Back and Next - Back and NextDialogue With People’s Tour Introspective /did the President got it Wrong? Part Three
This is the final part on the president’s dialogue with the people’s tour introspective. The president have concluded the tour and what one can consider as success is the pronouncements by the head of state on some major undertakings that his government is up to. Some on them are the same promises in the past years but few are new ones. What is of great concern to the people is whether he will fulfill such undertakings within the time frames given. Gambians were promised rural electrifications in the face of poor electricity supply in the greater Banjul areas. The president has dished out much cash to groups and individuals. What remains unclear is whose money was dished out? Is it his personal money or state money?
At Kaur waft town, the president did told his audience that his government will turn Kaur into a modern regional town, by introducing a railway link between the town and some land lock countries in the sub-region. These countries are Burkina Faso and Mali. With such he said Kaur will be a town that will regain its old status.
At Jangjang buray one of the regional head quarters President Jammeh said these towns will see a total reformation. The island will be bridged from the South bank end and that will make its access very easy. Rural electrification was also high on the president’s agenda. He told jubilant supporters in the Central River Region, Upper River Region, and other regions that soon all will glitter with electricity.
At Basse he told his supporters that he is frustrated with the people not going back to the land. When they took over power he promise that he will turn places like Basse into a modern towns. How is it today he asked? You have electricity every where. I build the chamois bridge, which promise some people think was a joke. He reiterated that they are with a difference.
He said he knew the answer to the problem of Gambia was a mechanize agriculture, that was why soon after the take over he brought tractors, the first ones were all abused, then he brought another the same abuses. Now am brining another 500 but this ones are not for free, they cost $17-18,000. We will give to those who can pay an advance of $7,000 and the balance be paid by installments. Any one who fails to pay, they he or she will have to go to one of my hotels either at Mile two prison or MarCharthy prison.
One may ask are these new pronouncements or a repetition of what he always told them? Well indeed these are not at all new pronouncements by the Jammeh regime. What remains to be done is implementation of these lofty ideas. In the early days he did told the Gambians that his government will link the sub-region to the Gambia with a railways service this was during the presidential campaign of 2002. The issue of bridging the small river at Sankulay kunda was said at every meet of the people’s dialogue. We have seen him done that of the Badibu Kerewan; I for one am convince he can do that of the Sankulay Kunda River.
What makes the tour one of a big difference this year is the ignorance of the people to his call to return to the land? Jammeh made himself very clear that if people refuse to return to the land he will not put in any subsidy to the cost of a bag of rice. This means that the price of a fifty kilo bag can go up to nine hundred dalasi. Majority of Gambian civil servant salaries are within that range.
The President told his own kinsmen that if they at the western region (FONI) fail to heed to his call to back to the land, he will no more help them come 2009. He told them in clear terms that one cannot help others until you become poor yourself. He told the crowd that there are no significant public infrastructural developments any where in the fonis. No storey buildings or so why? That is a clear indication of poverty in the area. This he said is all due people’s failure to go back to the land so where the president is not sparing his own kinsmen I do not know who else will be spared.
President Jammeh declared that his government will come up with a $12m project that will adequately build the capacities of the farmers in the fonis soon. For the first time since the tour I stand to be corrected I heard the president say my government will do this. That is excellent. Here the president is speaking like a head of state. He is making a distinction between him and the state. Keep it up Jammeh.
At Brikama the president told his audience that his government will electrify the whole of western region come 2011. This is a very bold undertaken. If that comes out to be sure by 2011 that is a giant development. Such promises were heard several times in the past. At one 22 July celebrations we were told that come next celebrations if the electricity problem is not over no celebrations. We did celebrated many more before it was stabilized. How ever whiles the president makes another promise the ugly head of erratic electricity supply is showed up.
When the president was coming into the capital he was given a be fitting welcome and one can see him throwing out gifts of biscuits and T-shirts as a token of appreciation.
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