Bamba Laye wrote: "Gassa, it is an illusion in itself to assume that there is/was an illusion “that, without western aid we will not survive…” among Gambians of today. What many conscientious Gambians and friends of Gambia, including the expelled diplomats, are crying for are a remedy for discomfort and embarrassment in the global diplomatic and economic scene. Instead, Jammeh and his advisers want to use the excuse and claim of undue interference in “domestic affairs” to further plunge the nation into the abyss." Bamba Laye, no sane Gambian would want to plunge the nation into an abyss least of all jammeh who aspires to lead us at least for the next 5 years. You again wrote: "Gassa, the truth - which the likes of you are trying so hard to avoid - is that the high level of corruption in the country and the misguided national and international policies that have and are continuing to plunge the country into poverty is turning us into an international pariah. The Gambia is too small and weak to assume the status of a pariah state: the growing economic constraints render us totally incapable of withstanding outright international isolation." Nobody advocates for The Gambia to become a pariah state or for it to be isolated. That is in nobody's interest. As for our poverty, the government is pursueing policies that under constant review to try to find a solution to it. In that endevour, they are investing in the main stay of our economy (agriculture) tourism promotion, fisheries, energy, roads, telecommunications, education etc, etc. This is no easy task and is an ongoing process. What Gambians should be doing is to encourage investment in the productive sector, check our population growth rate and minimise waste. Like I said before it will be very difficult for us to overcome this daunting task if in a typical family two work and the rest, usually more than seven, just consume. You also wrote: "Government should not overlook the possibility of the threats of sanctions or assume that it had survived some mild forms of sanctions before by pretending that all is calm and cozy. Rather we all should realize that economic progress in our country is inextricably bound to the economic progress and basic well being of the individual Gambian household as well as the sub-region at large." Bamba Laye, nobody is underestimating the effects sanctions may have on us. What I am saying, and this is strickly my personal opinion only, is that the government must have discussed it at cabinet level and took an informed decision based on evidence that may not be in the public domain. The government only requested for the replacement of the EU representative and not the severance of our cordial relations. That we are part of the global village is not lost on us least of all the government. It is said that "The world may be your oyester, but you've got to crack the shell yourself". Let the government crack its own shell! "The mature handling of potentially explosive situations is required in order not to plunge Gambia back into another round of a state of economic desperation. We must all refuse to join the bandwagon of those who are blindly avoiding the truth." Whereas as I totally agree with what you've said above and the last sentence from what follows, I totally disagree with the rest i.e that "The problems in The Gambia today are due to the government’s failure to formulate distinctively pragmatic, domestic and foreign policies that will be patterned after the principles of nationalism – which they seem to adore so much but have very understanding of in the context of the current global economic environment. Sadly enough, both our domestic and foreign policies have been ambiguous, to say the least, and at present it is imperceptible which posture Gambia has adopted as a vital member of the global community. Indeed a sad state of affairs which cannot be avoided by expelling and threatening the expulsion of western diplomats". For any relationship to be meaningful, it must first of all be based on the truth and trust. When these are absent, then relationship would most probably not last. What is happening now is perhaps more complicated than we both know or assume. It is for this reason that am giving the benefit of the doubt to the government until I learn more about it. Have a good day, Gassa. ======================================================================= There is a time in the life of evry problem when it is big enough for all to see, yet small enough to solve - Mike Leavitt- ======================================================================= >From: BambaLAye <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Gassa>>Re: Gambian Domestic/Foreign Policy >Date: Tue, 15 Jan 2002 09:29:39 -0500 > >Gassa, >I have wanted to respond to yours and everyone else’s contributions to the >budget speech and subsequent issues but had very little time in my hands to >do so. This will in effect serve as my response to the many issues ranging >from the current diplomatic dilemma to the economic situation depicted by >Famara Jatta’s budget speech. > Amidst the threat of such misguided policies, what every well-meaning >citizen must do is to urge the government to explore every available avenue >in order to avert the current situation from degenerating any further. > >Our domestic policies appear to be focused at creating only two major >classes: the affluent and the impoverished. Any such policies that deprave >the vast majority of employment and other opportunities are a recipe for >division. We should all urge for the assurance by government to create new >jobs for hundreds of youth that cannot find employment. >The resilience of Gambians against the backdrop or growing economic >mismanagement and the recalcitrant extravagant life styles of a minute >segment of our society cannot be overemphasized. The spiraling pomposity of >those who continue to live, conceitedly, within the arrogance and falsehood >of supremacy and indispensability over their compatriots primarily because >of heir ready access to nation’s wealth must be discouraged. >> >Abdoulie A. Jallow >(BambaLaye) >"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter" >-M.L King Jr. > ><<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> > >To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > ><<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> _________________________________________________________________ Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>