Jammeh's Diaspora Meeting a Flop

By Gambia’s Deep Throat, Banjul

Gambians have been witnessed the convention of a meeting between diaspora Gambians and the government in The Gambia. The government is trumpeting this meeting to the world.

Many smart people have wondered why the sudden interest on the part of the Jammeh regime as to what Gambians in the diaspora think.  A President that has insulted Gambians in the diaspora in past by calling them dishwashers, gigolos, etc is now all of a sudden interested in a dialogue.  Those in the know however are not surprised.  The Jammeh regime finds iteself in a very tight corner right now. 

Despite bogus statistics that show high economic growth rate of 5-6% per annum and low inflation rates of 4-5%, the poverty level in the country has increased substantially since Jammeh's coup. 

For 2011, the UN Human Development Index ranked Gambia 168 out of 187 countries; in the same sorry league as failed states such as Somalia, DRC, etc.  The amount of Gambians living on less than $1 a day has now reached 75% of the population up from 33% in 1993.
Last year has been one of the toughest years in the history of the country.

Not only did remittances fall precipitiously, but foreign investment was almost nonexistent.  In fact, many businesses are relocating to other countries in the sub-region; of special note are Senegal and Ghana.  This disinvestment has largely been driven by the fact that businesses don't feel safe about their investments anymore. 

The Alimenta, Carnegie Minerals, and Pristine Consulting cases all show that the contract signed by the Gambian government has less value than toilet paper.  These cases have frightened many foreign investors. 

Firms that are invested in the country are now hoarding their cash outside the Gambia for fear that their investments could be seized by Yaya Jammeh under some pretense.  The only businesses doing well in Gambia are the Lebanese businesses and Jammeh's cronies.

The Jammeh regime has now come up with the idea that since they cannot get foreigners to invest in the country, they will try to woo diasporan Gambians to come back and invest.  The only problem is that they have not been able to get a single successful diasporan Gambian with money to come attend their meeting let alone invest under such dangerous conditions. 

The Gambia is currently at a crossroad. Yaya Jammeh is seriously sick. The economy is shrinking despite the phantom GDP numbers.  The IMF and the World Bank don't care what Jammeh does as long as he continues to spend 25% of the national budget in paying them their interest charges.  The general international community is disgusted with Yaya Jammeh but will not move to depose him without the initiative being taken by Gambians themselves. 

This is the right time for Yaya Jammeh to graciously hand over power to a group of educated and experienced Gambians. The Gambia has many successful sons and daughters many of whom are afraid to come home.

If Yaya Jammeh is serious about tapping the potential of the Gambian diaspora, he should create an enabling environment by resigning.  He does not have the education, experience, or temperament to run an economy.  He is simply unqualified and unfit to be a President. That is why Gambians should stop giving him the respect of calling him "President". If Jammeh does not respect us, let us not respect him.