Generosity

Most people reckon that making donations to charities is a moral duty. It doesn’t only make you feel good within yourself but it strengthens your values. Hence, they wouldn’t mind sharing as much as they can.

Conversely, others won’t give unless you make them feel guilty. Thus, charities in the West including Save the Children, ActionAid, Smile Train, Heal a Broken Heart, Sightsavers and UNICEF present images of sick children from developing countries in order to extract sympathy and therefore increase donations.

There is no doubt that these charities have good intentions in helping children in dire need. But I wonder, is this strategy still effective? For example, I often change a TV channel whenever I see ads of misfortunate children – I know for a fact I’m not an isolated case!

I would argue that with advances in modern technology you can do a lot to extract sympathy from others without showing images of distressed children. Here are two of the main drawbacks:

(A) Those children or their parents may not have consented to their images being used in this way.
(B) It’s a misrepresentation of developing countries, the majority of whom have made significant progress in child welfare.

The tragedy at Faraba

 

The loss of life in Faraba is indeed very tragic and regrettable. I am mourning with my fellow citizens; and I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to grieving families and friends, including those who sustained injuries and are currently receiving medical treatment at Banjul hospital. I wish them a speedy recovery and I pray that the three departed souls will rest in peace.

In our smiling coast of Africa, it’s rather unfortunate yet again to witness the Police Intervention Unit opening fire on un-armed civilians, who were merely exercising their constitutional rights. While I struggled to digest such awful news, I echo my fellow Gambians who call on the authorities to ensure that this incident is investigated thoroughly and whoever is found wanting is brought before the law. Justice should prevail. The authorities have made it unequivocally clear that they gave no instruction to PIU officers to open fire on protestors. I add my voice to those calling for calm and restraint.

Additionally, I would remind my fellow Gambians that the relationship between police and the youth is not always cordial. For example, ‘stop and search’ in the UK has proved to be very controversial. And in the Unite States of America, police officers often discharge their firearms against innocent people in order to effect an arrest. Tragically, our republic is not immune to such a security lapse. Nevertheless we ought to recognise that the majority of the men and women in uniform are professional and they are law abiding citizens. However, maintaining security and peace in the country might occasionally be challenging for them. Hence, there is a small chance for a minority of them to be led astray.

With democracy comes huge responsibility: from December 2016 the Gambia embarked on a long journey to pursue democracy and good governance. Since then, despite the best efforts of the government, the country continues to have some visible social and economic challenges which cause major uncertainty. Consequently, the slow pace of economic recovery often means the virtue of freedom of expression and freedom of speech is lost. As a result, the most anticipated land, environmental, political, economical, social, and institutional reforms require a huge amount of patience and an atmosphere of uninterrupted social cohesion. In a fragile democracy, no matter which club I belong to, whether it is a rights group, a political group or a pressure group, I would be very reluctant to exercise my rights in the street until I have exhausted all other means of expression.

However, it is encouraging to see that the government officials, religious leaders and members of the National Assembly come together as one force and show solidarity to the communities in Faraba. In conclusion, I am appealing to my fellow Gambians – let us stop politicizing this incident and let us not spread fake news on social media.
One Gambia, one people

Alternative to foreign aid

Recently, our dear mother -land continues to makes headlines throughout the world, particularly when it was announcedthat The Gambia is to gain at least 1.45 billion Euros from her donors. This developing story sparks debate both off and online whichcontinues dominating most political discussions not only in the country but in the sub region. In my last article, I echoed the opinion expressed by those who raised concern: is foreign aid truly makinga difference in terms of economic growth and good governance in Africa? Though everyone isat liberty to reachtheir own conclusion, in supportof my argument, let me highlight the following:

First of all, let me make it absolutely clear;ifsomeone actually asks me,does The Gambia really need foreign aid? My answer will be YES, the countryreally needs aid in order to boost her fragile economy which is essential infixing its broken institutions as well as paying off its foreign debts but of courseat the expense of our independence andsovereignty. Apparently, what the disciples of foreign aid fail to realise is this; there are always strings attached to it,which means any country dependent on foreign aid might be sleep walking back into the colonial era. Don’t you recognise thatbasically, the majorityof civiclaws guiding morality inthird world countries – including rules and regulations dictating poor economies- wereoften designed to serve thedollar givers?

My fellow citizens let’s be honest with ourselves;our dependency on foreign aid won’t do much to improve our economy, particularlytackling poverty and illiteracy. The Gambia’s economybelongs to the categories which I often describe as a “transit base economy“ meaning that the significant proportion of our GDP,together with dollarsaid, are going back into the pockets of foreigners who control 90% of the import and export business in the country.A common proverb comes to mind – do not feed the animal, because by feedingthem, they would lack ability to hunt for themselves!Equally, African dependency on aid is killing her spirit of self- reliance which is hampering creative thinking in the continent.

One alternative to foreign aid can include these measures : creationof social entrepreneurship in order to empower people with skills and talent; and in addition to that, government ought to financially support small businesses and profoundly prioritise health sectors as well as subsidising farmers in agriculture to ensure that food security is guaranteed for all Gambians. Furthermore, the current education system in the country is not fit for purpose. Most children leaving school lack the ability to read or write.Consequently, educational reforms which will establish institutions providing quality education for childrenallowing them to harness their intelligence and self-esteem are urgently needed.Quality education would subsequently enable children to be more work ethic conscious and be more creative thinkers which are crucial for economicself-reliance and financialindependence. In my opinion, these will dramatically reduce the number of Africans, especially youths in The Gambia, aiming to reach Europe using the BACK WAY, hoping for greener pastures. Equippingfuture generations with quality education would approximately cut 90% of our future dependence on foreign aid.

Gambia and foreign aid

Gambia and Foreign Aid,
Though some Gambians like me are not huge fans of encouraging foreign aid, the majority of our fellow citizens from all walks of life are. People were excited about the outcome of the EU donor conference recently held in Brussels. According to media sources, this conference was jointly organized by the Gambian government in collaboration with its main development partner, the EU. A total of 1.45 billion Euros was pledged by the international community at the conference, which will boost the Gambian economy in the next three years. The EU promised it would inject an additional 140 million Euros, on top of the 225 million Euros which it had already committed, boosting our country’s ailing economy. There is no doubt that Gambians are really grateful with the assistance rendered to the country by the EU since we gained independence in 1965. The EU gets a MASSIVE THANKS from me.
However, here is my question: can we celebrate this achievement or should we do some soul-searching?
Firstly, I think it’s essential to acknowledge the efforts made by President Barrow and the government because since they took office back in 2017, he is using every means possible to encourage foreign investors to come and invest in the Gambia, in order to create jobs and improve the country’s economy. Furthermore, President Barrow and his entourage use the commercial flight from Banjul to Brussels to attend the above mentioned donor conference. He has demonstrated that fiscal discipline is profoundly crucial to him and his administration, which is indeed a very encouraging sign.

Conversely, it’s very disappointing after 53 years of self-determination that a significant proportion of our GDP is still entirely dependent on foreign aid. Where did things go wrong? Despite the abundance of human capital which is in our possession, in addition to the natural resources that we have in our disposal, fifty years down the line we are still relying on those who are supposed to be our equal partners in commerce and trade. We literally exist like beggars receiving aid in order to survive. If that is not a cause of national concern for patriotic citizens like me and you, then what else would be? In my opinion, we can do much better than this. Rather than celebrating a short term financial achievement, why can’t we do some soul-searching in order to determine why in many aspects the Gambia is still not economically and intellectually self -sufficient?!

I maintain that there is a need for Gambia to emulate the economic style of Botswana, particularly in the areas of how to explore a country’s natural resources, human development and job creation. The southern African country is a small land locked country but it managed to build a strong institution and became a middle income earning country without any foreign dependency whatsoever. To illustrate my point, according to Dambisa Moyo’s book, Dead Aid, Botswana ceased to receive foreign aid in the year 2002. Yet the country is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Their GDP is purely relying on its natural resources and human capital.
The Gambia a small country, similar in size to Botswana, and she is blessed with the river Gambia which links it to the Atlantic Ocean, a vast amount of agricultural land, and a youthful population. Imagine for second that if we utilised all these properly, foreign aid would be unnecessary.

Finally, though corruption is always a major concern in Africa, I am optimistic that President Barrow’s vision of the National Development Plan 2018-2021 will utilise all funds gained through foreign aid accordingly. With the prospect of more transparency and accountability from Barrow’s government, hopefully,financial embezzlement and misuse of public funds by public officials would soon be a thing of the past. I haven’t seen details regarding Barrow’s Plan, but I would assume that it will prioritise improving education, healthcare, energy supply and agriculture for people in rural areas to ensure that Gambia embarks on a journey of self-sufficiency in development before the next election.

Meanwhile, I will continue to pray that the EU will seriously consider giving amnesty to illegal migrants who move to Europe through using the Back Way. It’s worth remembering that in third world countries, where there is no reliable health infrastructure, or a genuine social security system, when government fails to deliver to the public, desperate families can only rely on help from their sons and daughters living in the Diaspora.
May God bless you and may he bless the Gambia.
Yaya Sillah

The Gambia Gov…needs to do more

The Gambian government needs to do more to ensure that the human rights of its citizens in Libya and elsewhere are respected.

Right now, the international community is making a huge noise with regard to the upheaval of illegal migration which, according to some, is affecting the resources of major economies around the world.  However, in my opinion, criminals who continue to enslave African migrants in Libya ought to be the primary concern. In the past few days, I noticed that major news outlets and users of social media are distracting people from this important topic to other less significant political matters (such as the “fire and fury” concerning the psyche of Donald Trump and the recent scuffle between the supporters of different political parties in the Gambia).

According to IMO, the lives of thousands of migrants are currently at risk from gangs across Libya.  I am begging the international community to continue this discussion and strive to be more vocal to ensure that this immoral practise in Libya and elsewhere is immediately ceased.

In a civilised society, there should never be any correlation between Illegal migration and enslaving innocent people against their wills. Illegal migration is a major problem which profoundly requires its own discussions and its own solution. But enslaving human beings against their will is categorically wrong under any circumstances. Regardless of your culture, common sense would dictate that an ambitious youth who is both hopeless and desperate, trying to migrate elsewhere and hoping for a better future, does not deserve to be enslaved!

As I stated in my last article, the moral obligation to tackle and prevent such a heinous crime is not only confined to the EU and AU, but rather a moral obligation on each and every one of us.

Situations such as this often require both short-term and long-term solutions. I would suggest the following four steps:

1. There is a moral obligation on families and friends to discourage their love ones from using the ‘back way’ through Libya or Morocco which are the main hubs for enslaving African migrants right now. And they ought to encourage family members who are stranded in these two countries to immediately return home at the first available chance.
2. 2. There is a moral obligation on people like me to make sure that we continue the discussion concerning this matter every day until slavery is stopped.
3. 3. There is a moral obligation on us to participate whenever there are public demonstrations to draw the attention of the international community and put extra pressure on authorities in order for them to do more, like the demonstrations we have witnessed in the streets of London, Paris, New York and in Africa.
4. I understand that the Gambia’s government cannot use the migrant crisis in Libya and Europe as a bargaining chip to solicit more aid from the European Union. However, if the Gambia government hasn’t made any deal yet concerning the migrant crisis with the EU, as they claimed last week, then they have a moral duty to appeal to EU countries to grant temporary working visas for at least two years to Gambian migrants who went Europe through the ‘back way’ and are now illegally scattered across Europe, before enforcing any deportation.

   While suggesting these short- term solutions, I think it’s extremely important for me to also point out and emphasis that the EU, like any continent, has a moral obligation to respect the concerns of its citizens regarding issues surrounding migrants. In addition to that, they have the legal right to remove anyone from their country if they wish, particularly those who they see as illegal immigrants. We have to understand that whatever help the EU might offer African countries concerning this matter would purely be based on humanitarian grounds. They don’t have any legal obligation whatsoever to allow illegal migrants to stay.

As a migrant living in Europe, there is a moral obligation on all of us to recognise that allowing us to remain in mainland Europe is a privilege. It is not an entitlement or a God-given right. As a result, it is our collective responsibility to ensure that we always maintain peace and tranquillity in European society.

Migrants who were lucky enough to make it to Europe, after escaping slavery in Libya should come forward and share their experience with the wider world in order to enlighten those who might be tempted to embark on such a reckless journey. Migrants should also acknowledge the generosity which is always accorded to them by Europeans. They rescue migrants from the peril of the open sea and show them love and kindness, which brings many a step closer to fulfilling a meaningful life in Europe. In my view, showing such appreciation would effectively ridicule the allegations and misconception of those who often claim that the EU is secretly collaborating with Arab gangs in Libya to enslave African migrants in the country.

After all, please remember that, we were all created equal. No man is a slave to another man.