(JollofNews)- Dear President Barrow,
As a diaspora Gambia and an accounting professor, it is incumbent on me to engage you about the direction of the Gambia. As we enter a new page in the Gambia’s political history, open engagement and dialogue should be encouraged. While I have no doubt about your sincerity, I am deeply troubled with your ambitious plans in fulling many long-term strategic initiatives within the 33 remaining months of your mandate.
Your recent interview with The Point Newspaper in building “world class prisons” should be weighed in its entirety.
Mr. President, where is the money coming from? As revealed by your finance minister, the government’s bank account at the Central Bank is depleted. To put it bluntly, Mr. President, the Gambia government is virtually bankrupt. The country’s accounting equation is: Total Assets < Total Liabilities + Total Equity.
In addition to building “world-class prisons,” how would you be able to accomplish the following ambitious projects within the 33 remaining months of your mandate?
1.Build a high- rise or an open bridge between Yelli tenda and Bamba tenda. Please don’t
build a closed-bridge because it will destroy river navigation.
2.Build batches around the City of Banjul to minimize tides from overtaking the capital city.
3.Build the city streets in Banjul to resemble pre-independence days.
4.Complete construction of the University of the Gambia and move the entire university
instructions, faculty, staff, and students to Faraba Banta.
5.Complete the Laminkoto Passamance road.
4.Construct and maintain the northern Gambian roads from Barra to Farafeni.
5.Construct and maintain the roads in the Kanifing Administrative District.
6.Construct and maintain the secondary roads in Western, North Bank, Lower River,
Janjanbureh, and Upper River Divisions.
7.Construct and maintain the southern Gambia roads from Banjul to Fatoto.
8.Continue with the dictator’s initiative of free basic and secondary education.
9.Equip the hospitals with modern technology and equipment.
10.Improve quality education in the country.
11.Increase administrative, staff and faculty salaries at the University of The Gambia.
12.Increase civil service wages.
13.Increase teacher salaries.
14.Pay for the military and the police.
15.Pay for the over-expansion of ministerial portfolios.
16. Protect the boarders and the seas.
Realistically, Mr. President, your administration should try to borrow a page from President Kenyatta by curtailing external loans to finance the Gambia’s appropriated budgets. After President Kenyatta refused to take external loans and sought direct investment, the Kenya Shilling appreciated, commodity prices decreased, the country’s GDP increased, and the confidence of the Kenyan people sharply increased.
Just a few weeks ago, the Peugeot Company announced that it would assemble some of their cars in Kenya. Guess what? These cars will be sold in Continental Africa, and you will soon see one in the Gambia.
The ambitious long-term development initiatives that your administration has envisioned would mortgage the future of the Gambia because the financing alternatives are conceived through external loans and not internal modules.
The after- effect of your desire to seek external loans would do the following to the Gambia’s economy:
1. Decrease direct investment
2. Decrease the country’s GDP
3. Further depreciate the Gambian Dalasi
4. Increase commodity prices
5. Increase the country’s debt portfolio
6. Realize and recognize the highest budget deficit in the history of the Gambia
Mr. President when a new administration takes charge, it usually assesses the internal controls and conclude with certainty how to implement policies that may affect stakeholders for generations to come.
In that context, I hereby appeal to your administration to consider the following:
1. Allow extension workers at the ministry of Agriculture to brainstorm constituents about gardening 2. Close the Mile 2 prison and move the prisoners to one of the military camps
3. Declare the Gambia as a bankrupt nation
4. Dialogue with the House of Representatives to repeal the 1997 constitution
5. Encourage direct investment instead of external borrowing
6. Engage open dialogue with the Gambian people about human development instead of total
reliance on external donors
7. Reduce the size of the government
8. Reduce the size of the military
9. Request loan forgiveness from the country’s external creditors
10. Reduce the size of the government
11. Reduce the military
12. Reduce mining of sand from local communities to prevent soil erosion and flooding.
While I remain a loyal servant and a supportive member of the coalition, I will not hesitate to engage your administration in an open dialogue on the need for a smaller government and a sound fiscal policy.
Very Respectfully,
Dr. Lamine Jassey Conteh
My word! I agree with the professor absolutely, 18 Ministries, for less than 2 million people looks too big a government. I think five well funded and unapologetically, even ruthlessly administered mega ministries within a two sticks-one carrot pyramid should do well to instill the fiscal discipline NEEDED for development starting from scratch!
Excellent article and vision, the only problem is Barrows has cut deals already, he sold the Gambian oil while he was in Dakar, recently he has cut deals with the IMF, world Bank, EU, etc,etc…. He is just there to sell off everything and what can not be sold he will privatise, that’s why his term is so unusually sort. Africa really lack education and common sense. Bravo again.
In my opinion,this advocations by Dr.Lamin Jassey Conteh is telling not only the truth but the double truth.This is why we should pray never to be diverted from wisdom.When ever such fruitful discussions emerges I envy the academic graduates who share their knowledge and educate us the others who were deprived of the chance by not only the culture of silence that tampers with the wind of change of democracy,but by dishonest and short sighted political elitesin Africa.
Please Mr. President,your administration should take this advice and try to implement them.It is logical and full of common sense and the later combined with intelligence as Dida Halake puts it,could out-wheigh academic knowledge.
To the writer I thank and hope and pray to God that he is sustained to be able to enlighten us more in the future.
@ Grim reaper = I agree about the disastrous Structural Adjustments Programs of the IMF. This has been a complete failure and unproductive for the underdeveloped countries, i hope they will give The Gambia a break. I don’t know when Africa would have a stronger and more effective integration to fight the global financial system which have not been beneficial to the continent’s growth and development. So many poor countries unable to pay off these high interest loans.
PEACE
Barrows could have cut a deal with Asia Bank or the BRICS Bank on much much more favorable terms I’m sure, but guess what the EU mercenaries ECOWAS has to be paid for services rendered and they wanted their payment from IMF or world Bank, I think they call it a monopoly.
@ Grim reaper = Yes, if BRICS and the Asia Bank are much more favorable and beneficial.
If you are that well informed than President Barrow and his government,would it not be nice then ”Grim Reaper” to apply for a job with the government so that you can do better deals with the BRICS bank. Where were you guys during the 22 years of Jammeh’s misrule with all your good ideas regarding good governance and deal makings.
It appeared that you are very well informed as you are privy to the knowledge that President Barrow already sold our oil and cut deals with EU, IMF and world Bank. And that he will sell off everything or privatize the rest. Such unfounded allegations from unscrupulous self hating bigots intent on spreading false narratives to tarnish the reputation of the government should know that they will not succeed. Gambians have awakened from their deep slumber and fear and no false propaganda can distract them from building a progressive society for all Gambians irrespective of tribe,religion or gender,unlike the previous government whose only aim was to promote certain tribe at the expense of others.
This is the only time in over 22 years that Gambians can openly express themselves without fear of arrest,torture or even death. Even opinions from people like ”Grim Reaper” who filled these pages with twisted and false narratives are tolerated in the new Gambia.
This is the first time in over 22 years that Gambians are assured that the rule of law and its correct applications are there for all to benefit from,unlike the previous government that denied our citizens the right accorded to them by our constitution.
Long Live President Barrow and his government!
Forward for our country always.
Natty Dread, I can tell by your remarks that you don’t have the slightest clue of what is happening in the Gambia right now. Google everything that you claim is twisted, before making yourself sound like a fool.
I can also tell you ”Grim Reaper” that your assertion that i don’t have a slightest clue of what is happening in the Gambia right now is false to say the least. I know that we are going through a trying times,but that doesn’t mean that false and twisted narratives from people like you should go unchallenged. What oil do Gambia have that President Barrow sold to Senegal when our country is on war footing? You know as well as i do, that was pure fabrication coined from children’s fairy tales. Majority of the Gambians are forever grateful to the EU and ECOWAS for their stand against the abrogation of our constitution and the will of the Gambian electorate. Also forever grateful for their efforts,openly or covertly in our struggle to free ourselves from bondage,to free ourselves from lawlessness,to free ourselves from arbitrary arrests and detentions, to free ourselves from human right violations perpetrated on us by Yahya Jammeh and his henchmen and finally to free ourselves from dictatorship.
Your allegations against President Barrow are insincere, fabricated and motivated by tribal hatred but let me make it clear to you my friend, your allegations are like water on a horse’s back, as we right thinking Gambians will look at it for what it is ”twisted and fabricated allegations” without merit.
You Jammeh apologists still failed to understand one important thing and that is the new dispensation in our country,which is government by the people,for the people and of the people,unlike the dictatorial regime of Jammeh. If this new phenomenon is too much for you apologists to handle,there is another option and that’s to followed your evil boss into exile. We need time and effort to cleanse the filth left behind by Jammeh and the clean up begins with the dismissal of those thugs from NIA, their subsequent arrest and detention, the dismissal of the head of the prisons and the dismissal of the generals who were loyal not to the country but to a dictatorship.This trend will continue till our soil is totally cleansed of the evil that befell on us during the last 22 years of Jammeh’s misrule.
Lastly ”Grim Reaper” if calling your twisted and fabricated assertions for what they are makes me sound like a fool,then i wonder what you sound like in the first place by filling these pages with falsehood,uncooked tales.
Shaloum! Shaloum!
From an outsider I have to agree with Dr Lamine Conteh that the country clearly needs investment not loans. For several years I have supplied women’s and school gardens with quality vegetable seeds as they seem to lack the finance to purchase them and other inputs. If a proper structure, investment, and an advisory service could be put in place I feel enormous strides could be made in this sector.
Andrew from UK
Well, Toma some of the things that you mentioned can be done, but right now we need to build air and seaport make them free transit ports
Best way of making good business and good money to pay for the programs that you inout lined i have seen it in many countries that are presently developing my last postings was in Malaysia we could use the combination adding Kanyian spending system
the world is constantly changing so one needs smart effective ways of doing things that make life worth living