Mr. Jow: In relations to the fishing industry, you have mis-spoken and we all understand your skepticism base on the history of the Jammeh administration. The more you try to explain yourself, the more transparent it gets. A retraction of the statement was made, and you do not need to defend it. Thanks Musa jeng Yusupha Jow wrote: > Yahya: > > Thanks for your prospective on the Fisheries project and its possible > positive impact on the Gambian economy. My rebuttal of the idea as a waste > of money was not a rejection of the idea completely, as a result of > scepticism about whether the present regime is able to run anything save a > fishing industry. For this reason, I said that it would be a waste of money. > I did not however elaborate on why this was the case. > > My other issue with the way this project was touted to be such a good idea is > because, in the grand scale of things, this new fishing complex will hardly > improve the dire situation back home. If, as you suggested, a many fisheries > plants are opened by competent experts in areas where labour is abundant and > employment is needed, then I would be a bit less sceptical of its possible > positive impact on the economy. And even in this case, the consequences might > be dire: > > First, fishing processing plants are the source of very dangerous waste > products which must be treated. Therefore, if a whole industry is developed > around this idea, the government will also have to build waste treatment > facilities to combat this problem. The money to build these waste treatment > plants will have to come out of the taxpayers money, and, if as you > suggested, all these plants are built close to the River Gambia, then the > potential for massive pollution of this river will be endless. I am sure you > realise the consequences of polluting the river. > > Secondly, the artisan local fishermen would have to suffer the consequence of > their way of living being possibly brought to an abrupt end by these fishing > industries. Many tribes and communities back home have for thousands of > years used their fishing skills to make a living for themselves. So, how > does the government deal with this consequence? > > Thirdly, the government is expected to tax these industries to make revenue. > But as it stands now the government is offering incredulous tax cuts and > concessions for companies who want to start such industries back home: The > concessions include, no taxes for the first five years. 1/3 of the regular > tax rate in the sixth year. In fact, full taxation will not be applied until > the 9th year from the start of a fishing plant. In addition to this, no > duties will be imposed on any of the machinery imported for these plants. > Yes, these industries might provide jobs for Gambians who will pay taxes in > return. But the real money earners will not pay taxes for 8 years. Is this > a wise policy? I'll let you figure the formulas out since I am not an > economist . > > To buttress my point, it turns out that this touted fisihng plant which Kebba > Jobe is talking about is being funded by the IFA. The total amount of money > to be invested in the project is about 1 million dollars and I believe the > loan is being granted to LyeFish. Now, you tell me how this will > significantly improve the economic situation back home in the short run? Do > we expect some type of domino effect in respect to fishing plants? > > Also, though I do not really speak the economic lingo, I stand by statement > that economics is not an exact science in many respects. Yes, you use > formulas and such, but economics very rarely get their predictions exactly > right. > > It seems as if some students of economics see this from a strictly > neo-classical interpretation. This is understandable butI do not see it in > the same way. I believe the way this venture is carried out deserves to be > looked at very carefully by our people. I hope the opposition pays close > attention to the proposals surrounding this idea. > > If all the possible problems can be dealt with and addressed effectively, > then I am all for it. > > Regards, > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > 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. > ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------