 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
 Posted - 27 Apr 2006 : 14:14:48
|
At The National Assembly
Halifa Sallah
On Trade
Hon. Speaker, if we look at the issue of Trade, the President indicated that with the training and the incorporation of the common external tariff programme, The Gambia would, like many Ecowas countries, benefit from a wider market of 250 million people. And with that wider market, it would be able to benefit in terms of development and in terms of employment. But the reality is that, Hon. Speaker; Gambia is depending entirely on the re-export trade for its survival. And if the border tariff barriers disappeared, it means that the re-export trade would also disappear. Hon. Speaker, what statistics have revealed from the Secretary of State for Finance and Economic Affair’s budget is that, out of D3.6 billion of export earnings, D2.9 billion comes from the re-export trade. So the re-export trade Hon. Speaker, is the cornerstone of the country’s export earnings which means that it is not what we export that earned us revenue, but what we import and re-export. Hon. Speaker from the same trade, we have seen that out of a total export of D3.6 billion, we are importing D6.3 billion worth of goods leaving the country with a total trade deficit of D2.7 billion. So clearly Hon. Speaker, our economy is not performing. This type of economy is relying on what it is getting from other economics for its survival. So we must not have in mind that by merely eradicating the tariff borders, we are going to benefit economically. Unless we invest on the productive sectors of the economy, it is not going to be possible for our economy to survive under such circumstances.
On tourism
Hon. Speaker, we have been told that the chartered flights have increased by 40%. So it means that earnings from Tourism is supposed to increase. From the statistics of the Secretary of State, we are earning D2.2 billion from the travel trade. But Hon. Speaker, we are told by the President that the tourist industry employs about 10, 000 people. And these are figures ranging from almost 10 years ago. We are talking about D2.2 billion being derived from the travel trade. Then where has it been invested? We have been told that foreign direct investment was about D1.5 million in 2004, but reduced to D1.3 million in 2005 and most of this went to the tourist industry. So where are we investing? Where is the private sector investing to generate that wealth? We are talking about $64 million investment through The Gambia Investment Promotion and Free Zones Agency (GIPFZA) initiative, generating the possibility of 2, 000 jobs. 2000 jobs! We are talking about 185, 227 pupils in our Lower Basic schools, 66, 025 in our Upper Basic schools, 27, 160 in our Senior Secondary Schools. In ten years they would all be out in the streets and we are talking about creating 2, 000 jobs. Hon. Speaker, I tend to agree with what the President said last year, which has not been repeated this year. Hon. Speaker, the President indicated in page 2 of his address last year that: “Gambians have still not recovered the purchasing power which they lost during the last two years. There is still a long way to go and we therefore need time, and more importantly hard work, and perseverance.” This is what the President said last year, but Hon. Speaker, we need more than time. We are racing against time. We need emergency measures to address the current economic problems. During the President’s address, he indicated that Gambians are not learning skills to take charge of their country. What is the committee on Education doing? Have they gone to The Gambia Technical Training Institute, GTTI or the former Vocational Training Centre at half-die? Have they actually documented the number of Gambians who have gone through those institutions? As National Assembly Members, how many young people come to us and say that they want to go to the GTTI but cannot not afford the funds and are looking for help or sponsors so that they can go and get training. Do Gambians hate manual work? It is a travesty of truth to allege that young Gambians are struggling to have those skills. Thousands of them are trained, but unemployed and without means to acquire equipment to apply their skills. And if anybody doubts that, just approach me and I would give you thousands of Gambians who are ready to do any form of work that we have in this country.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No.32/2006, 27-30 April, 2005
|
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2006 : 13:42:58
|
At The National Assembly
HALIFA ON THE PRESIDENT’S SPEECH
On Fishing
Hon. Speaker, the President has talked about fishing and indicated that Gambians do not want to go fishing. But Hon. Speaker, how many times have I been sending young people to the Secretary of State responsible for fisheries who are ready to go on board vessels but do not have the opportunity to do so? Go to the Fisheries Department and see the number of young Gambian who have been listed there, who are ready to go out to sea in search of better means of survival. Go to the Seamen’s Union and see the number of young people who are listed there waiting for the opportunity to go to sea in search of better means of survival. Go and visit The Gambia Maritime Institute at half-die and see how it has been neglected. Hon. Speaker, how many years has this organisation been in existence and crying every time for recognition. You say “People do not want to go fishing.” Hon. Speaker, I do not agree with that statement. People want to go fishing but they lack the opportunity to do so!
On the Hotel Training School
Hon. Speaker, it is important to emphasis here again, the issue of the Hotel Training School. The Hotel Training School has trained many people in the past. Subventions used to be given to the young people to be trained. Now, Hon. Speaker, the Hotel Training School is commercialized. If you do not have the means you would not be trained. Training has become so expensive. It is now becoming a system of training for those who can afford it. The Gambia Technical Training Institution, GTTI falls in the same situation. Hon. Speaker, we have killed all the incentives for the young people to be trained because of the cost. The vast majority of the poor cannot afford the cost and at the end of the day, we keep on blaming them for not wanting to acquire training.
On Small Scale Enterprise
Hon. Speaker, we have been told that about D50 million has been saved by Micro-finance institutions. But the reality, Hon. Speaker, is that Gambia is a small scale economy. Most people are surviving by relying on petty trade. They are selling very little goods. So the fundamental issue, Hon. Speaker, is what programme do we envisage for this sector? We have been told the reality but Hon. Speaker, we have not been told that the government has any plan to deal with this particular sector. The informal sector, Hon. Speaker, is the back bone of The Gambia’s economy. Hon. Speaker, we have been told here by the Chairman of the National Assembly Select Committee on agriculture that those people who are receiving finances from the Mirco-finances, are complaining. So Hon. Speaker, it is important for us in this Assembly to raise the right questions in the next session so that we know what has happened to all the macro-finances which are designed to addressed the issue of poverty in the country. What has happened to them! Hon. Speaker.
Health
On the issue of health, we have been told by the President that the health institutions are expanding; that they are being revised and developed. And, Hon. Speaker, we are also being told that a lot of equipment has been brought into the country so that we can improve our health system. We have passed a bill here, Hon. Speaker, which deals with the issue of training of our health workers. This is a very healthy development. Hon. Speaker, if you look at the issue of health further, we are told that death caused by Malaria has been reduced by 35 per cent. My concern Hon. Speaker is, are all deaths registered in this country? Do we have reliable statistics of deaths in this country to the point of being able to draw such a conclusion? I defer with this conclusion Hon. Speaker, Essentially what we need is proper statistics by registering all deaths and also to make sure that autopsy is carried on all deaths to know the cause of death before we can come to such conclusion. I call this statistical jugglery. On commitment to health, Hon. Speaker, yes we have been told that structures have been built. That is very important but the issue of access to health, Hon. Speaker, is fundamental! Are the facilities accessible to the people? Are the drugs affordable? That is really what is of major concern Hon. Speaker. And, Hon. Speaker, if you look at the subvention for Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital, this year the subvention has been reduced from D41 million to D38 million; the costs for drugs and dressings has also been reduced from D6.5 million to D5 million. Subversion to Bansang Hospital this year has also been reduced from D13 million to D11 million. The cost of drugs and dressings for Bansang Hospital is also reduced from D3 million to D2 million. Hon. Speaker, the same thing goes for Farafenni Hospital. The subvention for Farafenni Hospital has been reduced from D10.5 million to D9.3 million and that the cost of drugs and dressings has also been reduced from D2.2 million to D1.2 million. The subvention to Bwiam Hospital has also been reduced from D5.5 million to D4.7 million; the cost of drugs and dressings has also been reduced from D1.2 million to D700, 000 (seven hundred thousand dalasis). So who is going to pay for what is cut from the budget? Obviously Hon. Speaker the cost is going to be shouldered by the people. So, here, Hon. Speaker, we are improving the facilities but the fundamental question is “Are we making the facilities accessible to the people?” Hon. Speaker, making the health facilities accessible to the people and the drugs affordable is really what is fundamental in any health delivery system.
On Education
Hon. Speaker, on the issue of Education, there is no need to go into that because the issue of quality and relevance has been emphasised by the previous speaker. Hon. Speaker, the issue of quality and relevance are fundamental. Hon. Speaker, we also presume that affordability has been addressed but the reality is that the number of pupils who are going into the private schools because of the lack of space in the public schools is increasing.
Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 33/2006, 1-3 May, 2006 |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
 |
|
|
jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2006 : 14:22:36
|
on the issue of training, hotel training school, you mentioned that it is now a commercial venture open only to those who can afford it. Think on this I tried to enrol a young lady at that school only to be told that the quota for females was full!?!?
|
|
|
|
Rainbow
Gambia
114 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2006 : 14:36:11
|
| Hotel school is between D7000 - D9000 now! In our time (1991) It used to be free and a monthly stipend of about D250 for each student. |
|
|
|
bamba
Sweden
401 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2006 : 18:13:46
|
Whether ones reads what Halifa says or hears his audio interviews, he's always the right guy. If Gambians dont harness potentials like Halifa and co and vote for them in the next general election, Gambia will be doomed to fail for many, many years along the line. Honourable Halifa sallah has no time for political character assasinations, gossips and rubbish talks. Halifa is too matured for that and sticks to what the constitution says. There are those born with innate maturity.
If Halifa and co are given the opportunity, they will hoist Gambian politics to the level of a role model in the entire African continent. Gambian politics will then be a household name in entire Africa. Novembers elections is the opportunity for little Gambia to conquer the entire continent. Take it, or loose it, maybe forever, mother Gambia. |
Bamba |
|
|
|
taalibeh
Gambia
336 Posts |
Posted - 02 May 2006 : 23:22:57
|
Bamba
I hope and pray that Halifa wins the next presidential elections. In the mean time, let us all make it a point of duty to canpaign our friends to go out and vote for Halifa. This should be our responsibility.
Whenever possible let us call home and lobby our families and every one we can reach amongst friends etc. |
Taalibeh |
|
|
|
sss
USA
82 Posts |
Posted - 03 May 2006 : 00:50:59
|
| WE ARE GOING APPRECIATE HALIFA WHEN WE BECOME SENSIBLE.HE IS TALKING SENSE BUT BECAUSE WE ARE INSENSIBLE WE DONT WHAT HE IS EVEN TELLING US.I THINK HALIFA NEED HELP EXPLAINING WHAT HE TALKING ABOUT BECAUSE THE PEOPLE ARE SO D**B TO UNDERSTAND IT. IS TRUE .I BEGIN MY HELP WITH THIS ,DONT TELL GAMBIANS BILLION,THEY DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT MILLION IS.U COULD JUST SAY IT IS THOUSAND THOUSANDS. THAT BE EASIER TO UNDERSTAND.THIS GENERAL,IT DOESN'T APPLIED TO ALL GAMBIANS.SOME OF US ARE VERY SENSIBLE. |
THE MESSENGER OF GOD(peace and blessing be always upon him)SAID,"WHOEVER WALKS WITH A TYRANT IN SUPPORT OF HIM,WHILE AWARE OF HIS TYRANNY,HAS ABANDONED ISLAM."At-Tabarani
|
|
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
Posted - 04 May 2006 : 13:09:05
|
At The National Assembly
Halifa Sallah
On Education
Hon. Speaker, we also presume that affordability has been addressed, but the reality is that the number of pupils who are going into the private schools because of the lack of space in the public schools is increasing. Hon. Speaker, you would found these private schools charging D4, 000, D5, 000 or D6000 per annum, to be paid as fees.
How many of these poor parents can afford to pay these colossal sums of money? I’m sure, many of the National Assembly Members here are constantly receiving young people asking for sponsor or scholarship in order to continue their studies. Hon. Speaker, the issue of drop outs has not been addressed. We should not continue to speculate that the problem is only the issue of quality and relevance. The issue of accessibility and affordability is still fundamental in our educational system.
Hon. Speaker, for girls’ education in Banjul and Kanifing Municipal Council area, it is said that there is free education for girls in urban areas of this country in terms of fees, but the rest would be shouldered by parents. The reality is that, most parents are beginning to see that there is no free education for girls and that they as parents are shouldering greater and greater responsibility to educate their daughters. So it is important to look at this issue critically, and from my own perspective, education is a system, and in that system, the structure needs to be provided, the learning materials needs to be provided and the teachers are to be provided. The absence of learning materials poses greater danger to our educational system. And yet we have people with knowledge in the service and some retired. There was a book production unit. All we needed was a system of weighing what the curriculum is, identify people even on competitive basis who would want to provide the materials and engage them to provide the materials for our school system. Then Hon. Speaker, we would put an intellectual cadre in the country who would be able to address all sectors of our educational system and therefore we would take charge of our destiny by producing the learning materials needed in our schools. And unless we do that Hon. Speaker, the issue of quality and relevance would not be addressed.
Hon. Speaker, if you go to the University and see the textbooks, Hon. Speaker the importation of these books is actually increasing the cost of education and is undermining the development of education.
On PMO
Hon. Speaker, the Personal Management Office used to be the spot of first call for people who graduated from high schools and junior secondary schools. They would go and write applications to see whether there is a place for employment. But today, if you go into our school system and ask the vast majority of the students the question: - if you finish and obtain your certificates, what would you do next? They would not be able to tell you. All these young people are looking for relatives and friends who can help them to be able to get a job.
There is no system in place! Essentially, the personal management office should be the spot of first call so that those who graduate would go and make an application, then we should be able to evaluate the potential of all those people who applied and see the places that are available. They can also be able to trace the employment level in the country.
They would be able to tell those who are employed and those not employed. This will also help in the type of training that would be necessary. But that is not the function that the PMO is serving and I want to emphasize very empathetically that the role of the PMO should charge to open up to people who are coming out of our school system so that they will be able to go and register. We can then see ultimately what to do with those with potential and what to do with the statistics in terms of planning.
On Agriculture
Hon. Speaker, if we go straight to agriculture at page 13, the president said that out of the total estimates production of groundnuts this year, the commercial crop is estimated to be 30, 000 metric tons. In seasonal paper No.1 of 2005 at page 4, the president indicated that in consonance with the recommendations of the study, the Gambia Agricultural Marketing Company (GAMCO) was established and as at 24th February 2005, this company has disbursed D250 million as crop finance to the cooperative societies and marketing agents. In this connection so far, about 32, 000 metric tons of groundnuts have been purchased. Hon. Speaker, we are been told that GDP has increased because of the increases in groundnut production and here, we are told that we bought more groundnuts last year than what is available this year. That is really a concern! How can there be an increase in GDP because of the increase in groundnut production if we could purchase 30, 000 tons this year while last year we purchase 32, 000 tons? Hon. Speaker, it is important for us to see that there is statistical jiggery and we need to become critical of the figures we receive in this National Assembly. Hon. Speaker, we are told tat GAMCO has all the capacity to purchase the groundnuts of the farmers, but here we are told by the president that “overall, more than 10, 000 metric tons representing 33 percent of groundnuts have already been purchased by GAMCO and GGC. Arrangements for the complete financing of the remaining tonnage are far advanced and it is expected that by the end of the trade season all the nuts will be purchased.” So it means that they do not have capacity to purchase the groundnuts of the farmers. This is what we have been told! What is also very evident Hon. Speaker is that we have been told in this National Assembly that GAMCO has to get loan from Guarantee Trust Bank to the tune of D120 million, guaranteed by the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation (SSHFC) and that public corporations have invested in GAMCO as shares amounting to D57 million. That was last year! So how can this company at this very stage, this year, lack the capacity to purchase the groundnuts of the farmers? What happened last year with the profits gained? Where is the money that was meant for crop financing? But Hon. Speaker we are still being told that funds for crop financing is being sought, to help these companies to purchase the groundnuts of the farmers. I think we need to look into this very critically. We expect companies to really carry on what is expected of them. Hon. Speaker, we have seen the stage of the economy. We have been told that because of proper macro-economic management we are envisaging more grants and more benefits from the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA). But Hon. Speaker, we have been told clearly by the Secretary of State for Finance and Economic Affairs in his budget speech that we have not managed well. At page 10, paragraph 52 of the budget speech, the Secretary of State indicated that “the end of 2005 marks the completion of the Gambia’s first Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), implementation cycle of 3 years. The implementation process has been hindered by a number of setbacks that has made the overall PRSP process less successful. The most serious setback was the suspension of the PRGF program by the IMF in 2003 and because of the program suspension; the Gambia could not reach HIPC completion point as planned in June 2003, as reaching completion point is conditional on satisfactory implementation of a PRGF. The second setback which was a direct result of the PRGF suspension was that US$115 million funds pledged by donors during the 2002 Geneva Round Table Conference on the Gambia was not disbursed.” The Secretary of State is emphasizing here and we must bear that in mind that implementation of PRSP programmes was undertaken with a lower than anticipated budgetary resources envelop. Consequently, less than 40 percent of the PRSP programme has been implemented. So we must bear in mind Hon. Speaker that we must engage in proper financial management. To improve agriculture Hon. Speaker, it is mentioned that NARI is doing well. But Hon. Speaker, if you look at the estimates, and you look at the allocation to NARI, especially on the area of field study, you would discover that the allocation on field study has been reduced from D100, 000 (one hundred thousand dalasis) to D60, 000 (sixty thousand dalasis). So how can anybody say that there is commitment to the development of agriculture! The same D12, 500, 000.00 (twelve million five thousand dalasis) that was allocated to NARI in 2005, is the same this year. So where is the commitment to improve agriculture?
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 34/2006, 4-7 May, 2006 |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
|
|
|
Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
Posted - 11 May 2006 : 14:09:05
|
HALIFA ON THE PRESIDENT'S SPEECH
By Abdoulie Dibba
On Incentives
Hon. Speaker, on incentives as mentioned by the President, there is absolutely no doubt that the current scale cannot serve as an incentive to workers. It is patriotism, Hon. Speaker that is keeping many people to perform the type of duty they are performing. To have a scale where a qualified nurse and qualified teachers are receiving D1500 to D1600 which cannot even enable them to buy a kilo of meat from that Hon. Speaker, is clearly not an income for survival. It is really an income for starvation. That is really the situation for most people who are employed in the public sector. Many people are living from hand –to- mouth and life is becoming increasingly difficult and Hon. Speaker, we as a society must address this concern. We must not just say we are trying. Lets give time. The reality is that we must address the problem. Hon. Speaker, if we look at the quality of food that people eat in this country it is really unpardonable. There is absolutely no doubt that what is seen as affordable rice when cooked and left over night, gets rotten. I have spoken with many women, and people can do their own research. There is no quality rice! And clearly Hon. Speaker, the illnesses that the people are experiencing is very much linked to the type of food that they consume
On women
Hon. Speaker, there is absolutely no doubt from all the statistics, that the women bear the burden of the sufferings in this country. If it comes to water resources, the Kanifing Municipal Council area, for example you see that water is not only inaccessible but because of the distance, it is real drudgery for women. Hon. Speaker, these women will go and quere up, at times late at night just to prepare the ground to collect the water whenever it is available. Yet, we still claim that water is becoming easier and easier for our people to get. That is not the case Hon. Speaker, especially for the urban area.
It is infact getting worst not only because of the distance, but now it is not even available at certain times. What is the problem? We are told that generation capacity is increasing. Why do we continue to have this perennial problem that the women cannot have water? And they cannot even take pipe borne water closer to their residence; that is a UN standard requirement wherever you get water; it should not be more than 100 metres from one's residence. So it is very clear Hon. Speaker, that this is a major problem for women in this country. It is drudgery!
Similarly Hon. Speaker, we talked of gender mainstreaming. But the mainstreaming as we can see is a situation where even those in the public sector are finding very difficult to earn an income to survive. So even if you are mainstreaming women, they are just going to be mainstreamed into that poverty line. And there is absolutely no improvement in their living conditions. What is also fundamental Hon. Speaker is the institutional change. They are talking about celebration and common of the 25thanniversary of the founding of the women's council. Many women said that this is a period for stocktaking and I agreed hundred percent that it is a period of stocktaking. But in terms of institutional building Hon. Speaker, it is very clear in the world today that you can write all the conventions and sign and prepare all the laws and enact them. But if you do not create the institution to ensure that they are implemented then they are going to be mere laws. What is important is to be able to establish a women's commission. Transform the women's Bureau, which is just a tool of the executive into an independent women's commission. Just like an ombudsman.
A women's ombudsman! So that the women's commission will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of all these conventions, taking reports of all violations and being able to do something about it. That's really what is needed. It is also important to go to the level of involving in the commission must be completely depoliticized. There are many women NGO's, women societies, and associations. The commission should be a forum for all those women associations and women groups. This is what would make the institution meaningful. This is when it would reflect the real concerns and diversity of the groups of women from all angles; In terms of income and interms of origin. And by so doing, we would be able to have an institution that can properly reflect and supplement the problem of women. With this, Hon. Speaker you would have an oversight institution that can safeguard their interest. And without that Hon. Speaker, we would just be celebrating without ever achieving the purpose for which the celebrations were intended.
At The National Assembly
HALIFA ON THE PRESIDENT’S SPEECH
Foroyaa has been publishing the reaction of the Minority Leader and Member for Serrekunda Central, Hon. Halifa Sallah. In this issue, we shall publish the rest of his reaction.
On Environment
Hon. Speaker, the issue of the Environment Wildlife and Forestry is a key one. The Environment is the basis of our survival and the world has come to see that if there is going to be sustainable development, we must address the need of the present without compromising the need of the future. Hon. Speaker, a report that we will table here will show a scientific analysis of the waste management system of the country and I don’t need to go into that now. But what is fundamental, Hon. Speaker, is that we need an integrated participatory approach to the disposal of waste and protection of our environment. And, hopefully, we think that we would be able to formulate more policies through such recommendations.
On Governance
Hon. Speaker, Governments arise out of the consent of the people and they should exercise the authority of the people to promote the general welfare of the people to enable the people to live in a country without fear, to live in dignity and to have security. It is important to know, Hon. Speaker, that institutions are necessary to protect people. That’s why we have laws to make our behaviours predictable to enable us know that if we violate those laws, there is a predictable mechanism of enforcement of those laws. And at the end of the day, it would be done in such a way that you accept to humble yourself, that you have done wrong and the penalty must be accepted for doing wrong. That is a stable society! A society based on the rule of law. So it is important Hon. Speaker and I emphasise empathetically that the constitutional provisions that are made, were designed to safeguard the fundamental rights of citizens. That nobody is above the law and that the law enforcer must enforce the law according to the law. And the person who violated the law must also be subjected to the dictate of the law. That is essential! So, Hon. Speaker, what is essential is that if our country is to be respected, if our country is to get the support that we need, both nationally and internationally, then the laws we have decided to make according to our own good judgment must be respected by us. If we do not respect the laws that we make, then we would not be respected by anybody on the face of the earth. So, Hon. Speaker, it is important that if the law said within 72 hours you should be taken before the court it is left to the court to decide whether to keep you in custody or otherwise. People should not be tried by the press or by the National Assembly. They must be tried by the courts and that they must be presumed innocent until they are proven guilty. Hon. Speaker, the reason why we have separation of power is that the courts have their role the National Assembly has its role, the Executive has it role and that it what we accept is the cornerstone of our democracy. So it is important, Hon. Speaker, that I would strongly recommend that we have signed as parties a Memorandum of Understanding to promote more consultations between those who are interested in leadership of the country. We must accept what the President has said at the beginning, that we must rely on our culture as strength. Hon. Speaker, our culture is a culture of respect, a culture of a community, of sharing, a culture of goodwill, wishing for your neighbour what you wished for yourself. That’s what religions are here for, Hon. Speaker. That’s what human value is here for. So Hon. Speaker, it is important that we fall back to that culture. That we wish well for people; we accept the dictate of the law; and wish well for each other. If we do that Hon. Speaker, we would be able to create the type of nation that we envisage tomorrow for us and for our children and grand children’s.
On The Local Government
Hon. Speaker, during the amendment of the Local Government Act, we raised the issue that the councils were to be autonomous and that councils must not be answerable to Governors. One proposal was accepted and that is, that the Chairperson of councils should not be accountable to the Governor. But the Hon. Speaker, section 11 of the Local Government Act said that “The Council shall consist of: (a) a Chairperson elected in accordance with section 13;
(b) a member from each ward elected by the ward! Hon. Speaker, how can the Chairperson be part of a council, which is accountable to the Governor, and then we say that the Chairperson is not accountable to the Governor? We raised the issue here, Hon. Speaker, but our colleagues are seeing us from the other side and ignored us. And they would then talk about partisan politic affecting this side. Hon. Speaker, our views have been ignored, whether it is for partisan reason, maybe the Majority Leader will explain. But essentially Hon. Speaker, there is somehow rejection of what is very clear and wise advice and therefore promoting the culture of mediocrity rather than the culture that the President is talking about and that is to be empathetic, critical and objective.
On Works, Construction and Infrastructure
Hon. Speaker, if you look at some of the past addresses and I think those who prepared these addresses should begin to consult the past and compare the past with the present. Hon. Speaker, if you look at page 13 of the President’s address in 2002, you would see this that “the recent opening of the new Kombo Coastal Road has provided The Gambia Public Transport Corporation with new opportunities to penetrate the Kombos and expand its services. The Banjul Kartong Service was reintroduced in July last year. The objectives of the corporation now are to acquire between 22 to 35 new buses by the end of the first quarter of 2002, through concessionary loan financing to rejuvenate the aging fleet and to increase investment for the rehabilitation of the existing fleet in order to increase its fleet size, improve reliability and availability at a lower cost. What is happening now? So you see Hon. Speaker, the essence is not to give emphasis to more words. I agreed with the President again that we must give emphasis to action and if we emphasise practice then we will begin to monitor what is being said this year and follow it next year. This Hon. Speaker, is when we can determine progress. But the saddest thing is that every year we come with new ideas, which are not implemented. Hon. Speaker, I asked the Secretary of State whether GAMTEL could continue to operate as it is operating and yet being able to compete? He said, “Yes, GAMTEL must exercise corporate responsibility.” Hon. Speaker at page 40 of the address we are told that “The Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) pilot project known as Jamano has been successful and plans are underway to provide 390, 000 lines in phases at a cost of D700 million.” Hon. Speaker, where is the D700 million coming from? Loan! If you follow budget speech after budget speech, address after address, you see Hon. Speaker lines increasing and this and that increasing from loans to loans. If you look at the budget speech Hon. Speaker, we are told that in 2005, GAMTEL has a profit of D211 million after expenditure but then GAMTEL in 2005 paid a dividend of D2 million to Government. Hon. Speaker, if you have an institution which has to invest in its infrastructural and Technological development and is taking loan which has to be paid; but at the same time it is spending money on independence celebration like in the case of GAMTEL, ultimately Hon. Speaker, you are going to privatize that institution because they will not be able to pay those loans. They will condition Government ultimately to cut down on its deficit. Just as we are being conditioned to cut down on the deficit of Government. Hon. Speaker, Government deficit amounted to D855 million last year with a debt service of D1.4 billion and among those debts are those for public enterprises. Last year Hon. Speaker, we paid for NAWEC the sum of D59 million to Taiwan Import/Export Bank for generators. This year too we have budgeted for D26 million Hon. Speaker; this is coming from public funds. So where is the corporate responsibility in a situation where you are using public money to pay loans taken by those public corporations? And Hon. Speaker, those public corporations are not giving you the services free of charge. Look at the telephone bills and the electricity bills of the Government. Where is the corporate responsibility? For me, that is the height of corporate irresponsibility! You take loan to develop services instead of saving it to be able to make investment, what do they do? Look at the investment pattern Hon. Speaker. We are being told that we have a problem with the marketing of groundnut; that we do not have the ability to buy the nuts. But Hon. Speaker, we are now guaranteeing companies in the banking system to buy the nuts, when we spent D45 million to purchase Amie’s Beach (now Ocean Bay) and spent over D300 million to refurbish that institution through public money. How long will it take us to be able to recover that investment? What was wrong with investing that amount in the Association of Cooperative Societies? Why couldn’t that money be given to them to go and purchase the nuts, then line up the private companies that will buy the nuts from them. At least, Hon. Speaker, it would have been remove from the farmers and it would be left for them to go and engage in corporate activities to look for partners outside who would be able to buy their nuts after their purchased. With this Hon. Speaker, you would have been able to improve prices of agricultural products and you would have also been able to sustain the purchasing power. We are told that D250 million was utilized by GAMCO to purchase 32,000 tons of groundnut last year. When you spent D345 million just to invest in a hotel. Clearly Hon. Speaker, we must recognised that the investment pattern of the public corporations is not going to lead to the development of this country, but it is going to lead to exactly what is happening now. And that is Hon. Speaker, our public corporations becoming more and more indebted and ultimately outsiders will come and dictate to us, whether we want it or not. It is our financial discipline and proper management of our public enterprises that can save us.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 35 & 36/2006 |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| Bantaba in Cyberspace |
© 2005-2024 Nijii |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
