By Hammadi Maasinah.
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Digging through the layers of the stratified heaps in Banjul is so tedious a duty to perform. When the central bank rang its jingle bells loud sirens came to send irritating sounds into our ear drums again. So much noise without results. This matches one of Murphy's laws on what he said about..."All said and done..." Murphy's laws do not agree with the root here. The laws say after all has been said done, so much is left to be said or done. This is why the same laws gave us another bitter pill by pulling reality from a place where everything is said to be alright. Murphy's laws did touch on that too. Of course these laws are right because in a place "where everything is said to be alright then there is something wrong"! Nature itself is not perfect. This is why perfection is not human. This is why "the infallibility of man is indispensable.." So this why philosophy saw wisdom in concensus if harmony is to prevail.
Now lets revisit the erstwhile central bank's darkened slate of 'jahatu' economics. Remember Yahya Jammeh started the 'kilo yappa yah and jahatu' economics when he started arresting butchers at the market calling them bad elements of the nation. Why? because they sold kilos of meat per the rates dictated by a falling currency. The same person sponsored the selling of bitter tomatoes and ordered barrels of palm oil from Guinea Bissau into the market. Saying he was in it to help the poor Gambians? No butchers to blame now. Is the price down? Not yet.Yahya was helping Gambians while receiving returns from those sales? That is help? Most likely help before the eyes of someone who sucks fuss after finishing the blood in those poor souls.
Now we have another announcement relayed to us through the GRTS and daily observer.
Saying the price tag of an airticket to Makka Saudi Arabia, for performing the annual Hajj will be @ 85000(round figure).This when we use the latest exchange rate on the ground ie 21.50 per USD means Gambians in the USA (if anyone wants to send his or her loved one to Makka) has to be ready to spend $4000.00(round figure) per head therefore be able to please (father,mother,uncle,aunt,marabout or anyone else) waiting to benefit from those who so dearly use the western union.Only to help add life to the souls of our people back home. Our people are waiting for this benevolence at all times. We have to share with them,thats part of our being. We cannot ignore helping the family because the family helped us grow. The thorn in this cloth is when those we are helping privately are being duped by public servants. The dalasi is not strong it is dead! Looking at prices like what has been pegged for the Makka ticket shows the end result of a hidden game of chances.This shows us the reality. Exchange rates within dusty cambiowechels that are near state house, being run by the NIA is not the real exchange rate. The real leg is the one which crosses international economic-frontiers.
There goes the real player. Who dictates the rates per air ticket to Makka? Not Yahya Jammeh. It is the Saudis and those associated to their airline business,including hotel rates etc etc. Before announcing this on the air the APRC regime could have at least used the essence of dialogue to help safe their dirty phalanges again. No they went ahead and sprang like salted tadpoles again. Crazy-'jahatu' economics causes 'jahatu' sauce. Bitter too bitter!
Think before you sink!
"Pessimists see difficulty in every opportunity and optimists see an opportunity in every challenge"
"Suits cannot be made without scissors and niddles,so decent minds disagree to agree"