Foreign Debt At D9 Billion, Opposition Leader Discloses The Independent (Banjul) September 21, 2001 Posted to the web September 21, 2001 B.s Jawla Banjul, the Gambia The National Reconciliation Party leader Hamat Bah has revealed that The Gambia has incurred over D9 billion as debt owed to the outside world in the last seven years. Mr. Bah, who was on a nationwide tour told a mass rally in Sanjaly Sarra Kunda recently that the country's foreign debt has increased manifold since July 1994 in view of what he saw as reckless government spending, spurred by bad economic policies of the APRC administration. Mr. Bah said the economic conditions in the country was better before President Jammeh staged his coup in 1994. He said before that period, the country's debt was D3 million, which he said was manageable. He said Gambians have been forced to incur a huge foreign debt without knowing where and how that money was spent. He said many Gambians are only just realising that the man who had toppled ex-president Jawara, purportedly to contain corruption has presided over a looting spree of the nation's meagre resources. The NRP leader accused the president of buying expensive cars every two years. "This shows that Jammeh has no interest in improving the miserable lives of our people" he charged. On the president's overseas travels, Mr. Bah said Jammeh always prefers globetrotting on chartered flights instead of regular flights, which are cheaper and less burdensome on the nation's coffers. According to him, the president spends over D1 million in every trip while the sick in hospitals are left to languish in anguish and students from poor homes are left without school fees. He said Gambian youths have been overwhelmed by frustration, while mothers suffer miscarriages because of bad roads. He said it is outrageous for President Jammeh to preside over these problems while misinforming Gambians on the television and the radio in his propagandistic statements to gain support for his unpopular party. Mr. Bah also said that he would expose President Jammeh's true nature to Gambians who he said would realize the truth and why they shouldn't entrust him with power for the next five years. He called on Gambians to distance themselves from President Jammeh and his party, who he said are bent on more plunder. "Those clapping for him are doing so for their own selfish interests. But they will regret it sooner rather than later," he said. According to him, Gambians are ready for change, which he believes is inevitable especially when there would be no chance for vote-rigging. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------