Dear Editor,
Caveat emptor! Buyer beware. When did Muhammed Jah meet Jesus to all of a sudden call himself fighting for the little guy? The other day some South Korean ambassador showed up and voila, Jah was foaming about some kind of rice from South Korea to make The Gambia rice self sufficient, without putting out any framework for what he was talking about. Now, here he is talking about monopolies. A whole lot of other people’s monies are in Dubai. Whose money is in The Gambia? Does The Gambia have the capacity to do what Jah is suggesting? And get this, Jah just found Barrow trying to digest the bucket of maafe that he cleared to present him with a monopoly proposal and Mr Lazy nodded, toothpick in mouth and approaching a comatose state to signal his buy-in. Then he ran and found FTJ chewing colanut with the same thing and already they are talking about starting a monopoly. Gambians, what do you produce to create monopoly? All we do is buy and sell like practically all African countries do? Is Jah asking for Gambians to have a monopoly on business in Gambia, or is Jah asking for him and his group to be the business monopoly in The Gambia? Afersi daegin la lage deh!
Jah has a group and is looking for that group’s interest and if anyone thinks for a second that Jah has The Gambia in mind then the joke is on you. Why don’t Muhammed Jah expound on his theory rather than this sound bite? For those who are saying Jah’s proposal is a good idea, can you educate the rest of us what Jah is talking about? The man just put some words and some paper spreads it out here and voila, folks start to bite.
Joe Sambou
USA
Dear Editor,
I would definitely agree with Mr Jah. But it’s time this government and Gambian business community focus more attention on the production areas of foods like rice, sugar and other cereals. This will reduce poverty and change our lives rapidly for good. Let’s stop the criticism and join people with bright ideas to help move this country forward. We want to see the brand MADE IN GAMBIA on our bags of rice and sugar or any other food stuff for that matter. Long live The Gambia.
Joseph Mendy
Banjul
Dear Editor,
Bad idea. Monopolising business is the worst thing to do to an economy. Liberalising the economy spurs growth and competition, which are healthy for the business environment. Imagine if this was done years ago, what would The Gambia be like without Guinean, Mauritanian and Senegalese businesses?
Jallow Mathew
USA
Dear Editor,
I support Mr Jah’s motion. Yes, we need to control the importation of major goods sold here in The Gambia. Let us make a hay while the sun is shining, its never too late to rectify our mistakes!
About 90 percent of Gambian businesses are in the hands of foreign nationals more so Lebanese and Guineans. We need to revive the National Trading Corporation!.
Bakary Jadama
Founder & Coordinator
PCED The Gambia
Dear Editor,
I must declare that I did not read the article but if the headline is anything to go by, I will totally disagree.
First, I do not believe that local monopoly of business in any well managed country is the way to serious development.
Second, I do not believe that Gambian only businesses have the capacity and the depth to move this country forward long term.
Third and most importantly, the kind of personality displayed by Mr Jah of the QGroup and his kind demonstrated greed, weakness and poor political judgements due, largely, to personal and selfish interests well before and during the dictatorship of Jammeh and even now in Barrow’s six years of weak leadership and dismal performing governments. If these are the kind of business leaders clamouring to take everything of the little that is left, then they haven’t reached the height of their insatiable want of everything.
No, Muhammed Jah’s thesis is not a good business idea to grant such a cabal such chance.
Touray Saidy-Khan
Seattle, Washington, USA
