Dear Editor,
It is certainly not a surprise to many people that the UDP has once again lost its latest court cases against the state, challenging the appointment of certain public officials, including some advisers to the president who are being paid from public coffers while virtually serving partisan interests more than the interest of the Gambian public.
Despite the UDP leadership comprising many high-profile lawyers, including their party leader, Ousainu Darboe, it is hard to comprehend why they should be losing most of their cases, mainly on technicalities. Is it because they had not been doing their home work diligently before embarking on such cases or are they simply barking up the wrong tree?
Whatever the case, we had seen how their case against the IEC over the results of the 2021 presidential elections was thrown out of court on a technicality, as well as some other cases before and after that, including their case against the regional governors.
Therefore, their latest setback against the political appointees, was apparently because they once again failed to submit adequate information to the court. It appears that they have not been learning from their previous experiences.
DA Jawo
Kanifing
Carpe diem
Dear Editor,
African heads of governments are not seizing upon the enormous economic development opportunities presented by the rise of China. African countries going to Turkey, Morocco, India and the other second tier economies for economic development purposes have missed the plot. Go to China. China is a first tier developed economy and looking for economic development partners. Morocco, India, Turkey are subsidiary economies of the first tier developed economies like the USA, the EU and the UK. Why go to the deputy when you can go see the principal directly?
African countries are missing out on the opportunities to develop and prosper not taking up the enormous economic development opportunities presented by the rise of China on bilateral and multinational basis.
Regional political organisations across the African continent are still stuck in the past of cosying up to “the traditional development partners”, the former colonial masters. The rise of China has offered to the African countries a new and different economic development partnership options. But African heads of governments have their heads in the sand. It’s not rocket science, to develop one’s national economy. The country must have something to sell and offer to the other party/s in the economic development relationship either bilaterally and or multilateral.
Natural resources in the African countries are the best economic development resources to put on the table for trade, investment and development. But for some reason, African heads of governments are made to believe that they have to privatise their natural resources: That they have to attract foreign investors to invest into their national development and prosperity. No wonder every other African country is plagued by massive poverty, corruption and bad governance despite the plentiful natural resources and riches across the continent.
Turkey is a second fiddle country and so is Morocco and India. Why are African countries not rushing up to China to sign bilateral and multilateral economic development agreements?
The African countries must have to invest in education, agriculture, infrastructure and industrialisation to become sustainable developed economies. Holding onto the natural resources and the essential public services of the national economy are African countries best economic development bargaining chips. China is the natural economic development ally of the African countries. The Chinese are in need of strategic economic development partners in the African countries.
But the African heads of governments have not woken up to the enormous economic development opportunities presented by the rise of China. We are living in a changing world and China is the other alternative on the table. Thinking closer to home and national development, Jahally Pacharr and the Atlantic Coastline are The Gambia’s jumping off economic development levers and stabilisers.
Invest in agriculture, fisheries and tourism, the lead sustainable economic development sectors of The Gambia. But our crocodile president is selling off our national economy and loading up the country with enormous debt. Him and his government ministers think that some foreign investors from the private sector will come invest and develop the Gambian economy. What a pity!
Yusupha Bojang
Scotland
