We thank you once again for the wonderful job you doing for our motherland.
Ebriama they have done it again, the so-called Indemnity bill was enacted by the so-called people representitave(NATIONAL ASSEBLY). Ebriama where is the Gambia heading to. We should not sit down and see maron Jammeh giving licence to his criminals to kill and nothing coming out of it.
You, KD, Hamjatta and the rest should do everything possible make the voiceless to be heard other wise our only option will be to face the bullets if even we all will die. Yahya is nothing but a man from Kanilia.
Ahmed.
>From: Ebrima Ceesay <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: My 22nd Message To All Gambians!!
>Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 22:01:21 -0000
>
>My Fellow Gambians,
>
>From all the indications, the situation in The Gambia is not only
>exceptionally serious, it is also quite disheartening.
>
>Since Jammeh seized power, times in The Gambia have become tougher
>and
>tougher by the year, the month, the week, the day, the hour, the
>minute, the
>second. Jammeh seized power with a packet of promises, but today
>these are
>not worth the paper they were written on.
>
>The realities of life in The Gambia today, demonstrate only this
>scoundrel’s
>lack of integrity, his dishonesty and his mismanagement of every
>facet of
>Gambian life.
>
>Those who have followed my two debate postings to "Kebba Jobe" will
>have a
>better understanding of my basis for describing Jammeh as an
>insincere and
>lying miscreant. Everyday, it is possible to talk to Gambians in
>The Gambia
>or to people who have recently visited The Gambia, and they all tell
>the
>same message: that there is almost unendurable hardship in our
>country.
>
>In fact, if it were not in the nature of Gambians to look after each
>other
>and to be prepared to share their little with their families and
>neighbours,
>people would have taken to the streets and marched onto the
>President
>demanding he feed them directly.
>
>The fact that Gambians overseas also regularly send money home to
>family and
>friends, also masks the hardships endured by so many at home.
>However, the
>reality is that not every family has a relative or breadwinner in
>the West,
>and for many of our citizens, daily life is immensely difficult.
>
>The hardship in The Gambia cannot be changed by people sharing the
>little
>that they have, nor by overseas contributions to family budgets at
>home.
>These may ease the symptoms of hardship, but they do not go any way
>to
>solving the underlying causes. Gambian generosity only temporarily
>eases
>the problems: with each sunrise, the same problems will raise their
>ugly
>heads, as surely as day follows night.
>
>The only way forward, out of this hardship and despair, is to elect
>a
>president and a government who are responsible, sincere, humble, who
>will
>have the country at heart, who will work tooth and nail to address
>the needs
>and aspirations of the people.
>
>If you look at The Gambia today, the situation is so awful. It is
>only
>Jammeh and his cronies that are enjoying the fruits of their
>mismanagement
>and dishonesty in government. Forget what the pro-Jammeh spin
>doctors on
>the Gambia-L might say – do not believe a word of it. We know what
>the
>realities are.
>
>People’s hard-earned properties have been seized, and Jammeh and his
>cronies
>are occupying them for themselves. Jammeh and his colleagues are
>changing
>vehicles like clothes. They are giving scholarships to their
>cronies and
>their relatives. They are abusing government telephones, government
>fuel.
>
>They are having medical treatment in the West. Their wives are
>delivering
>their babies in western hospitals. Jammeh is dishing out the
>state’s money
>like nobody’s business, taking people to Mecca, claiming to own an
>aircraft.
> The whole government machinery is intransparent, unaccountable,
>and
>destructive.
>
>Jammeh and his cronies are running The Gambia as if it were their
>own
>property. Jammeh is now so far from reality, that he truly believes
>that he
>is our king and we are his subjects. You have only to look at each
>and
>every sector of life in The Gambia, to know the scale of the crisis
>and
>mismanagement.
>
>Projects started are at a standstill because of a lack of funds;
>projects
>that are finished are fast falling into ruin, like the airport or
>Arch 22;
>the economy is in the doldrums.
>
>The Gambia’s total debt stock is rising by the hour. In fact, The
>Gambia has
>become so indebted domestically and internationally that it has now
>been
>included among the world’s most highly indebted poor countries in
>order to
>benefit from some debt relief.
>
>The Finance Minister himself, Famara Jatta, told us in his Budget
>Speech of
>2001 that The Gambia’s debt burden is "no longer sustainable and is
>seriously stifling The Gambia’s poverty reduction efforts" to the
>extent
>that Government "devotes over 30% of its total budget to debt
>servicing".
>
>This year alone, we are told by Jatta, The Gambia will spend 500
>million
>Dalasis to service its debts.
>
>Can you imagine that The Gambia’s debt stock which stood at 390
>million US
>dollars in 1992, has risen to 566 million US dollars by 1999 !! An
>increase
>of a massive 45% in just seven years !!
>
>The cost of living in The Gambia as we saw in the newspapers
>recently, is
>beginning to spiral out of control: fuel prices have increased,
>commodity
>prices for soap, candles, rice, sugar etc. have increased; taxi
>fares have
>gone up significantly.
>
>To appreciate that The Gambia’s economy is unmanageable and is not
>expanding, the Finance Minister himself helped us in his budget
>speech when
>he told us that whilst The Gambia’s domestic exports were valued at
>239
>million Dalasis, The Gambia’s total imports were valued at 2,600
>million
>Dalasis ! As a result, the trade deficit for The Gambia in 1999
>stood at
>2.4 billion Dalasis.
>
>This puts our dreadful economic plight into perspective: we are
>going
>nowhere fast !
>
>Meanwhile, Jammeh and his cronies are paying themselves inflated
>salaries,
>increasing travel and per diem allowances: they have their mobile
>and fixed
>telephones free of charge; many of the senior members of government
>and the
>civil service , live rent free in fancy houses. Because of their
>exotic
>lifestyles, foreign currency is often hard to find, since these
>people are
>also trading in the latter.
>
>Let us not also forget that according to a recent International
>Labour
>Organisation Study in 1998, 60% of Gambians were subsisting below
>the
>poverty line. By 1999 this figure had risen (in one year alone) to
>69%.
>
>Let us also remind ourselves of the findings of the Participatory
>Poverty
>Assessment Report published by the Gambian government in 2000.
>According to
>this study, in URD 99 per cent of the people subsist below the
>poverty line
>and there is no food security: in CRD the figure is 94%. In LRD
>the figure
>is 86%. In Banjul the figure is 89%. In Western Division the
>figure is
>94%. In North Bank, the figure is 90%.
>
>Even access to safe drinking water is elusive to 50% of our entire
>population.
>
>The figures for infant and maternal mortality have skyrocketed,
>despite the
>valiant efforts of health workers across the country. Our health
>services
>are characterised by lack of resources, lack of equipment, lack of
>trained
>personnel, lack of medication.
>
>Our hospitals are in disarray – bed sheets go unchanged for days
>because
>there are too few of them. Because of Jammeh’s despotic rule, some
>of the
>best brains in the medical sector are leaving for the private sector
>or
>heading west.
>
>In the education sector, we lack qualified teachers, we lack
>suitable books,
>we lack equipment and materials. Students have to attend school on
>a shift
>system. Schools have been built but remain empty and unfurnished,
>without
>qualified staff.
>
>Electricity remains elusive and the fluctuations and load shedding
>continue
>unabated. Jammeh promised that by July 2001, 99% of the country
>would have
>been electrified: well July is just around the corner, and The
>Gambia will
>mostly remain in the dark !
>
>Transportation in the rural areas remains a problem. The roads are
>in a
>dreadful condition, and although some roads have received a cosmetic
>treatment, the first rains will bring chaos again.
>
>Tourism is in a dire state: despite the hardworking efforts of
>those
>engaged in the industry, without good government direction, the
>situation
>can only worsen, particularly with the onset of the summer "low
>season".
>
>Agriculture is not improving – and what point is there for farmers
>to expend
>all their efforts, when they are still not paid for their crops. A
>promissory note from government does not buy food, clothes or
>education.
>
>This government is so inefficient that it cannot even manage the
>environment. Coastal erosion is a constant and increasing problem,
>and the
>sea is seriously eating into our coastal areas. Our forests are
>depleted,
>and there is no national policy for tree replacement.
>
>Our wildlife and park management compared to that elsewhere in the
>sub-region, is disappointing to say the least. We are fast losing
>our
>beautiful and diverse species of flora and fauna because of a lack
>of
>prioritisation or policy by government.
>
>Customs revenue continues to decrease, and there is no
>accountability or
>transparency in the activities of the Central Bank. We reliably
>hear that
>Baba Jobe for example, may go to the Bank and have as much foreign
>currency
>as he wishes, without accounting to anyone.
>
>Really, we are dealing with a criminal government.
>
>In this posting, I have not touched on the plight of the Judiciary
>or on
>Human Rights violations. These are areas to be explored in further
>postings.
>
>Jammeh and his cronies can no longer fool their own shadows anymore,
>so we
>should not be allowing them to fool us, The Gambian people.
>
>It is clear, based on their actions yesterday, today and tomorrow,
>that they
>do not have what it takes to "deliver the goods". They lack
>commitment.
>They lack experience. They lack integrity. They lack sincerity.
>They lack
>dedication. They lack innovation. They just do not have what it
>takes.
>
>My Fellow Gambians !
>
>Really, the message is as clear as a bright noon day. We know we
>are in a
>bleak situation, but we CAN get out of it we are determined and have
>the
>will.
>
>HOW ??( I'll touch on it briefly, but will elaborate in my next
>posting)
>
>Well, here is the million dollar question, and the answer lies in
>the will
>of the Gambian people.
>
>If we all agree that there is hardship in our nation, that Jammeh’s
>rule
>means nothing but doom for the people, that his regime is
>incompetent and
>corrupt, then we have to take action NOW.
>
>The elections are coming, and they should be taken seriously. We
>agree that
>Jammeh cannot solve our problems: he has had seven long years to
>prove
>himself, and he has met with dismal failure and worse
>
>WE HAVE TO EXERCISE OUR INALIENABLE RIGHTS AS VOTERS AND SEE THE
>BACK OF HIM
>AND HIS REGIME THROUGH THE BALLOT BOX.
>
>Since we do not want violent confrontation to change the fate of our
>country, we have to use every peaceful means at our disposal to get
>rid of
>the tyrant and his gang of criminals.
>
>We have seen what has happened in Kiang recently, and we should not
>allow
>this to happen again. People should not sell their voter’s cards:
>they
>have to use these and vote for a president and representatives who
>are
>responsible, who can solve their problems, who can enhance their
>well-being.
>
>The Jammeh people have been spending money to buy votes, but the
>plight of
>the people in Kiang, or my home village of Njau, or in Banjul will
>remain
>the same. Individuals may receive money for an APRC vote, but at
>the macro
>level, the problem will remain.
>
>Selling your vote may be a short term solution to getting a little
>money,
>but in the longer term this incompetent government will lead to even
>greater
>financial hardship for all of us. In a week, your money will be
>gone but
>the essential problems facing us all under Jammeh will remain. The
>problem
>with The Gambia is bigger than a 25 Dalasis purchase of your vote.
>
>The problem is one of bad governance. It is about putting in place
>a
>government that can manage our few resources efficiently and
>honestly, and
>can formulate and implement policies which will uplift Gambians and
>their
>country.
>
>Now that we agree that the problem cannot be tackled piecemeal, nor
>by the
>purchase of votes, we should be clear about what we can, as
>individuals, do.
>
>The Gambian people should be prepared and ready to make change
>happen.
>
>The opposition parties and concerned Gambians overseas would
>encourage the
>people at home to exercise their civil rights, but it is the people
>themselves who have to get up, go out and VOTE for the party of
>their
>choice, without unfair inducement from any side.
>
>If we do not act, the problem will never go away. It will merely
>get worse.
>
>Let The Gambian people give their votes to candidates and political
>parties
>who can bring about the necessary change for The Gambia.
>
>In my next Message to All Gambians, I shall go into the detail of
>HOW we may
>all work together to facilitate political change in our country. I
>shall be
>touching on:
>
>
>1. A fair and level playing field for the forthcoming elections
>
>2. Resistance of financial inducements in the elections
>
>3. The need for proper and effective monitoring of the electoral
>process and
>elections
>
>4. The need for a tactical alliance of the opposition parties
>
>5. The need for political education of our people, especially in the
>provinces. etc, etc.
>
>
>
>
>God help our country.
>
>
>Ebrima Ceesay,
>Birmingham, UK
>
>PS: "Kebba Jobe": I’ll get back to you by tommorow!
>
>Brother Kabir: Yes, we can find consolation in the fact that the
>Valencia
>goal was scored by John Carew, whose father is Gambian. And we, the
>Gunners,
>also have the FA cup finals pending! Hopefully, we can clinch it by
>beating
>Liverpool.
>
>I just watched the Manchester United/Bayern Munich game, and
>Manchester
>United are also eliminated. So Leeds United are the only English
>left in the
>competition. In the Semi-finals, Leeds will definitely miss South
>African
>defender Lucas Radebe, whose season is already over, because of a
>knee
>injury. I believe that the defensive partnership between Rio
>Ferdinand and
>Dominic Matteo is yet to be tested! Again, Kabir, it is always good
>to hear
>from you and my regards to Brother Omar Drammeh.
>
>Momodou Mboge: Thanks for the useful posting. I enjoyed reading it.
>
>Kebba Dampha: Great job! Just keep it up!
>
>
>_________________________________________________________________________
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