(JollofNews) – In today’s Africa, the only president that is showing the right leadership and compassion for his people is the Chief Servant of Tanzania John Mugufuli.
Since November 2015 when he became the leader of his country, this man has been consistently consistent as a man of integrity who truly came to serve his people selflessly to change their lives for the better. He is nicknamed the ‘The Bulldozer’ since when he was the Minster of Works many years ago because of his honesty, no-nonsense and results-driven attitude to work. He is reported to be keen on details and when he embarks on an assignment he pursues it to completion.Thus since assuming office, Mugufuli has vowed that he would not tolerate corruption. To demonstrate that he practices what he preaches, on the third day of coming to office he banned all foreign travels by public servants. He stated that all tasks that necessitated government officials to travel abroad would now be done by the country’s ambassadors abroad.
Next he called on all public institutions to cut expenditure on refreshments during meetings. He also said lunch would be served only in meetings that are expected to last from morning to evening. Mugufuli has also banned sitting allowances or what we call transport allowance in the Gambia for public officers attending workshops or meetings since they are merely doing their job for which they are paid a salary already.
The culture of transport allowance for workshops must be severely discouraged in the Gambia. It has only contributed to corruption and uselessness as many workshops are organized only to make money for some people. Others attend workshops not to gain or add knowledge but to receive transport allowance. In fact the most shamefully part was with the APRC NAMs. These people used to refuse to attend meetings if they were not to be paid transport allowance at a minimum of D500 per day! This is why some people have sarcastically but rightly called it ‘Work Chop’.
Furthermore Mugufuli keeps government workers on their toes by making unannounced visits to institutions see for himself and take immediate action. He once went to a public hospital only to find very deplorable conditions and faulty equipment. He ordered that all equipment that were not working to be repaired in two weeks. He then sacked the hospital director and the board. Interestingly the repair of equipment was completed within three days! He has also instituted stiff measures against late coming to work such that everyone now rushes to work in that country on time.
Compared to the Gambia, Tanzania has a population of 54 million and ranks at 151 on the United Nations human development index, which is a least-developed country status. The Gambia on the other hand ranks at 173, which means we have a lower human development status even though both countries are in the poorest category of the world. Poverty rate in Tanzania is 66% compared to Gambia’s 60%, yet Tanzania has 80% literacy rate while the Gambia has 55%. These figures merely show indeed that the Gambia and Tanzania are in the same hot soup of poverty, deprivation and inequality. Hence a leader like John Mugufuli is what any society needs. Therefore if there is any leader that Chief Servant Adama Barrow must emulate and visit to share ideas, that leader is John Mugufuli.
In that regard, I would want Barrow to also look at the terrible social and economic situation at home so that he takes urgent steps. For example, Barrow could reduce the income tax rate from 30% to less than 15% to enable workers earn a bit more. At the same time he could also raise salaries but making sure that there is a cap on what public officials could receive in order to close income disparities. For example, in Tanzania, Mugufuli closed the wide income gap between public officers when he found out that while some public servants were receiving hundreds of thousands of shillings, yet others were only receiving few hundreds of shillings a month.
In the Gambia it is very sad to realize the chicken change that junior staffs receive as compared to the fat salaries of their senior colleagues. The gap between drivers, cleaners, secretaries and clerks on one hand and those of permanent secretaries, directors, MDs on the other is incredibly huge. Secondly these senior staffs in addition also receive huge incentives in the form of allowances, phones, vehicles, fuel as well as travel perdiems that the junior staffs do not get. Therefore Barrow needs to balance the equation.
Secondly there is a major tax injustice unfolding in the Gambia thanks to Yaya Jammeh, i.e. the Gambia’s Income and Sales Tax Act is being applied discriminatorily. Not all workers in the public, private and civil society are paying the 30% income tax. This is because few years ago, Yaya Jammeh’s Finance Ministry exempted some companies, organizations and institutions from paying the full amount. This must be corrected.
Barrow must also learn from Mugufuli to reduce government delegations in international conferences. In the 2015 Commonwealth conference in Malta, Mugufuli reduced his government delegation from 55 to 4 persons thereby saving millions of dollars for his country. Again in 2015, Mugufuli cancelled Independence Day celebrations because of the outbreak of cholera in his country. While the Gambia has no such outbreak, but the severe economic conditions in which we are makes it imperative that Barrow also cancels the 2018 independence celebrations. By doing this, he will have saved so much resources that could be channeled into our social services. In fact for me, we should celebrate Independence once in every five years!
Apart from those expenses, the fact that Independence Day is also a public holiday is in itself expensive. For that mater, it would also be good if Barrow would reduce public holidays. Let us realize that public holidays do not only deny the government, the private sector and individuals much needed revenue. Rather public holidays also slow down the economy because there is no work hence slowing down the overall productivity of the nation.
In light of the foregoing, I wish to therefore submit to Pres. Barrow to realize that the Gambia is a least developed country which is coming out of a bloody period. At this moment, the country needs to save each and every butut. We need leadership that is conscious, honest and compassionate to put the supreme interests of the country at the top of everything. I wish Barrow would use his leadership to make a difference that would be deep, long lasting and liberating for the advancement of our people.
God Bless The Gambia.
Thank you Madi Jobarteh and let me add that….
THE GAMBIA, ETHNIC GROUP BASED POLICIES AND GOVERNANCE ARE NOT A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FORMULA:
This Fantasy reminds me of the story of the three Blind Men who each touched a different part of an Elephant. Each of them thus, described the same elephant in a totally different Manner. One thought it was a rat (touched the tail), another a tree (touched the leg), and yet another a something else. You get the point. For the UDP LED REGIME FAITHFUL, THE CURRENT LEADERDHIP AND GOVERNMENT IN THE GAMBIA, IS LIKE A TREE STANDING BY THE WATER. FULL OF NOURISHMENT FOR THE CHOOSEN FEW TO PARTAKE. TO NON UDP REGIME AND LEADERSHIP’S FAITHFUL, UDP REGIME AND LEADERSHIP ARE SEEN OR OBSERVED WITH LESS FLATTERY AND MORE LIKE A RAT LIKE ANIMAL. YET OTHERS ARE SOME WHERE IN BETWEEN THE TWO. THAT IS, A CUT BETWEEN A TREE AND A RAT LIKE ANIMAL. BOTH ARE RIGHT IN THEIR PERCEPTION. THE PROBLEM IS, WHEN THOSE WHO PERCEIVE THE “NEW” UDP LED REGIME AS A RAT AND NOT A TREE STANDING BY THE WATER WITH NOURISHMENT REACHES CRITICAL MASS, ALL HELL BREAKS AND ALL BETS ARE OFF. AT THAT POINT, THE RAT BETTER SEEK SAFETY, BECAUSE THE CATS MAYBE IN NO MOOD TO PLAY THE NAME AND BLAME GAME. THE REPORTS FROM THE GAMBIA OF ETHNIC GROUP BASED POLICIES OF SELECTIVE JUSTICE, ETHNIC BASED SELECTIVE EMPLOYMENT, AND PURGINGS OF OTHER TRIBES IN FAVOR OF THE MANDINKA, AGAINST ESPECIALLY, THE JOLA, FULA AND SOME WOLOF, CORRUPT AND CORRUPTIVE PRACTICES, VIGILANTISM AND REGIONALISM THAT IS ENDEMIC IN ALL LEVELS OF THE NEW GAMBIAN GOVERNMENT NEED RETHINKING AND ADJUSTMENT TO REFLECT A MORE INCLUSIVE AND CO-EXITENCE REGIME AND SOCIETY. FALLING THIS, ITS’ SUSTAINABILITY IS IN DOUBT AND ITS FALLING APART DEPENDS ON CRITICAL MASS AND THE WILL OF THE GAMBIANS. I PRAY REASON AND LEADERSHIP OF INCLUSIVENESS WOULD WIN OVER ETHNOCENTRIC AND NATIVISM. GAMBIA IS MORE THAN THE SUM TOTAL OF ONE INDIVIDUAL, ONE ETHNIC GROUP, ONE REGION. ONE GAMBIA, ONE PEOPLE, ONE DESTINY.
And, its also time to do away with the million Dalasi pa clothing allowance for the President – approx $20k works out the same as a professional model could reasonably be expected to spend on clothing in a year, or a student at a university. Moreover that sum could also buy you reasonable laboratory equipment for a small to medium sized hospital – thus cumulatively, over a President’s term in office, we could be looking at a fully functional laboratory in at least, one hospital. So all in all, a small sacrifice.
We could do well here if we emulate Mahatma Ghandi who on wanting to take his people out of poverty and exploitation, started by throwing away the suits and tie, weaved his own clothes, and dresses in the style of most of the population of India at the time, and was thus rewarded by with being seen as credible, and of course with results. The Scenario is the same, imports of fabric for clothing, including second hands, was progressively strangling and killing off India’s garment, and textile industry (and enriching them in Liverpool, England). Thus India’s cotton farmers, and thread, and clothes weavers were being condemned into deeper and deeper poverty, with no end in sight. Sure the world was a different place than now, but it can also be seen that, at every turn, small but significant sacrifices (rather than huge white elephant projects), are all that are needed to get things started, and once the momentum takes hold, there is no stopping it. Today everyone is queuing to put their investment money in India – @ reasonable interest rate, say
2-3% max (not the extortionary rates of 20-35% that are attracting Sharks to he Gambia) , and …yes, DEVELOPMENT money in Tanzania.
The only problem is such sacrifices must come from the top to be credible – and we all know that the Ghandis and the John Magufuli’s of this world are a rare breed. Still we got to be hopeful that Adama Barrow can really surprise and can lead the way towards momentous events in the Gambia. But he is got to look out for Sharks masquerading as Investors. Sharks don’t usually have faith in your economy, and therefore don’t want we a long term stake therein. Most wish for a quick headline grabbing entry, charge extortionary rates of 20-35% as a buffer and smooth out against other badly performing 2 -3% point investments they have made elsewhere. Investors on the other hand appear to have faith in your economy, and your, in particular, financial management and thus are willing to take a stake in its outcome over the long term at reasonable rates.
And vehicles too! A policy of “get your own” could shave a lot expenditure from the public purse.
Just a friendly advice. Your script (in capitals), is hard to read. Moreover, capitalising a text implies, to most people, as shouting?
I thank Mr Jobarteh for some good pieces of advice and hope these will in due course be attended to by those concerned. Not least, for the ultimate betterment of the Gambian taxpayer and his/her well-being.
The financial discipline he calls for in the article is fair enough and I, in particular, appreciate the fact that he has been able to see the close link between the low salary levels of civil servants and the propensity to engage in unethical financial practices in our public service. Hence, raising the general salary levels of our civil servants should needless to say be part and parcel of the financial disciplinary approach he espouses.
In addition, history tells us that implementing financial disciplinary policies backed-up by a boost in the salary levels of civil servants has worked in many mature democracies of today. The civil servants became less corrupt once their monthly pay packages could cover the monthly needs of their families while they still have small surpluses for inter alias savings. So far, I see no reasons why The Gambia should be an exception to this rule.
As far as a general African model is concerned in terms of successful national development programs, I would hereby recommend Rwanda. The successes of this country’s development models (in almost every sector) over the past two decades are second to none in Africa.
In conclusion, our new government has a couple of useful African models to have recourse to, with a view to undoing the damage that has been done to our country’s finances for over a two decades. Let us hope it has the will to do just that … for The Gambia our homeland.