The underwear that Yaya Jammeh wore on the 22nd July 1994 was bought on credit from a Senegalese ‘bana-bana’ of ‘baitchayk’ for five dalasis. We know this because the following day when it became clear that “Kanilai”, as he was known to many around Bakau Depot, was chairman of the AFPRC, the poor Senegalese man wondered out loud to onlookers as to how he was going to gain access to State House to demand payment of his five dalasis from the new head of state.
I am recalling this incident to remind Gambians, if they need reminding, how far we have come with this church mouse who was being presented with a birthday gift of two luxury Mercedes Benz cars worth over two million dalasis. The benevolence of the last Gambian businessman of note still standing is not by choice but by necessity if his business is to remain viable and his own physical integrity assured, for now at least.As Jammeh embarks on the 2013 edition of Meet the Farmers Tour, Gambians need to reflect on where Jammeh found us and where he’s brought us as a country and as a people:
1. When Jammeh seized power almost two decades ago, it took his entourage just under 30 minutes to cross his fleets of government vehicles from Banjul to Barra. Today it will take him over 4 hours to reach Barra if he’s lucky. On a bad day, his entourage will be drifting listlessly in decrepit floating coffins across the mouth of the river towards the open sea. There is not one seaworthy ferry in service today in The Gambia.
2. In 1992, Government was purchasing 130,000 tons of groundnuts from Gambian farmers with no credit buying attracting Senegalese farmers to cross into Gambia to sell their groundnuts because there was credit buying in Senegal. Today the reverse is true with the APRC government buying less than 30,000 tons while still owing farmers money from previous seasons.
3. In 1992, rural poverty was 40%. Today under Jammeh it is 60% and rising despite that the poverty figures for Africa as a whole has been declining steadily over the past decade.
4. In 1992, Tourism contribution to GDP was steadily rising to 12%. Now it is down to 9% as tourist flee to destinations that do not look like occupied territories with gun-totting rogue elements of the security forces.
The neglect of the rural population by the Jammeh regime, coupled with the ineptitude of his government, its promotion and maintenance of corruption, its drug and arms trafficking, and its increasing levels of repression of the population warrant a boycott of his tour by Gambians everywhere and especially the rural population.
It is hoped that folks will stay in their compounds, go on about their daily lives, and not show up to these political rallies which are showcases for Jammeh’s ill-gotten wealth and a devise to deflect attention of the rural poor from the real problems facing their communities and country. Just as it was the case last year, demonstrate passive resistance by staying home.
Sidi Sanneh