Mr. sanneh, understandably, your hands are tight on commenting about Gambia, but on the rest of Africa, the gloom and doom scenario painted by western and some African intellectuals shows a vicarious picture whereby, the average African is gradually loosing hope in salvaging their sociopoliticoeconomic system[s]. Africa, is hell-bent and cornered on two extremes, on one end is ABSOLUTE SUBLIMITY [IMF, World bank, the Military Industrial Complex, WTO, the Gang of 7, Biotechnology Industry i.e. genetic tampering/patenting , etc.] and on the other, ULTIMATE EVIL [merchants of misery, unnecessary war, famine, military takeovers, ETC]. As the late Dr. John Henrick Clarke reiterated, Africa's problems lies with its politicians, educators and intellectuals. Wherein, the common man/woman in other continents aspires to a higher and wider horizons, Africans would celebrate foreign concepts and perpetrated schemes/policies rammed down their throats, even in the presence of warnings, that such theories, are convincing, but practically, illogically illogical, as these are solely based on fable principles of economic theories of Adam Smith, Malthus, Keynes, Chicago Oxford Yale and MIT Schools of 'myth making'. In narrowing my scope of argument to the last 500 years, the dissemination of Africa through slavery [not sidetracking the Arab role] and colonialism, marauders, drafted a blueprint for Africa's gloom and doom by guaranteeing a nonrecovery catastrophic violent and economic enforcement of developmental policies such as: the scramble for Africa, destabilizing forces after independence, IMF/World bank policies, constructive engagement, triumph of democracy and free markets, WTO, cold war [east-west conflict, nothing more than a metaphor of north-south subjugation] through an indoctrinal system of masters ruling and commissary class following. The north's [developed nations] master plan for the South [underdeveloped] was, and will always be, that the latter, serves as a 'SERVICE FUNCTION' whose sole is for investments, raw materials, pollution export, etc. Statements and documents relating to the New World Order [NOVUS ORDO SECLORUM], Magna Carta and NSC 68, are best evidence of this assertions. Each and every successful developed western power, without exception, succeeded in their developmental path violating the same IMF/World Bank rules, now enforced on 3rd world [some might call them 1st world] nations; subsidies, freeing up market economies, opening up to foreign investments, privatization, etc. The 18th century steel industry, 19th century textile, 20th century computers and the impending 21st century biotechnology and patenting of genes [animals and plants], materialized because of heavy governmental subsidies, import substitutions, protectionism and high tariffs, the same denied to developing African countries. Let's take the case of Gambia, which according to your posting, surprisingly made the 4% list, even in the presence of shortfalls arising out of the 'groundnuts debacle', positioned # 18 [within Africa] in arms and armament procurements [official] compared to GDP, uneven balance of trade and payments, low productive capacity and increasing population growth, the overwhelming Gambian citizens, excluding those living abroad, who by the way are bankrolling the economy through remittance of foreign exchange to their families, are in the worst precarious conditions ever. The 5 and 10 year development plans, Structural Adjustment Programs and the Yahya Jammeh/Dominic Mendy a la vision 2000 hoax, haven't produced an iota of productive base, whereby the massive poor are salvaged from misery instead, the minuscule few, experienced grandeur and illicit wealth at the expense of the young generation. I would like to put you on the spot...let's forward the calender to year 2001...Gambian newspapers headlines: APRC government looses election to coalition parties...DR, Sidi Sanneh accepts Policy Analysis position. What policies would you initiate to rescue Gambia from the economic conundrum/malaise that it's submerged in. If you have to, respond in the third person, perhaps such policy advice could be utilized by the next regime to SOS Gambia. RESPECT DUE. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------