Mr Jawara,

This is an interesting article and I believed that it would open up for an
interesting discussions. However there are very many points you raised that I
believed are over estimated and some of them pure facts. You wrote;


"It is only through regional economic
cooperation like the one within the European Community that we can achieve
political stability, social and economic improvement as well as strenghten
our global position in the global market."

I can see in your signing up that you are  in Sweden, I wonder very much if
you are really following up the political and economic crisis that is going on
both in Sweden and the EU in general at this very momnet. The consequences of
the Swedish membership in the EU, if you will agree with me,among other
tings,is increasing trouble for the ordinary Swedish workers and unemployed.
The recently anti-globalisation demo in the Swedish town of Gothenburg is a
manifestation of the economic crisis hitting seriously European workers.
Unemployment in Sweden has been in the increase and this will be the case in
times to come. The many social benefits that Swedes have been enjoying is
gradually been eroding and some of them will become a history. You can see
that Swedish Volvo is now more an international production than a pure Swedish
production. You know better than I do that the privitation process in Sweden
will continue to increase the unemployment situation in the country and not
only that the migrant population have become the most vulnarable, forcing many
of them to other countries like Norway looking for jobs, but also ordinary
Swedish. You might agree with me that with such a situation the rise to power
of far right in some of these countries is as a result of the economic crisis
these countries are now faced with .You without doubt know better than I do,
how this famous "global market” issue is hitting hard Swedish farmers and that
some of them are going to abandon their career because they are no longer able
to survive the compitition, subsidies are becoming a history for these
farmers.The present crisis in France is another example. Yes you are very
right that there will be economic progress. But who are those gaining from
this economic progress should be the basis of our (We from the third world)
analysis of the development of these advance economics. It is not that Volvo
will not be enjoying economic growth by moving some of its production to Latin
America or former Eastern Europe. Production cost in these countries will be
cheaper than in Sweden but the consequences are that  ordinary Swedish workers
are suffering and better for the bosses. In that sense globalisation is not
moving in the interest of ordinary Swedish. Poverty in Sweden is rising and
will continue to rise.
  You wrote


" I do not understand when people like Dr. Saine whom i thought to
be well cultivated on world issues, particularly African issues criticises
president Jammeh that poeple in the Gambia have become poorer under his
rule. With global foreign direct investment reached 100 billion US dollars
in 1995, only 5 % went to the African continent with North Africa as the
only African region with increased trade. 65% went to Asia and 27% to Latin
America."

I can tell you that even in North Africa, this is only good for oil producing
nations, as is the case for Nigeria. But the problem is not what the West can
do for us; this is not what is going to solve our poverty iussue. The West
does not even have enough capital for her self let alone to think of us. The
big mergers you hear almost every day in newsmedia, is partly, and greatly an
effort to accumulate more capital for more profit. This shows that even
Western Capital is in serious crisis and not a sign of progress or stability.
The reason for our increasing poverty is not only lack of capital investment
but also more so mismanagement and poor economic political vision. You have
certainly read in Gambian newspaper how our farmers are suffering with doing
away with their products or getting paid. If they are not able to sell they
will not be able to get food or take care of their families. If they sell they
are to pay more for medical needs and school fees for their children is
expensive. You can even find in yesterday posting by Gassa that these poor
farmers pay D5 dalasis for maintenance of their drinking water as if these
people are not taxpayers. If a government decides to have a special airplane
for the Head of state and or have Jet fighters and do not have money to make
sure that poor farmers do have clean drinking water for health reason,
depending almost entirely on foreign institution, you should be able to see
why some of us believed that the increasing poverty in the Gambia squarely lay
on the shoulders of the APRC regime. I live in one of richest country in the
world. Even here the question of the prime minister having his/her own
airplane is so much a political bomb trap that every prime minister that comes
to power have been shying away from the issue, even though they have the
resources to do so.
On the single market and common currency issue needs a much more sober
analysis than just referring us to the experience of the EU.If the crisis that
is taking place in the EU should be experience by us we might spell the end of
our existence. We don’t even have a social network to take care of the already
social crisis let alone to open our selves to greedy capital investors with
the only motive of profit and more profit. We should be clear of why we need a
common market or a common currency. Having a common market might be
interesting,but there are so many things that we need to know before we take a
stance on the issue, i personally did not know anything about this very
important political and economic issue and I could not say if it will be good
or bad for our poor farmers and people.
 You wrote also;

"As long as the capitalists institutions like the IMF/the world bank,
countries and multi-national companies are in power, the poor and small
nations will just continue to be maginalised unless they find their own
solutions to their problems. There can never be an economic self reliance if
African countries do not start with putting together their economies and
pull down trade barriers."

There is so much truth in this but a common West African market or a common
currency does not necessarily mean that these institutions will disappear from
the continent. These institutions have an interest to take care and that these
interest will be in conflict with the interest of ordinary Africans is without
doubt most likely than not.
I am presently with the feeling that we still need our trade barriers and we
should be more nationalistic in taking care of these barriers. Recently I was
reading in a forwarded article to the G/L, that a woman entrepreneur is
struggling to survive in competition with imported juice. Increasing tax on
imported juice might be a way of given support to this woman and not a "global
market" or an open "West African market" which will without doubt create a
more hostile competition for her, more hostile than she is facing now. We
might best try and developed our own internal market and production than going
into something we might become only comsumers. Even the EU you referred us to,
there are criteria a member nation must satisfy before becoming a member,
unless you know much about this issue, which I don’t know, it is best for us
to look what our interest will be, than creating a huge market for those
interested in only enriching them selves and telling us that we will  be
economically independent and free. Wherther it is the European Union or the
North American economic alliance, poverty and unemployment is so far the
realities of these economies.

For Freedom
Saiks













>===== Original Message From The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
<[log in to unmask]> =====
>Dear List members:
>CC.
>
>
>
>Well,  as far as this issue is concerned i have to start with the European
>example that has already  inspired nations in other parts of the world to
>follow suit. Ambitious plans  for regional or  subregional economical
>integration have in fact been stressed in other parts of the world.
>Argentina, Brazil.Paraguay and Uruguay are on the way to a common market.
>The same goes for the Caribbean countries, likewise The United states,
>Canada and Mexico. It also seems that the ASEAN countries  of the south east
>asian countries are determined to strenghten their economic cooperation. I
>do not see any reason why a  West African currency, with a common central
>bank cannot be in existence.  It is only through regional economic
>cooperation like the one within the European Community that we can achieve
>political stability, social and economic improvement as well as strenghten
>our global position in the global market.
>
>I think that since the continent is less open to international trade than
>other regions of the world, it is high time for our leaders to find a
>solution to Africa´s  poor performance in trade that has led to its terrible
>maginalisation.
>To be able to take an active part in global trade expansion, Africa needs to
>start up a credible  regional economic  promotion strategy. And the best way
>to come to this i think is governments to lock themselves in good economic
>policies aimed to benefit the whole region.
>
>A West African central Bank will in fact help control inflation and to
>harmonise banking and other business regulations in the whole region.
>Regional coodination of banks and other financial institutions, coupled with
>adequate lagislation could reduce risk, increase investment and provide a
>stimulus to cross border trade.
>
>We know that the 90´s  have been years of crises, conflicts and continous
>deepening poverty not only in our region or country alone, but the whole of
>Africa. I  do not understand  when people like Dr. Saine whom i thought to
>be well cultivated on world issues, particularly African issues criticises
>president Jammeh  that poeple in the Gambia have become poorer under his
>rule. With global foreign direct investment reached 100 billion US dollars
>in 1995, only 5 % went to the African continent with North Africa as the
>only African region with increased trade. 65% went to Asia and 27% to Latin
>America.
>
>As long as the capitalists institutions like the IMF/the world bank,
>countries and multi-national companies are in power, the poor and small
>nations will  just continue to be maginalised unless they  find their own
>solutions to their problems. There can never be an economic self reliance if
>African countries do not start with putting together their economies and
>pull down trade barriers.
>
>Thanks for Sharing!
>
>
>SS.Jawara,
>Stockholm, Sweden.
>
>
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Jungle Sunrise
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Sent: Saturday, March 30, 2002 2:01 PM
>Subject: Well, what do you think?
>
>
>Should The Gambia Join a Common West African Monetary Union or Not?
>Folks,
>
>The following is a press release that has been doing the rounds in some of
>the local papers these past days. The reason I am forwarding it is for those
>who are experts or are conversant with monetary policies or common currency
>issues to give their opinions about it. The issue of a common West African
>Currency, slated for 2003, has been the subject of much discussion in
>certain quarters. There are some who are very enthusiastic about it and how
>it would help ease the pressure on the demand for foreign (European and US)
>currencies and help integrate our economies. These people would ask why some
>neighbouring countries which sometimes share borders cannot trade using
>their own currencies instead of say the US Dollar. Others who are skeptical
>of a Common West African Currency on the other hand would argue that Gambia’
>s Dalasi is very strong and should not be sacrificed for a common currency.
>Some of them would tell you that it would be suicidal for The Gambia to join
>a common currency especially when one considers the turmoil in countries
>like Nigeria, Liberia, Sierra Leone and until recently Ghana.
>
>With this background, I hope those conversant with monetary policies and
>international trade would give their take on the issue. I must stress here
>that this is not an APRC or Jammeh thing. This is an issue that would affect
>all of us, whether you like the government or not or live abroad or not. For
>this reason, I am please appealing to those who, like me, know very little
>about the issue at hand to just ask questions and not muddy the discussions.
>Those of you in the EU, where the Euro was launched a few months back give
>their opinion of how this change is being handled both at government level
>and by individual citizens.
>
>On many occasions people have criticized National Assembly Members as inept
>and usually not of very high caliber. Now is the chance for the L’s National
>Assembly to debate this issue so that when it is tabled before our NA some
>of them may have known some of the pros and cons of joining or not joining a
>common currency.
>
>Have a good day, Gassa.
>
>Launching ceremony for the sensitization programme on the second West
>African Monetary Zone
>
>The Central Bank of The Gambia and the Department Of State for Finance and
>Economic Affairs on the 28th March 2002 organized a launching ceremony in
>the form of a one-day seminar for the sensitization programme on the second
>West African Monetary Zone. The seminar took place at the Kairaba Hotel in
>Kololi.
>
>Common currencies are the strength of most sub-regional economies such as
>Europe and other parts of the world.
>
>The West African Common Currency will be handled by the proposed West
>African Central Bank for the second Monetary Zone.
>
>Objectives
>
>·        Integration of the economies of the countries involved within the
>sub-region and saving in the use of foreign exchange in intra-regional trade
>payment transaction;
>·        Cross-border payments, trade and investment within the sub-region;
>·        A single regional market over a wider geographical area of 16
>countries with over 210 million people;
>·        Greater inflow of foreign capital and thus stemming capital flight
>as a result of improved credibility of the region in international monetary
>and financial circles.
>
>The single currency will come into effect in 2003 in all six member states
>of the second monetary zone.
>
>I suspect that The Gambia is one on those countries that would likely join
>the proposed West African Monetary Union (Common Currency).
>
>There is a time in the life of every problem when it is big enough to see,
>yet small enough to solve. -Mike- Levitt-
>
>
>
>Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: Click Here
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