In a message dated 7/24/01 2:33:57 PM Central Daylight Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
>
> The Gambia may have made some timid progress in health and education  but we
> must not be too complacent about these statistics. The sobering reality
> according to the same report is that The Gambia is also one of the 48 least
> developed countries in the world . Is it not shocking that the average
> Gambian survives on less that $1.00 a day? UNESCO places The Gambia on the
> top of the list of countries with highest rate of brain drain to the USA.
> The Gambia's political leadership should concentrate on redefining its
> development agenda by putting together a strategy  which promotes
> democracy,and an effective and efficient administrative  institutions and
> government, addresses the alarming brain drain,  ends the culture of
> victimization of political opponents, and corruption at the expense of the
> masses.
>
>

Mariama,

It is a vicous cycle. The lack of jobs and opportunity is the reason we have
a continuing brain drain, and sometimes, I think that the political leaders
like it that way because they have less people to challenge their agendas,
and they can continue to victimize the poor people.

You are right, we certainly need leaders who can begin to address these
issues, because considering the size of Gambia, it is indeed shocking that we
are the most under-developed country.
However, the leadership we had had, and which much of Africa has had, have
been there solely for their own interest, and what they can gain from their
positions. As I have said before, these people are more concerned on a day to
day basis, with how much money they can amass, how they can manipulate the
people so they can stay in their positions for as long as possible, and what
strategies they can employ to instill fear and terror or buy decadent and
ignorant supporters whose blindness to the truth is frightening.Indeed, some
are not blind to the truth at all, they just value what they can gain
personally much more that they care to take a stance that will spell a
brighter future for all.

Thus, all the energies that should be focussed on finding out what the issues
of the day are for the country are spent on the things I have mentioned.
Sadly, the result is not only a brain drain because people have to survive
and feed their families, including their loved ones in Gambia, but it also
results in desperation for our youth who have no promise of either a decent
education, except for a few lucky ones, and no jobs to even survive on once
they leave school, if they are lucky enough to afford the school fees to
finish their high school education.

Consequently, our most valuable assets, the youth have no bright future and
no hope. It is a crisis, and so long as we continue to have the Yaya Jammehs
of Africa as leaders, and the unthinking "ndirans" who support them no matter
what they do, so long as they construct a few strategically placed shiny
buildings and build hospitals with no medicine and still have these token
gestures  that are crumbs from the people's tax money hailed  as signs of
progress, then it is a sad day indeed for Africa, and the people will
continue to find other places where they can live decent lives and raise
their children, as well as lookout for thier loved ones they leave behind.

The things that are hailed as progress even as the country is succumbing to
the destructive forces of corruption and oppression, are a sign of our
deprivation under bad leadership, such that some of us have no idea what role
a government should play and what we as the people have the right to demand
from them or remove them from office if they are not doing their jobs.

Just look at a simple thing like providing decent hospitals and schools etc
that some people think are a gift from our leaders? It amazes me that the
simple fact that these people cannot deciphe that this money belongs to the
Gambian people, and that most of what is squandered should be used to
implement services for the people, and not the President's or his cohorts
personal investment fund is lost to most of us.

Our leaders squander, pillage and loot, and then once in a while they will
come up for air, and build a couple of buildings to pacify the simpletons in
our midst, and then continue. Sadly, this strategy works every time, and i
think also sadly, a lot of people have come to think that our leaders are
entitled to what they steal, and that this is the way heads of state operate.
Frankly, some of us have seen only this mode of behaviour from heads of state
in Africa so i guess we think this is the way it ought to be.
Without leadership that understands what their roles are, and what their
focus should be, we will continue to make the bottom of the list in terms of
everything in the World.

Jabou Joh

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
You may also send subscription requests to [log in to unmask]
if you have problems accessing the web interface and remember to write your full name and e-mail address.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------