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Momodou
Denmark
11645 Posts |
 Posted - 05 May 2007 : 13:37:31
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FOCUS ON POLITICS -
THE CULTURE OF “GET RICH QUICK” WAS THE ORDER OF THE DAY
With Suwaibou Touray
Continued from: http://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3597
We have been focusing on politics from pre-colonial to post independence era. In the last issue, we have mentioned underground movements and clandestine leaflets such as the “VOICE.”
Let us continue from were we had stopped. The year 1979 started with a mini-cabinet reshuffle on January 10th. Mr. B.K.L Sanyang, who was Minister of Works and Communications, was replaced with Mr. I. B. A Kelepha Samba, Former Parliamentary Secretary of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Social Welfare. Honourable Mrs. Louise N. Njie, a nominated member, was made the parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of health, Labour and Social Welfare.
The British Government which had always been pampering The Gambia with annual aid grants had done it again. The country had been enjoying these annual aids from its former colonial master since 1970. The PPP always attacked those pessimists, including the British, who expressed the view in 1964 as to whether The Gambia could be a viable independent nation. They always cited Sir Dawda’s leadership as the fundamental reason why the country was forging ahead. But critics also did question whether without the annual aid grants from Britain, the country could manage its affairs. The aid grants of 10 million pounds financed capital projects during the first and second five year Development Plans; such as the Lady Chilel maritime vessel, Livestock Marketing Board Cattle barge, New Abattoir at Yundum, X-ray machines for Bansang and Royal Victoria Hospitals, New Children’s Wing, facilities upgraded at Bansang, communication equipment, pilot programme of maternal and child health centres, rural piped water supply project and the establishment of a depot for the then Field Force Pioneer Unit (PU) at Farafeni, and so on and so forth. Some saw these as Britain cleansing her conscience by bailing her former tiny helpless colony out.
The incidence of serious crimes, that the period witnessed, also continued unabated. The president could no longer be silent about the issue. In both the 2nd congress of the PPP at Fajara Hotel and in his annual address of the parliament, he spoke about it and asked the police to deal strongly with it.
The then Inspector General of Police vowed to curtail the crime rate in the country. The police started to attack known criminal hideouts. According to the Outlook, the police un-expectedly closed in at the back of Albert Market, commonly known as the “POOL”, and arrested all those they met there.
The country was also alarmed by the white collar crimes during the period. A lot of theft cases were reported or uncovered in some government departments, but mainly at the then Gambia Commercial and Development Bank. Apart from the huge theft of 2 million CFA at the bank which was about to be smuggled to Europe, many other cases were reported, in addition to the half a million dalasi theft case at the GCDB. All these and more compelled the president to condemn the perpetrators. He described them as people who wanted to get rich quick at the expense of the people.
The situation of crime was getting out of hand. Many thought that it was an organised crime syndicate operating in Banjul. A curfew of some sort had to be enforced by the police in Banjul . All those moving without any justifiable cause were to be arrested by the police. Did that quell the action of the actors? Many thought it had infact made the situation worse. They said there were not enough police officers to patrol the streets and with the curfew people simply went indoors leaving only the perpetrators to terrorize property owners.
While the police were concentrating on the petty thieves, the arsonists, whether by design or accident, continued. A serious arson was reported at the offices of Shell company’s fuel tanks at Dobson Street in Banjul on Wednesday 6th September 1979. The Outlook called it a mysterious fire. It was being wondered how such a blaze could have reached the spot of the workmen which was at quite a distance.
As you can see, the country in 1979 was experiencing the upsurge of petty crimes up to the extent of imposing a night curfew in Banjul. On the other hand, white collar crimes also intensified within the civil service by people wanting to get rich quick. But the year also experienced the increase in school enrolment with the new education policy. According to the Gambia Outlook, Parents and guardians of school children in the Kombos became desperate and protested vigorously when they learnt that their newly admitted children in the schools had no furniture at their disposal. They saw it as a shame to see children sitting on the classroom floors. Little did they know that such a situation was the order of the day in the provinces. Many who could afford it simply bought furniture for their children leaving the poor to sit on the floor. It was what was called “Education with tears.”
1979 was crowned with a big hope. Chevron Oil Company, with a subsidiary of the Standard oil company of California in the USA, sought permission from the Government for oil drilling speculation in the Gambia. License was issued out to them with the realization that they were willing to undertake the exploration at their exclusive expense. According to records, the total sum for the operation was D18 million dalasis but they would be operating at a minimum cost of D250,000 per day. This was the first time that an oil drilling company visited the Gambia. The ship, the MV Pellerin had 101 berths in single, twin and 4 berth cabin including 4 in hospital. So it was a huge ship, a BP which located its drills at Farafenni and Kanifing. A huge rumour began to spread that oil had been discovered in the county and Americans have come to drill it. The rumour intensified when the president, with a team, left Banjul in a British helicopter for on the spot inspection check of the “Liquid Gold.”
Some said this company could not leave all the way from America to come to the Gambia without having evidence of oil in the Gambia. They did not know the difference between prospecting and drilling.
How Did The Economy Fare In 1979?
Mr. Langley’s banner said everybody was tired. What was the economic situation in 1978?
According to a booklet published by the National Executive Committee of the ruling PPP, “A BETTER LIFE FOR OUR PEOPLE,” with a sub-title “Achievements of the People’s Progressive Party 1962-1979" The total revenue in the financial year, ending in June 1977 amounted to D60.5 million dalasis; that indirect taxes (mainly taxes on international trade) accounted for almost two-thirds of total revenue and direct taxes for about 14%. According to this booklet, a special tax, National Development Levy, was introduced for the first time in 1976/77. It imposed a levy of 10% on salaried workers, public or private would be required to pay. Only farmers and pensioners were exempted.
Secondly the second five year plan suffered from a low level of domestic savings as well as heavy reliance on external resources. According to this PPP booklet, 85% of the total investment was to be financed by foreign capital assistance.
So as you can see, due to the low income level of The Gambia, the potential for generating domestic savings has been limited and therefore the country relied heavily on foreign assistance for the implementation of its development programmes. This acceleration in foreign aid inflows in the recent past, the booklet said, has had important consequences for the hitherto limited indebtedness of the country. According to records, the total public debt outstanding increased from D11 million in 1972 to D66 million in March 1979. Records also showed that the foreign loans had been mainly contracted on concessionary terms thereby making the debt servicing burden to continue to be relative to current government expenditure, export receipts and national income.
According to the PPP, the expectation was that other donor countries would convert their loans to the least developed countries into grants like it was done by the United Kingdom. This was what tempted the government to take more loans not only from European countries but also from the Middle East who did not do as anticipated.
The other bottleneck was the fact that financing of future development programmes and projects constituted the mobilization of the necessary complementary domestic resources.
The average, from 15% to 20% of development project investments had to be financed by Local funds but as shown by the records, the traditional sources of these counter-part funds, were transfers from the accumulated GPMB reserves and Central Government savings which the experts said could not make substantial contributions to the development fund.
What option did this summary leave for the Government? The only option was to take more and more foreign loans even for the local contributions to projects, thereby steadily reducing the small resource-less country from least developed country status to the status of HIPC (Highly Indebted Poor Country) status.
Continued: http://www.gambia.dk/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=3621
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 51/2007, 4 - 6 May, 2007
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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