Katim
----- Original Message -----
From: Malamin Johnson <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, July 27, 2001 1:38 PM
Subject: Yahya Jammeh's Incoherent Speech


> Jammeh Addresses the Nation - 1
>
>
>
> Email This Page
>
> Print This Page
>
>
>
> 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

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