 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
 Posted - 11 Nov 2008 : 00:36:44
|
Bending the Arc of Opportunity Towards Us - Lessons from Barack Obama Part One
KOO RACHA TAYE SA KANAM
The above quote is a Wolof saying which means, one must serve one’s interest first. It stems from the local eating habit of using a hand at meals. Usually the food is hot and in such cases, people try to cool the food by spreading it out for the steam to come out. It just follows that in such situations, no one normally spreads it out towards others but towards themselves.
It is befitting therefore to use the above quote to describe part one of this two part series. I will attempt to look at the meteoric rise of President -elect Obama and how the African continent can use it as an opportunity to carve out a way for our Motherland.
Through out history, the way of love and truth has always won in the end. Societies evolved as a result of the realization that one person cannot live alone and that collective approach provides success in many ways. It provides security, skills, specialization, but above all, a common bond that we all look out for each other. Eventually we transfer this genetic strain to our off springs who continue to perfect it every generation.
For example, the modern concept of a Police Force started very differently. In the medieval times, strong men volunteered to protect the citizens. They provided their own cloths, and armor but were not paid. In return, society showered them with favors like non payment of rates and taxes and in some cases certain privileges that were not accorded to commoners. In ancient Greek that was common and even in Rome.
The need for an organized society was never without problems. It therefore means that all of the members would be involved in decisions that affect them. Realizing that we all cannot speak at the same time or be consulted at every stage of societal challenges, it required a paradigm shift in the way decisions are made. Representatives were selected. However, in the initial stage, the stronger ones became default leaders.
Before proceeding further, it is important to note that leaders are not always selected. Some impose themselves on society whilst others rise up to the challenge when a vacuum lends itself. Such leaders are called Situational Leaders. Every society should have many of such leaders. They are the types that speak up when others choose to be silent. They shed their blood for common good and in most cases never seek recognition for their actions.
A classic example will be George Washington, who after the war of independence in the United States against the British was offered the position of a King. He gladly declined. He declined based on principles that if he raised his sword against the domination of the majority by the minority, it will be hypocritical to continue to perpetrate the same line of action. The issue then becomes a matter of legitimacy.
For a leader to be legitimate, he/she must have the support of the masses. Such support must be EARNED and not DEMANDED. It’s a great departure from what Idi Amin used to say. That “.. people must love their leaders” and for Amin, “..that was the job of the Interior Minister..”
Leaders are therefore given authority by society to make decisions. There are three types of authority open to every leader. There is the “Authority of Office”. This is the authority that a leader enjoys which comes with the privileges of the position he/she holds. For example, a Judge can pass a sentence; a President can pardon a criminal etc. There is another type of authority which is called authority of personality. How amiable you are, how friendly and how emotionally balanced you are, can influence how members of society react and respond to your call.
Students of Gambian history will remember the then Commissioner of URD, one Mr. Jagne, who during the turmoil of 1981 coup attempt, called for a Civil Defense Force in Basse to keep the peace whilst “mere anarchy is loose upon..” the rest of the country.
The last and the most important is the "authority of competence". How well you know your roles, how skilled and articulate you are, makes a whole difference in the outcome of policy decisions. It must be stated that, this kind of authority is not set aside for selected leaders only. Even most junior members of society, who, if able to show competence will definitely attract respect and a large following. Situational Leaders generally derive their legitimacy through authority of competence. However in most cases they exhibit the authority of personality traits too.
I am sure you are wondering why I am taking you through this winding and meandering slope of public administration discourse. Its important to understand why we have societies and how we are governed and what society in turn expects from the leaders. This discourse therefore forms the basis of the social contract between the elected and the electors.
With the end of the Second World War, came a more troubling nightmare for the Colonialists in Africa. When Africans were being recruited to defend freedoms and free speech in far away lands, that act in itself was unintentionally speaking to the subjects that they must also rise and demand their own freedoms. Those who followed American history will agree that when Mohammed Ali was asked to fight in Vietnam, he refused. He said that he had no problem with the Vietcong. For him, it was a moral problem to defend the Vietnamese against communism and ensure the survival of a democratic and capitalist society whilst in his own country; he could not eat at the lunch counters or even sit in the front section of a bus.
The end of the Second World War brought independence to Africa. Many hopes were raised but many quickly vanished partly due to long periods of neglect on the side of the Colonialists. In the Gambia for example, public education did not start until in the 1950s. All other schools hitherto built were being run by Missionaries with the exception of Armitage High School which started as a School for the sons of local Chiefs. Unfortunately, that school only continued to entrench patronage and deny the masses their fundamental rights to knowledge. This clearly explained why some families dominated post independent Gambian public life and for many years after independence. In Malawi for example, there was only one University graduate at the time of independence. So independent Africa can be simply summarized as dream deferred. It was not by accident but by design. Even President Roosevelt, the first United States President to visit Africa, and Gambia being the first country could not ignore the level of underdevelopment. He wrote to Churchill describing Gambia as a “.. Hell-hole on earth”. Roosevelt was on his way to Casablanca to attend the Allied Forces conference.
The election of Obama should serve as a fresh start for Africa. Not because Obama has roots in Africa, but on how he worked his way to the top. We cannot afford to hide behind excuses any more. If America can move one I see no reason why we cannot.
Whilst I would agree that democracy is not native to Africa to a large extent, I would hasten to add that some cultures had one of the best forms of popular rule. The Jolla tribe is a case in point where no formal authorities or structures were set up and in fact women participated fully in policy formulation. The Jolla are alleged to be the only known tribe to have not participated in the slave Trade.
One key area that Africa needs is good governance. If we can be so proud of Obama to observe a public holiday, we must then be able to proof to him that the ideals of a free and fair election on which he ran and won, means something to us. Obama did not become president through a coup or rigged elections. He did so in a transparent manner, canvassing for votes for 21 months stretch, and in some days sleeping very few hours. He earned his victory and therefore has the legitimate mandate to rule within the confines of constituted authority respecting the separation of powers.
This change of guards goes to enforce that true authority resides in the people and not the other way round. The smooth transition taking place at this moment is an opportunity for the whole of Africa to understudy. I am tired of seeing one President either dead or in exile when another is coming in with virtually no transition of any sort. There is what is called institutional memory which every Government has but which can be shared if there is a good will. Institutional memory is not what is written in the public memos or dossiers but that which is stored in the hearts and minds of public officials. You will be surprised to know that in any organization, there is lot of information that is not written down but that which flows as streams in the chests of employees. This is the very reason why exit interviews are held when an employee leaves.
We cannot blame the Colonialist any more. They left our shores over forty years ago and every Government seems to be blaming them for our underdevelopment. The real truth is, I mean the raw truth is we are just too lazy. That argument was right in the 1960s but not anymore. Furthermore, since when has it become a crime to be a master of one’s destiny? Are we saying that colonial bondage should continue? I would assume a free people are better positioned to better their lives than when under bondage.
I think Obama is in a unique position as a Black man to tell us as it is and he cannot be accused of being racist. It will be interesting to know that a particular President in Africa receives salary higher than the British Prime Minister. In this same country, Members of Parliament earn about $72,000.00 (seventy two thousand United sates Dollars) annually whilst basic malaria vaccines cannot be supplied to the sick and the dying. A member of parliament was challenged to justify his salary and he responded that ”…democracy is not cheap..” as though to be elected meant to live off of the masses and that democracy is a sort of perpetual gymnasium where leaders can practice virtue if they so wished.
Africa does not need foreign aid any longer. What that continent need is partnership and transfer of technology- both the human software and the technical hardware which are in dire need. But that can only happen when we have set up governments by the people and for the people.
More accountability must be demanded of our leaders and I believe President Obama must act swiftly. He should cut off aid of any sort to any country that does not respect the basic principles of good governance. I have high regards for him that he will subject leaders to higher standards of expectations. Like Baldeh said in another posting, he can look straight into their eyes and tell them the truth.
Africa has one of the largest reservoirs of mineral deposits ranging from gold, to diamond, copper, bauxite and tanzanite. Yet, we continue to see opportunities slip right before our eyes as though things were meant to be so. It’s important to take a role and have an influence in the international arena. We must redefine our relationship with the West. We cannot continue the colonial way of doing business- serving as suppliers of raw materials and importers of finished goods. We must refine our own petroleum right there in Africa, process our own diamonds, process our own timber into plywood instead of exporting logs. This creates lots of opportunities for us. First and foremost, it leads to job creation in Africa. Second, it leads to transfer of technology and thirdly it enables a stable society providing hope. It also reinforces the idea that with effort comes rewards. It will be a surprise to know that about 25% of the oil consumed in the United States comes from Nigeria, yet, it is not uncommon for citizens in Nigeria to be queuing for petrol. Its what the Mandingo call: KOTI KO DAA NILA (The one that has salt goes out begging for salt).
Africa must demand this and we must speak as one voice. But I am reminded that the AU is just another talk shop where nothing gets done.
Another advantage Africa could gain from AGOA is the improvement in trade within Africa. It’s so sad that our economies are designed to only respond to forces outside of the continent than among ourselves. In fact to travel from Gambia to Kenya, it makes every sense to travel to London then to Nairobi than to attempt to travel from Gambia to Nairobi using African routes. It’s not only cheaper, but faster. That is a sad tragedy. It takes 72 hours to arrive in Nairobi if you attempt to travel within Africa whilst its under 24 hours via London and almost half the cost.
African markets need to be open to one another. For example, cement imported from Europe is sold higher than cement made in next door Senegal. The Senegalese quality is not inferior in any sense yet, shortages of cement are not uncommon in the Gambia whilst Senegalese dealers just one hour away have their stores full and looking for customers. In the same vein, excess corn produced in Malawi is rotting in the warehouses whilst food shortage hits Zimbabwe. Malawi farmers are selling their corn at a loss because of “low demand” whilst a neighbor is starving.
Ghana is a major supplier of timber whilst Gambians are looking up to Europe for plywood. Would it not make sense to trade among us? It would be cheaper, create jobs and consequently reduce our dependent on hard currencies. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and SADEC have by all account not improved regional trade. How many times have we heard of border closures? Fragmented economies cannot attract large capital inflow in the form of direct foreign investments. Individual economies lack the absorptive capacity to make good of the investments. I know that an African Union is a crazy idea, but at least we need to open our borders fro trade.
South Africa has large exports of chickens and eggs and with South African Airways flying to Dakar seven days a week, Gambians look up to Holland for poultry product whilst South African Airlines has little cargo on its flights.
The kind of investment in infrastructure like Nkrummah did for Ghana, building roads, schools, the dam and the silos need to be revisited. Nkrummah had free education for all levels of learning in Ghana and thanks to him many Gambians on this banataba would not have been here if not for the many Ghanain Teachers we came to depend on in our schools.
Education is another area African can look at seriously. I very well remember a conference I attended in Harare and the question was raised as to how our education system should respond to our challenges. I was surprised to hear a participant from Ghana complaining about three-hour written exams that at the end of the day only produces clerical staff not ready to take advantage of technological advances the world has to offer. I could not agree more. I sat to many three hour written exams about Sudanese History or Egyptian history or a three hour exams on the corn belt of the United States. At the end of the day, how can I use that knowledge to benefit Gambia? Sadly though I had no text book on Gambian geography. Our teaching pedagogy which is clerical based rather than skill based must change. We have far too many clerks and very few hands-on personnel to allow an effective transfer of Technology. May be we should put all history teachers in an asylum until we have enough skill-based human resources.
An Africa/America partnership on education might help. Perhaps USAID should concentrate more on education. In the end we both could benefit. The reason why jobs are not shipped to Africa but to China from the United States has to do with skills. Certainly wages are much lower in Africa than China. Whilst I welcome the Peace Corps, I don’t think they will be able to have any serious impact big enough to see a radical change in skills in Africa.
I must state that every society has its own challenges including the United States. But ours really stands out. This inability or should I say indifference to the needs of the larger society has therefore created much complex problems for policy makers through out Africa. Migration has certainly become an emergent problem with young able bodied men and women risking the high seas on rafts for a better life.
We must rethink and redesign our priorities again if we as a people are to be participants and not spectators in the advancement of humankind. For now, there is nothing tangible enough for a serious transformation of this continent. We must take stock of our problems and at least renew our commitments to ourselves. Its not late but we must act now otherwise the opportunity will have passed with the hope of a vibrant Africa engaging as a partner with the rest of the world in the cause of human advancement.
Our leaders must ask themselves why they have been elected and gauge for themselves how well positioned they have been in the defense of the defenseless, just in the face of injustice; been accountable and transparent in the business of state.
Remember the social contract you had with the people. You are there because all of us cannot be consulted all the time. You are there because of the trust and confidence of the people who elected you. You are there not because you are the bravest, smartest or the most handsome but because of our firm believe that power resides in the people.
The masses should not been seen as pawns but people with hopes, ambitions, aspirations and a whole set of feelings and desire for better lives for their families. Do not turn our love for democracy into a promisory note and send it back to us with the words "insufficient funds".
That promisory note you signed with us was fully funded at the time of signing the social contract which brought all of you into office. We continue to fund the promisory note with our hard earn tax monies despite all odds against us. We kept our side of the deal and so should all of you.
Our leaders must also understand that the common man on the streets all yearn for better lives for themselves and their children. Opportunity must be available to every Tom Dick and Harry. When we cease to provide anything less, chaos rules supreme as we saw in Liberia, Sierra Lone and currently in Congo. All these three countries are not poor.
Only in societies where the social contract was abused or not honoured, have such societies become ungovernable. There is a simple reason for that. When trust and confidence are eroded, the sense of collective intererst which is one of the conerstones of the formation of societies is put on the burner.
Humans will do what they have always been good at through out history. And that is our instincts to survive. In the process many innocent casualties fall along the way and survival for the fittest becomes the guiding principle.
When you raise your hands and pledge before all members of society that you will respect the rule of law, defend our national constitutions without fear or favour ill-will or affection, and then conclude by asking for the guidance of God, we have ineffect signed the social contract.
Its on that basis that the general society abdicates its powers and hand them over to the leader to speak for the voiceless masses. That trust must never be compromised at any time.
But for a people who do not realise that power actually resides in them, its very easy to tell them to go to hell and they actually look forward to going.
Our National Anthems and Pledges of Allegiances are full of hopes and if only we could follow those guiding principles, Africa will emerge as the next super power.
The national pies must go around and only then can we renew the words of Obama “.. I am by brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper”.
Otherwise, history will have judged us as a people that chose to be so indifferent to the needs of our own collective interest that we never left any foot prints in the sands of time.
|
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
|
|
anna
Netherlands
730 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2008 : 08:29:43
|
| Kondorong, how very impressive! I can see the words come straight from your heart, what a great pity you are not part of the Gambian government. I hope your appeal will be read by the people it is meant for so that the 'Arc of Opportunity' could be really bent. Do not give up hope! Perhaps now is the moment things could change. |
When an old African dies, it is as if a whole library has burnt down.
Amadou Hampate Ba (Mali) |
 |
|
|
jambo
3300 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2008 : 08:49:55
|
Kons, what a great piece but I think the points you are mentioning will ot change until some of the african countries get rid of the system of president for life ( , tribal issues look at the developing wars tutsi vs hutusi, congo, etc it is this "mind Set" that is holding the african continent back.
Some have a game plan to keep the 10% in power and everyone else go hang.
I would ask the new prez to restrain from just "giving help", there has to be some serious accountability/visibility. I strongly suspect that he will have to look at some the face to face, eye to eye. As you mention african countries cannot look back anymore and say the colonials "did this" and "they took from ot country", because I would love to see some bank accounts that countries have abroad  .
As for education do not get me started on that one, african as continent has intelligence that if it was harnessed would make it a formidable power, but this is a way of keeping things under "control". Lots of things have t change before African countries become super power, the basics are their, but is the intellligence to use it there.
also, who are we dealing with, some African countries are selling of their landed and infra structure t the far east, china/Korea and taiwan have a strong foot hold in some lands, this must be looked into before aid is given to the countries.
|
|
|
|
kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2008 : 17:53:13
|
Anna and Jambo
Thanks for your comments. I had to write this in haste and sometimes I have repeated myself a few times. But the fact remains that Africa is not poor. Sierra Leone is a Portuguese word which means “the Roaring Mountain” befitting the majestic mountains dotted along the coast. It also has vast deposits of gold and diamonds. Things became so bad for them that in hospitals, Doctors use machetes or cutlasses to perform surgical operations. Meanwhile, ministers were busy loading their fake water tanks with hard currencies. I think CNN or Channel 4 had a documentary on this in the mid 1990s.
The civil war that was unleashed is certainly not a surprise. The promissory note was sent back and marked insufficient funds. Today, that country has the largest per capita of citizens with amputated limbs not from bombs but from literally cutting of the hands using knives and cutlasses. They cut their hands to prevent them from voting.
I am reminded that similar atrocities were meted out to the people of Congo by the colonialists. The Belgian Congo stands out as the worst of colonialism in Africa. You see, Brussels did not become the center of the diamond business for nothing.
Vocational education in the Gambia was in fact introduced fairly recently. It started as a lone empty lot along Box Bar road with one old derelict car. In fact, had it not been for the great help of individuals like Van Der Plaast, a volunteer from Holland, Community Development in the Gambia especially skills centers would not have taken off the ground. Today, the many nurseries and nutrition programmes are locally called BANTA PLASS. It’s a corruption of the name of this Dutch philanthropist. He has never been recognized for his work in the Gambia and may be Jammeh should do so. He was initially station in Kiang in the villages of Sankandi and Kwinella.
|
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
|
|
|
Karamba
United Kingdom
3820 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2008 : 20:44:56
|
Kondorong,
You have done a massive good work by this very informative piece. If you will not mind, there is another matter I wish to chip in. It has to do with Even Distribution of public resources.
Most conflicts in this world bear their root to the unfair distribution of resources. It is most serious in situations where the distributor chooses to take the biggest chunk and still scrambles for the crumbs with rest of the people as obtains in the case of Yaya Jammeh in Gambia.
To ensure fairest mode of distribution, public positions like a country’s leadership does not have to be in the empty hands of selfish and greedy people. They will never want to distribute fairly.
Before anyone takes up such positions, they are better screened for good records in handling public resources without an occasion of corruption
The big talk in Gambia and also for other parts of Africa is passion on the part of political leaders to create personal wealth by taking undue advantage of their positions. That is corruption.
Term limit is a pricking thorn in the flesh of greedy despots. No matter how long they stay looting public resources, greedy presidents of Africa will always Want More.
Along side the need to upkeep democratic high standards, decisions about distribution of public resources does not have to rest in the hands of few greedy persons.
Most importantly, it makes no sense for one person to stay in political high post for infinity. That is not reasonable. It is also unsustainable.
|
Karamba |
|
|
|
kondorong
Gambia
4380 Posts |
Posted - 11 Nov 2008 : 20:53:19
|
Yes Karamaba
Why would i mind. Banataba is a free forum. Free speech improves the intellect and ceratinly no one person has authority over knowledge.
There is in what is called the Lorenzo Curve in economics. It looks at how wealth is distributed with economic growth. In other words how the pie trickles down to every memeber of society.
The case of Sierra Leone where minister build themselves water towers to store foreign currency was given as an example above. The rest of the masses are treated as nuisances.
Term limits are very essential for public order. It also reinforces the doctrine that in a democracy, power resides in the people. Karamaba i am sure you should find tapes on a series on British Televison titled"President for Life". Its based on an African military dictator who was deposed and was granted asylum in the UK. Its a wonderful comedy series.
His bodygaurd, Solomon applied for a job on arrival and on his resume/CV, he boasts of being able to drive an armor tank through a group of unarmed student demonstrations with ease Its a must watch for student of politics especially post independent West Africa.
|
“When I despair, I remember that all through history the way of truth and love have always won. There have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they can seem invincible, but in the end, they always fall. Think of it--always.” |
|
|
|
admin
130 Posts |
Posted - 24 Nov 2008 : 18:20:51
|
Reply author: mansasulu
Replied on: 17 Nov 2008 21:38:07
Message:
Kondorong, if I were a banker, I wont hesitate to accept this piece as a collateral for a moment! Nicely done...you have put it in a way I can only dream of...I am simply awed!
Reply author: kondorong
Replied on: 17 Nov 2008 22:30:03
Message:
Mansasulu
I am humbled. I know i cannot bend history but as my signature qoute from Kennedy indicates, "each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation".
Sorry for the lengthy posting anyway. Time is of the essence. My English Teacher did not do a good job in teaching me how to summarise
Reply author: njucks
Replied on: 19 Nov 2008 02:17:42
Message:
Kondorong, i must say well done for atleast summing up most of Africa's problems in 1/2 a page. only you can do it.
however some parts of your text are not so accurate as they imply that Africa is isolated from the global community.In fact the political realitiy on the ground is seriously infleunced by the outside global political situation. e.g during the 70s and 80s the Cold War existed and the countries in Africa were affected as much as in any other part of the world. so did the Oil Crisis etc. so this is not about excuses, being lazy, it simply turned out the West won the Cold War. otherwise it would be a different story today with Mobuto etc.
i also think your point on Education is important. this to me is the biggest problem. even if there was democracy all over, without being educated i think democracy would be difficult to implement. Democracy is strongest not purely because people have the right to vote but more importantly because institutions exist and people are educated to utilise them. afree press is useless if no the majority dont read papers!
Another aspect i think is important is that you must look at the profile of emerging nations like Malaysia, Singapore,etc. including Ivory Coast, the most successful African story before the current crisis for similar lessons. All these countries that have begun to make the transition from developing country status did not necessarily have ''democracy'' as you put it. The solution lies in everyone adopting what works for you. there is no democracy is China but their is a lot of prosperity. However democracy is inevitably there as propserity increase, education levels rise and it can even be argued that china could be on a different path economically if the political system changed over night.
finally i would also like to agree on the human capital bit. emigration (legal or not) is a major problem not only affecting the youths but even retaining the African educated class. this brings us to the point that Africa is not isolated. e.g an African country can invest in training doctors, nurses, teachers (sometimes for free) only to loose these graduates to Europe because they earn more there.People migrate for different reasons from money, education standards. This is a natural thing. without a surplus, it can actually retard a country's progress.
So as i mentioned earlier in your first postings i think Obama's victory should not be discounted on its impact on Africa, simply it will inspire the people of Africa see themselves in a different light, albeit possitively.
let hope and see.
Reply author: kondorong
Replied on: 19 Nov 2008 07:28:33
Message:
Njuks
I take your comments sincerely. You are right in that some of the emerging countries called the "Asian Tigers" did not achieve economic importance with democracy. In taiwan for example, citizens were required to save money to be loaned to the government. That was forced savings scheme. In a democracy, you cannot force people to save. However, what you have failed to explain further is the type of leadership they had which sets them apart from Africa. Corruption was seriously curtailed and there was real discipline in public offices.Those savings remained very liquid.
In Taiwan forexample, employees show that they are not satisfied with conditions of service by working harder and increasing out put beyond normal work day targets. Managers take notice easily. The cultural differences are enormous.
However, the big elephant in the room responsible for economic growth in south East Asia is the amount of Direct Foreign Investment (DFI) after the second world war especially from the United States which Africa never had. These countries were used as example of what capitalism could do in contrast to communist regimes in Vietnam and China. So these Asian Tigers had massive influx of western capital only second to the Marshal Plan Europe had. Certainly if Africa had similar direct capital investments, which not only came in the form of machinery, technical software (training) but also the techincal hardware.
I dont know about "a lot of prosperity" in China. It depends on what models you are loking at. The level of poverty in China is very high and i would recommend that you watch independent documentaries on China and not the so called mainstream media, who by the way have vested capital in China hoping to have good divends.Until the Olympics, the media was very restricted.
Independent TV stations like Link TV are very good examples to watch.
The World bank gave Ghana a very high rating in terms of economic development but having been to Ghana at least five times, i could not see anything that makes that country to stand out as a model economy in Sub Saharan Africa. Even Gambia was praised for economic growth and good performance. This was not until we dismissed 21% of the Civil service and threw them on to the streets, sold our public corporations for nothing. But more imporatntly for the bank, we were able to honour our loan payments. Thats what Banks are there for.
But for the average Gambian on the streets, the Economic Recovery Programme was big failure. IBAS which was created to help retrain retrenched workers had no capital large enough to even build one factory the size of sankung Sillah's soap factory.The total money realised from the sale of all Public enterprises in the Gambia was the less than the our annual debt service to the Bretton Wood Institutions.
Mobuto will go down as one of the most corrupt regimes Africa has ever had.I will look for a copy of the Time magazine in which he said, that it is ok for public officials to take funds from the coffers for as long as the amounts were very small. He hated large amounts but sadly, he did not define how much was small or large. What he failed to understand was that if every public official took small amounts every day, the cumulative effect will be astronomical. He deposed a very hard working, honest and patriotic citzen of the Congo and left his country in a mess. The curent crisis is his making.
I am not in anyway discounting Obama,s meteoric rise to power. Its an example that every African leader should under study. But i just want to remind ourselves that this Obama will not trickle down. We must create our own Obamas in our individual countries.
Thanks for your observations and i appreciate them.
Reply author: njucks
Replied on: 19 Nov 2008 11:58:35
Message:
Konds,
thats exactly my point. if you look at the asian examples we both mentioned FDI came in not because they had ''democracy'' nor ''good Human rights record but because they had the basic infrastructures that made the FDI multiply easily.
a good modern example is India and China. the former has democracy whilst China is a communist state. however India is taking the same route as the USA and Europe, democracy to slowly educate its population, accumulate wealth but at the expense of millions of people. In India, as you may be aware you have the 'untouchables', hundreds of millions of people who practically have no rights and are exploited doing the worst jobs for nothing!
China on the other hand, is a communist state, trying to leapfrog, by rapidly building its infrastructure, educating its population, hoping by limiting their rights, the government can remain focused on its development agenda without 'distractions'. so far they have been more successful than India. yes it may be high but its lower than in India.
lack of democracy is not necessarily why Africa is not developed. given the option that incomes would move from $30 to $3000 on two decades.so as to be able to buy food, education raise children, etc i would take the Malaysian example anyday.
African leaders should also demand a much more transparent foreign policy, of mutual respect not one that only looks out for western interest, at least to a certain extent.
you did not comment on the brain drain issue?
Reply author: kondorong
Replied on: 19 Nov 2008 18:27:58
Message:
Njuks
I did not comment on the brain drain issue. You see, i don’t want to go down the lane you want me go to. I don’t like giving the excuses for why we are underdeveloped. I want to see a more positive side of our good will. Instead of giving excuses, i want to hear why could do it. That’s more reassuring.
We have become very good at excuses for not doing anything. This line of thought should now be erased from our minds. Yes there is a brain drain in Africa and rightly so. Good ideas can only flow in a free society. Its not the money why many stayed away from home.
Let’s look at this way. In the aftermath of the 1981 coup, millions of dollars flooded the streets of Gambia and some have said it far exceeded three years of the public budget. What happened to the money? A small fry was sent to jail and after a brief residency at mile two, it was business as usual. The case of Sana Manneh (Ticks) would have sent many senior officials to Mile 2 if the case was in any of Asian Tigers. Jawara promised that the law will take its course and anyone found culpable will dance to his music.
Another thing that differentiates us with the Asian Tigers is that, many of their former presidents and Prime Ministers are in jail for corruption or abuse of office. There is one right now on his way to jail. The example of Malaysia you brought up is a case in point. However, may I ask where their Vice President is? He is in jail. For what, you find out.
Its not that they have more corrupt officials than Africa, it because they have been more willing to protect the common interest and that accountability is not a lip service
Yes they may have had help but the help found them well positioned and committed to develop their societies. A dertminde group will always find solutions to problems. In Africa, we see problems as obstacls rather than as hurdles. The two are different.
For Africa, we are well known for the offshore accounts that crop up ever second like carrots plucked at sunset. In Ghana for example, a former Cabinet Minister Colonel Roger Felli was allegedly shot for having an overseas account of $300.00 (three hundred dollars). By the way he was the country’s Foreign Affairs Commissioner. You want to know how much those who killed him have in their overseas accounts? Many of our leaders masquerade behind accountability and transparency but quietly end up doing the same things they preach against.
I am sure you will scratch your brain to name one African leader who was successfully tried in a court of law for abuse of office and serving sentence. Not until hell freezes. The discipline in public office is what separates us from the Asian Tigers.
I once read that a former Nigerian President bought a private jet as a birthday present for his brother in-law. I don’t want to know what his wife will have for her birthday. Excuses, excuses excuses.........
In the words of Obama, I want to hear those encouraging words : YES WE CAN, YES WE CAN
|
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| Bantaba in Cyberspace |
© 2005-2024 Nijii |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
