We were treated unfairly by our
own - that’s a fact. But with lesser complains, collective tenacity, and
sincerity of intentions, we can and should be able to recuperate without much
trouble. Olof Njie neh: “yootkat mo nexa jangal tufli.” And as far as I know,
being blessed isn’t an unfamiliar territory to us. In fact, before oppressed
people, we were a blessed people.
In case you're too young or too
inclined to forget, this is just a crumb of how blessed we were. Having seen a
lot and having had conversations with very photographic and fine minds, I came
to the conclusion that in fact, all was not bad under the First Republic:
I heard our GDP was once better
than Singapore’s – that up to a few years after their independence in 65, they
were underdeveloped. I can confirm that up to the mid 90s, during festive
periods, Senegalese and other sub-regional women used to come to the Albert
Market to do their shopping. We had few hospitals yes, but major health centres
and that was sufficient at the time, since there was less stress and people
were healthy. The RVH and Bansang Hospitals used to have referrals from beyond
borders. And like our kotos today go to Dakar to ball, Banjul used to be the
thing.
Even though a Dalasi was enough
lunch money, kids used to go to school without worrying about it, knowing that
free milk and biscuits will be available in the morning, lunch (dubbed food)
was available for only 25bututs, and 25bututs paid for a school bus back home.
Public school uniforms used to be available for free - we even had free sandals
and caps for the Silver Jubilee. If your exercise book was filled, it gets
replaced. The teacher only tears off the tip so you cannot come for a second
time. Kids had a handle on English Language thanks to the Mobile library and
Radio Gambia’s morning English grammar “Radio Programmes.”
We did not have a university
then, but we had education. And the system was such that a ‘Standard something’
or a high school product is likely to reason better than an average present-day
college graduate – no wonder most of the instruments we have today and cannot
even amend to suit our reality, from the GO, FI, Stores Regulations, Foreign
Service Regulations, Code of Conduct, etc. were developed by those low-level
graduates.
Those days, even if one’s
unemployed, you can go to Banjul every morning and will come back home with
something. It was called: "tes-tes;" far more rewarding than today’s
"raba-raba." But then folks used to give because they had.
Pensioners will go to the Treasury
for their pensions and will be treated with dignity. Ndeysan they’ll be like:
“Maneh! Demadon lajteh ndax suma boucher (voucher) parreh na”- meager sums, but
so valuable. I heard our telecommunication system used to be best in West
Africa and second in Africa. There was Babylonian capitalism yes, but with a
national trading, national produce, national transport and other public
corporations, needed safeguard against exploitation was in place. The ports,
besides being an entrepôt sort of, was the ghetto youths' Wall Street.
Almost all local communities had
roving markets “lumos” and they were all booming. The provinces were happening
during harvest seasons. Farmers had farming seeds and fertilizers, and
career-hunters had supplies of hunting ammunitions through their Divisional
Commissioners. Ours was so small a nation but so distinguished. We held
membership in so many international bodies, and even lobbied for some
relatively bigger nations to be a part of such bodies. Oh boy, the splendour,
peace and security of the Smiling Coast wasn’t just said, it was lived.
