Gambia-L: The e-mail below came from source Ebrima Ceesay ________________________________________________________________________ Hello Ebrima, This Government is cracking. Just maintain the pressure. I have never seen, in my years of service, a government in such a disarray. I am sure you will read the Farrafenni debacle in the internet later on today. This latest incident is yet another manifestation of the incompetence of the regime. Soldiers who cannot operate the simplest of mitilary hardware without getting themseves blown to pieces. The death toll now stands at four with the death of one of them this morning at the RVH from wounds sustained from this embarrassing incident. The newpapers will continue to report without fear despite warnings from Jammeh and this incompetent and disgraceful regime. The two known civilians wounded in the incident are in fair condition at the Farrafenni hospital. [The above is an update on the piece submitted by Ebou Colley to Gambia L entitled ...State Guards Killed..] ________________________________________________________________________ Gambia L: THE PIECE BELOW ON THE PRE-INSPECTION HAS BEEN WITH ME SINCE LAST WEEK AND IT IS CULLED FROM THE OBSERVER OF THE 28 JUNE, 2000 Ebrima Ceesay ********************************************************************** SoS Musa Sillah and SoS Famara Jatta: Their departments are divided on the pre-shipment policy How fares the pre-shipment inspection? (Culled from the Sunday Observer of May 28, 2000) Analysts believe that it’s becoming more apparent that the Pre-shipment Inspection Programme introduced some nine months back by the department of state for Finance and Economic Affairs is not particularly succeeding in achieving the desired gains. At least as much as facts and figures can show. The three reasons named for the institution of the policy were enhancing government’s revenue from customs duties, ensuring the standard of imported goods and assisting in the creation of a niche for Gambian produce and products in the international market. According to authoritative reports, the volume of imports has suffered a decrease of 40 percent, provoking parallel decline in the revenue generated at the Gambia Port Authority. Instead of a boost, total government revenue from Customs duties for the period of January to March 2000 went down by 2 percent, compared to figures of the same period in 1999 when the inspection wasn’t in place. Prices of some commodities have also increased despite government’s assurance that pre-shipment inspection programme would not provoke an increase in prices of goods. The increase has been blamed on the inspection fee charged by BIVAC International, the inspection firm overseeing the programme. It is difficult to place the results of BIVAC’s efforts at ensuring that sub-standard goods are barred from importation. The evident lack of improvement in the quality standards of imports has also triggered a rubbishing of government’s second reason as ostensible. Authorities in the import/export industry assert that BIVAC lacks the technical capacity to ascertain the quality of goods. Even according to Stephen Sachoshek and Razhard Tardieu, founding directors of BIVAC’s Gambia office, the physical inspection carried out by BIVAC can only ensure that the shelf life of goods does not exceed half before importation. While these may be adequate duties of an inspection agency, experts argue that it is not enough to halt the importation of sub-standard goods. Stakeholders in the Gambian export market, notably exporters of agro-related stocks are also crying hue. While, according to them, BIVAC does no contribution to the inspection of their wares, the inspection fee charged by the firm is an added burden on the industry. World prices of the export stocks are fixed; therefor pre-shipment inspection has meant increased expenditure without corresponding increase in revenue. “For the past 15 years, we’ve been in this industry and we’ve been selling our produce to the international community. For all this time, there has been no doubt as regards our wares because the Phytosanitary inspection is in place and efficient. I really don’t see the need for this BIVAC thing. It’s just an added burden,” quipped an exporter of agricultural produce. Experts in economics and international trade have also categorically expressed doubts that Pre-shipment Inspection would augur well for The Gambia. Razia Khan of Standard Chartered Bank’s Global Economic Desk and chairman of the board of directors of Trust Bank, Ken Ofori Atta advised the government to reconsider its decision to adopt the policy. Gambian economists and experts have honed on this, citing the neutrality and supposed indifference as evident of impartial analysis of the issue. BUSINESS INDEX has gathered that the department of state for Trade, Industry and Employment, the Customs and Excise department and the Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry are averse to the pre-shipment inspection programme. These departments are also working to establish facts that may lead to the abrogation of the policy. (Culled from the Sunday Observer of 28 May 2000) ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------