Gambia-L, Again another piece from allafrica.com courtsey of the Point newspaper. The piece was apparently penned by a very honest supporter of the mad man in Kanilai. For those who still think that the gov't has acted and continues to act honorably towards the farming community, i beg you to come forward and rescue the tortured logic of its wholly impractical position. Simply put, let them tell us why we should still put with Jammeh's economic vandalism and hustling by frauds and low-lifes? ************************ Farmers Deceived By Government > > <A HREF="http://allafrica.com/sendpage.html">Email</A> This Page <A HREF="http://allafrica.com/stories/printable/200103030073.html">Print</A> This Page > > <A HREF="http://allafrica.com/publishers.html?passed_name=The%20Point&passed_location=empty">The Point</A> OPINION March 2, 2001 Posted to the web March 3, 2001 Banjul As a concerned citizen who belongs to the party and government, but self-employed for over 24 years, I will like to express my personal feelings on how the Groundnuts trade seasons operates in The Gambia, from 1998 to date. Now every conscious citizen knows that the government is not directly responsible for the groundnut purchasing, but it is the leading player of the season.To my own observation, what government announced over the radio and TV is never practicable. For example, the head of state, supreme commander and leader of the government announced on his meet the peoples tour that the groundnut trade season this year will be far different from those years (1998 to 2001). Unfortunately, in my own home town, Bansang, cash supplies came four to five times, but up to now there is a serious need of cash to pay NOTEE and to buy more groundnuts.The secco of Bansang needs nothing less than one million dalasis to pay and buy stored groundnuts. As a committed member of the party, this system makes one more disturbed and leaves a deep sense of confusion. I would like to assure the leader of government that what is always being announced over the air concerning supply of cash for the trade season is not at all attractive. For example, the situation at the last Koriteh prayers was very serious for the poor farmers. Simply, two-thirds of the farmers who sold their groundnuts were not paid. Eventually, there were lots of rumours that farmers were always been fooled by the government.When I challenged that version, the reply used to be "the president himself said this during his meet the peoples tour." As the leader of the nation, and not a politician, be careful of your words. Our dearest nation is one of the most peaceful nations in the sub-region, and I recommended you as one of the best leaders in the sub-region, far different from the former corrupt regime of Jawara. What is the most serious complain in this peaceful country, however, is the state of the groundnut trade season, and the need for price control of sugar, candle, rice and electricity as far as the Bansang community is concerned. Half a loaf is better than nothing, in terms of electricity, but if the half loaf is infected the supply of electricity becomes more serious. I am confident that all the groundnuts will be bought, but let us think of the time factor. The last Koriteh, as I explained, there was a little amount of money supplied. Here the Tobasky is also fast approaching, and I will like to appeal to the head of state to make sure every farmer has got his share. Of course, I am quite aware it is not the government's responsibility, but farmers could not understand this, and you cannot make them to understand simply because they are still saying that president Jammeh said this while on his meet the peoples tour, which I quite agreed with.Now, if this system cannot be changed by the agents, I advise president Jammeh to re-consider the role of agents and the poor farmers. I wrote a personal letter to the president, and hope he must be thinking and responding positively.As a leader, and not a politician, never promise and fail. I am a committed member of the party, but I hope it is my duty to contribute towards improving the nation's general situation in one way or the other. Hamjatta - Kanteh [log in to unmask] [log in to unmask] URL: http://hometown.aol.co.uk/hamzakanteh/myhomepage/newsletter.html </HTML> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------