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SOH
Gambia
46 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Aug 2007 : 16:51:52
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Recently I have been reading about and getting information about the some of the Lebanese so called investing in the Gambia and here are some issues bound to raise real concern; the sale of 50% of Gamtel, 50% of Gamcel, and Commium to a Lebanese wholly owned company called Spectrum Investment Group Ltd. The same owner of this company already owns Nawec, the electricity generation company of our country. (Please read www.gambianow.com).
This same company owner is also the sole importer of refined petroleum into the country and is now suspected of being possibly the sole licensee of petrol drilling rights in the Gambia. Furthermore this company or its owner according to persistent reports has entered into a deal with Iran under which $2BN worth of Iranian made cars, commercial vehicles and trucks will be imported into the Gambia for the local market and the region. It is now little secret that this Lebanese businessman is our President's business partner so much so that even our ministers will need to pass through him to communicate with the president!! It is also little secret that Gamtel's ex-Managing Director Omar P. Ndow was unjustly sent to jail for nothing more than refusing such shady deals, in this case Gamtel's and Gamcel's unfair sale to this Lebanese businessman. So I ask, who will be next to go to jail simply for doing one's job with conscience?! Where does that leave the fair trade clause in our constitution and avoid the dangers of monopoly?
Now please let no one get me wrong, I have nothing personal against any Lebanese person, especially those born and bred in the Gambia. I have grown and gone to school with many of them and I personally attach all respect and affection to them. I know without doubt that the great majority of the Lebanese born in the Gambia and those that came later on are fine people who work fair and hard for a living. My objection and for that my vehement objection is levied against that small nucleus that is extremely cash rich and morally bankrupt, that closed group that I fear and loathe so much, and for good reasons.
It has not been lost on my mind the fact that prior to Gambia, some relatively stable and prosperous African countries went down the drain because of people such as these ruthless people and here I can cite a few examples such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, Zaire (now the DRC)and the Ivory Coast. Of course such people can never make any headway had it not been that such countries did not have totally corrupt and greedy presidents and ours is no improvement either except for the fact that Jammeh is only more cunning and savvy, a born shark one may say.
So how much more can we continue giving our national resources and opportunities to just one man, masking his interest under different company names? Which anyone country or anyone conscientious government or president of the republic can allow to place so much national interest in the hands of one individual. Now as we write my fear well above any perception is that we already are under the mercy and dictates of this one single individual and those who partner with him. So what happens if there happens to be something he doesn't like about a government decision, even if coming from our president, will he cut off power supply, or cut off the cellular network, or the land line network or tap into our conversations? What kind of leverage does he already have inside our country?
What happens if one day we learn that those companies owned by him went bust, who will the debtors follow? Haven't we learned anything from those corrupt despot African presidents who dealt with such questionable and highly businessmen that eventually the whole story ends or ended up in total bitterness, for the people I meant? Haven't we noticed that Africa's natural wealth (and other countries as well) hardly ever trickles to the people, see Nigeria, the Ivory Coast, Sierra-Leone, Liberia, Sudan, Iran etc... are the people enjoying the national wealth? The answer is a flat NO, only a tiny minority actually benefits and enjoys the blessings of national wealth and no one else.
What has happened to our soldiers with a difference? What has happened
to the 3 Cardinal Points so much promoted by Jammeh,.... Transparency, Accountability and Probity? Isn't the national wealth meant to go to all the masses and why are we Gambians still so abjectly poor? What about our famous freedom, weren't we once envied by all for this freedom we once enjoyed so much? Why today do we have so much greed to the point that it has become culture, is this how far we will fall into the gutters?
Personally I wish no harm or any hatred or phobia towards the Lebanese working and living in the Gambia, most are good and honest folks and are actually good for the country. I am not against the textile shopkeeper, or the baker, or the mechanic, or the butcher, or hairdresser or electronics seller or supermarket owner, I am just totally against these kinds of ruthless people be they Lebanese or other that enter our system gradually eating and gnawing into it and corrupting everything they touch, these are the people I am cautioning against. Soon they will order our president and our president will order his army and our army will do something totally stupid and we the people will end up paying the price.
Do we actually screen properly these people before they enter our country? Are we certain that they have no links with terror groups or are working for the interests of terrorism or other dubious entities? Not wanting to sound disrespectful or prejudiced, but Lebanon being what it is, a nation in permanent chaos and anarchy where even their authorities and governments have no power or influence over their mafias, militia groups and ex-warlords, mustn't we exert extra precautionary measures against any of their citizens entering or desiring to enter the Gambia? Are we doing any of these things? Answer is again another flat NO.
In the meantime Jammeh is gradually but surely giving away the last vestiges of our national interest to one non-Gambian, but of course should I forget that this man is the president's closest business partner?
Meanwhile very few people in the Gambia have bothered to raise an eyebrow, I wonder why?
Will we just sit down and accept to go down the drain as have done other African people before us? Will we one day sooner than we know have to become refugees in the countries of those who already are refugees inside our own country?
Our attitudes of Recklessness, lax-ism and Nonchalance will take us nowhere but to disaster.
Peace.
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Edited by - SOH on 11 Aug 2007 20:01:58 |
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Karamba
United Kingdom
3820 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2007 : 19:17:33
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SOH,
What you have painstakingly tracked in this brialliant piece of yours has it all. Over a whole period, it was issues like that efforts have been exerted so that Gambians get it clear that it is not about inducing hate towards Jammeh. As a nation, Jammeh's criminal tendencies now place us in very precarious conditions. One great danger is that even if he is unseated today, we have a long way to scale down the damages. When any mention is made of what Jammeh is doing in his process of ruining our nation, his blind supporters take it as ordinary political opinion. They throw in their body and head to blur people's vision of what we all know is real. There are many good reason why Gambians have to hate Jammeh. What you just put in perspective adds up. Don't be surprised when someone comes up to challenge that Jammeh is not aware of what is happening. That is the prefabricated excuse whenever someone exposes Jammeh's numerous economic and civil crimes. By sharing these facts out, we are getting closer to undoing the environment that permits these criminal dealings. |
Karamba |
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SOH
Gambia
46 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2007 : 20:19:08
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Karamba my brother,
Thank you and I agree with what you wrote about having to clear the huge mess whenever Jammeh leaves power someday. His legacy will be as painful if not even worse than the one left to the people of Zaire after Mobutu's death, on a pro-rata basis we Gambians with the very meager resources we have will feel the pain much more than Zairians who have far more natural resources than we do. As you rightly pointed out, what we're seeing is just the very tip of the iceberg.
To those who so blindly support this president may they know that a man as savvy and astute as Jammeh, nothing is left to chance, he knows, controls and commands every wiggle in every cheek that he kisses.
It is of the utmost prudence and urgency, that we the people organize a viable and cohesive opposition with charismatic, intelligent and
stubborn leaders. It is also necessary to raise funds from friendly parties in friendly nations so that the means to face up to the Jammeh behemoth machine can be done in a creditable way but first we need to communicate effectively witgh those parties who share our ideology and desire for peaceful changes but changes ASAP before Jammeh sells the whole system to just this one Lebanese businessman.
Not wanting to jump the gun but still, when Jammeh is removed it is important for me to note that we need to remove this monopoly and give
the private sector a fairer chance to enter our market, we need to seek our interests first whereby both the nation and the private sector can coexist happily. Then we also need to bring in the help of those friendly nations so that we can change the constitution and safeguard against abusing the system.
What do you say bro?
Peace. |
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Karamba
United Kingdom
3820 Posts |
Posted - 11 Aug 2007 : 21:01:29
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SOH,
The rectification stage will require sound remedial strategies. In clear and simple terms, Jammeh crept from a highly destitute and materially deprived background. For him to rise from rags to riches in such enormous proportion within a short span of time will impact on the entire national economy. The shock induced by Jammeh's growth from rags to riches is what suffocates Gambia's economy. He engages all the life valves of our already frailing economy to get himself so rich and the nation so poor and poorer.
There are bound to be clandestine economic hands wired to the whole process of Jammeh's wealth generation. The mafia is in no state of ignorance about Jammeh's background and his open desire to welcome their corrupt schemes. You have landed on some serious security risks Gambia is bound to face with the infiltration of these infested Lebanese cocoons. Call them tycoons may be. They are dangerous and will surely extend their sphere of influence at all cost. Just be confident that once Jammeh is scrapped to the bins, there is ample comptence to restore the Gambian economic environment for sustainable business on the best principles of fair trading. For now, we all need to subscribe to the process of unplugging Jammeh's electric hands on the nation. He is the ready platform for these Lebanese and many before them. By getting rid of the Lebanese now, Jammeh is still there to welcome and to accomodate more dangerous exploiters. It is him (as the platform) that we need destroying. In the present state of affairs, we can do better by mobilising all efforts in restoring the economic order. The man who sets the platform and presides over the hopeless state of affairs is Jammeh. All attention is required on him, as he is the destroyer of us all. |
Karamba |
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SOH
Gambia
46 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2007 : 15:21:40
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Bro Karamba,
Your words act like a beacon in our dark present and I agree fully with what you said. Here I would like to quote from the holy bible when the Lord Jesus(saws)said, "if your hand shall lose you your entire body, then it is better to cut it off".
Here in the Gambia we need to do the same and work towards contesting
Jammeh in the next elections and remove him from office before we lose our entire country but we all need to work right now and not a minute later, time is not on our side as much needs to be done.
Just to focus as briefly on the way some of those rogue Lebanese companies engage the president and not the state apparatuses. Contrary to the known Western owned companies who enter the market through the normal legal channels and end up getting nowhere in truth, those concerned Lebanese companies engage the president directly through the owner of the company himself and always. From day one, offers of big cash and majority partnerships are promised to the president who in exchange works as the company's Gambian partner and PR man making sure that nothing gets stuck for the company. Now this is an approach that most Western companies will not do and as time goes we'll find less and less of them in our market and more of the Lebanese owned ones taking over.
Thus my question, why is it that Nawec, Gamtel, Gamcel, Commium hence and so forth, why havent't we seen any of such national interests
go to western owned or other international companies, is this the kind of privatization scheme we have promoted for so long? It is no secret either that many foreign companies have tried to enter our market but the regular way, they came with as much finance, credentials etc... yet after a while they just left and faded away. Why for instance a huge magnate like Saudi prince Waleed Bin Talal, why did he never follow up on his intent to invest here and why is he doing so elsewhere in Africa, Senegal for instance? Answer, because such entities they deal straight, that's why.
Again I repeat, most of the Lebanese that live and work in Gambia are fine except for that small group of serious con men who have no scruples, no conscience and no fear neither for law or God, even their own compatriots abhor and fear them. Ask the Liberians, Sierra Leonans
what did such people do to their systems, such as the blood diamonds or those famous Liberian registered vessels that disappeared from the ocean together with all their cargo and reappear with a totally different name and bills of laden. Didn't we get a small taste of that a few years ago here? And why is the owner of that ship back in Gambia now?
Why is it that Gambians end up in jail for the smallest of infractions yet such con men can do whatever they please in our country and no one will dare touch them? Yes, that's because the big man up there at State House is the 50% partner, the PR man, so he sends his 50% of his income to a bank abroad and the Lebanese partner does the same with his 50% and the Gambian economy keeps the little scraps and the debts for years to come.
That is just one picture that is true and happening daily here and this is what worries me, because it will all turn in circles and bring us back to our big man Jammeh. As long as he stays, the more we will carry on our shoulders, the earlier he goes, the earlier we can start with the process of repairing the damages he is causing our country.
Yes I agree, the focus should be on Jammeh if we wish to save our country from total chaos.
Peace. |
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Karamba
United Kingdom
3820 Posts |
Posted - 12 Aug 2007 : 17:28:01
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SOH,
There is a clear message for every Gambian and those our friends. Compatriots! Fellow Citizens, Friends! Get the message from SOH. The bottom line is that while we all relate to the national economy, it is only one person (Yahya Jammeh) who takes fullest advantage of that relationship by engaging the whole economy to suit his selfish greed. In the process, everyone suffers the pain. Not only do we have to get rid of Jammeh as the person we all know him to be. We have the collective task of sharing the factual infromation about our shared economic relation to the nation. Playing the politics of vote seeking without getting the people to know these basic relations will take us no space further. The truth is, Jammeh (and many like him) share no economic sense with the citizenry. They call it politics. What they want from that politics is simply to exercise control over the economic aparatus. That is what Jammeh is doing. It also the same sense we get from the message of some other politicians. Everyone has business in defending our national economy. Politics must not be equated to serving as springboard for gratifying the greedy desires of selfish politicians. Gambians need a break from this politics of selfish economic gains. If it takes Jammeh 13 years to ruin us this far, how long will it take the next selfish politician(s)? Where the seat of president is meant to transform poor and greedy persons into financial lords in every 13 years, Gambia will be creating 10 poor into riches over 130 years. Jammeh's 13 years is more than enough time. Get him packing. |
Karamba |
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