BY PA NDERRY M'BAI It appears that there will be no "Meet the People's tour" this year. There are no indications suggesting that The Gambian dictator will embark on such a tour. Perhaps Jammeh is not comfortable in meeting the farmers, sine he could not honour his repeated failed promises over the years to address their plight. JAMMEH WITH WADE. THIS YEAR NO "DIALOGUE WITH THE PEOPLE TOUR" HOW ABOUT THE LOOMING BORDER CRISIS? Gambia's farming community are today more impoverished ever in the history of the tiny West African country. Yahya Jammeh had lied to them time and time that he will uplift their status. Each time he embarked on the so called "Dialogue With The People Tour", he will bombard farmers with empty promises. We can comfortably say that Jammeh is nothing but a deceiver and also a "politrick" president. We were not the least surprised when he decided to relinquish the agriculture portfolio and surrendered it to "Jali Yankuba Touray" who is today reduced to a laughing stock in The Gambia. Knowing fully well that he had lied to the farmers, Jammeh recently sent Yankuba Touray to the country side to sound the opinions of the farming community. Touray visited Niamina Dankunku, where he was told by the alkalo Ebou Mboge, that the 2004 poor turn out was due to farming activities in the District. That most of the residents were at the farm when Jammeh toured the area. While being hunted by political uncertainties, Jammeh is also worried about the type of reception he will receive this time around, if he visit the farmers. Our Niaminarian people started the "revolution" last year, when they unanimously boycotted his Dankunku meeting. Some APRC big wigs including Jammeh received the greatest shock of their lives when the Niaminarians refused to accord them any kind of official reception. The Alkalo of Dankunku including few elders and school children were on the ground to welcome the "kanilai" mansa. Frustrated by the Dankunku poor reception, shameless Jammeh branded the inhabitants of the locality as sympathisers of the opposition and vowed not to visit the area if they fail to renounce their support for the opposition. At the time, the Niamina Dankunku lion Lamin Waa Juwara, alias "Mbarodi" was at his "second home the Mile Two prisons". He was being jailed on a bogus sedition charges. While the APRC were with the opinion that the Niaminarians action to boycott the Jammeh meeting was compelled by the Waa Juwara imprisonment, some local observers believe that the farming community were increasing fed up with Jammeh's broken promises to improve their lives. One thing is evident however, there is a growing discontent among the farming populace. Yahya Jammeh is aware of this and will do everything it takes to avoid disgruntled farmers. With the help of alkalos and divisional commissioners, he decides who should and who should not talk at such forums. Farmers with complaints regarding hunger, economic hardship, and lack of farming incentives are usually denied access to microphones. With the instruction of Jammeh, local government leaders will screen speakers interested in addressing the farming community. Views critical of the dictatorship are usually censored. The farming community indeed, have good reasons to be pissed off with Yahya Jammeh. They are getting poorer by the day, when Yahya and his corrupt government are embezzling millions of dalasis from our treasury. There are no good roads today in The Gambia. This could be a possible factor responsible for Jammeh's failure to tour the country. He feel too good to travel under such messy roads. Secondly, the rural folks also do not have access to clean drinking water, despite Jammeh's repeated promises to provide them with wells. WHY ARE YOU RICHER THAN OUR FARMERS? Farmers are eagerly waiting to hear from Jammeh to explain why he relinquishes the agriculture portfolio. Farmers also want to know when will this government guarantee them the sale of their produce. They also want to know when will the days of credit buying be over. They will be more than happy if Jammeh honour his rural electrification project. The said project is at stand still. There is no serious efforts on the side of the Jammeh administration to provide electricity to our rural folks. From day one, we knew that the said project will fail. A government that cannot provide six good hours of uninterrupted electricity to urban folks, will not be able to launch a rural electrification project. The energy crisis will continue to go abated, as long as Yahya Jammeh continues to preside over the affairs of the state. With the recent border crisis between The Gambia and neighbouring Senegal, our farmers will be in more trouble. Their chances of selling their produce in Senegal will be hindered by this impasse. We blame Yahya Jammeh and his ignorant government for failing to chart way forward to address this serious state of affairs. Whether we like it not, Gambia's economic activities cannot work in the absence of Senegal. We derive good percentage of our Gross Domestic Product or GDP from sub-regional trade and other commercial activities. Our customs officers usually collect thousands of dalasis on a daily bases from Senegalese businessmen travelling to The Gambia. In addition, The Gambia is being considered as a shopping centre for our Senegalese brothers and sisters. Each time they buy goods or merchandise from The Gambia, our country stands to gain economic income. When the border crisis started, we cautioned Jammeh to handle it with urgency, but he never heeded. Instead, he kept on paying deaf ears to the situation. Former foreign Affairs minister Baboucarr Blaize Jagne was denied entry in Senegal few years ago, amidst the border tension. Now, we are again hearing an APRC member of parliament being denied entry. Who knows if Jammeh will be denied entry in Senegal one day? The current border crisis is a cause for concern. There is nothing wrong for The Gambian authorities to listen to our Senegalese neighbours. If it's true that their claims are valid and reasonable, we should waive the ferry tariffs, which are regarded as "exorbitant" by the Senegalese community. With the current hostile relationship between the two sister countries, there is no doubt in our mind that the proposed Yilli Tenda/Bamba Tenda bridge, which was signed by the Wade and Jammeh government will be a thing of the past. We were at the Kairaba Hotel, when the sacked Senegalese prime minister Edrissa Seck and our own Vice President Isatou Njie Saidy signed the said memorandum of understanding for a bridge to be constructed on our river. Both parties agreed to scout for funding to realise such a Senegambian project. Since the Banjul meeting, we have not been told about the situation of the said project. We do know that the current government is having problems in attracting funding from donors. This could be partly attributed to the regime's lack of transparency and accountability. Developmental projects often failed, without the government advancing any reasons for it. In view of the current state of affairs, we are convinced beyond all reasonable doubts that Yahya Jammeh is not a solution to the current economic woes, hunger and maladministration hitting the West African country. To our farmers, we say go ahead with your normal businesses. Jammeh will never and ever stick to his promises. His past lies to better your lives is enough for now. Don't allow to be fooled. _________________________________________________________________ Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today it's FREE! http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/ いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] いいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいいい