Goodbye Georgie

I wish to join millions of Americans, in saying goodbye to George W Bush and wishing him and his family well in their future endeavours.

Bush may have been the most unpopular US president in history, but he was the best friend of Africa, a continent he visited twice and his wife Laura, five times during his presidency.

You will be right to call him a war criminal, who has the blood of thousands of women and children on his hands, a maroon, an enemy of the environment and a staunch supporter of the State of Israel, yet Bush has done more than any other US president in helping out the African people.

When President Bush came to power in 2001, the US spent US$1.4 billion a year on humanitarian and development aid in Africa. By 2006, the figure had increased to a massive US$5.6 billion a year. The centerpiece of Mr Bush's aid to Africa is the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar), a five-year US$15 billion HIV/Aids prevention and treatment programme, which he launched in 2003. His last budget proposed doubling the funding to US$30 billion over the next five years.

Before the coming to power of Bush, the US government funded anti-retroviral (ARV) drugs for just 50,000 people across the continent despite millions of people suffering from the disease and thousands dying every year. Thanks to Bush, the number has today increased to 1.3 million people.

The President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), a three-year US$1.2 billion programme centred in Africa, has brought dramatic gains in several focal countries; in 1997, the US malaria programmes in Africa were US$1 million per year, which was increased last year to US$338 million.

Eleven well governed African countries are currently benefiting from the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), accounting for 65 per cent of the over US$5.5 billion committed worldwide.

Since Bush came to power, the US has backed programmes to cancel US$34 billion worth of debt for 27 African countries. At the same time, aid to Africa has risen to US$5.7 billion a year by 2007.

While he may be criticised by many for refusing to recognise the International Criminal Court (ICC) and supporting attempts by human rights organisations to indict President Omar al-Bashir of Sudan, Mr Bush led the international community in declaring that the atrocities in Darfur amounted to genocide.

Even some of the severe critics of the Bush administration have spoken out favourably about his support for the continent. Joel Barkan, a senior associate at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies said: "Taken alongside US funding for malaria prevention, plus the Millennium Challenge Accounts, which provide funding for countries with strong governance records, Mr Bush has done more for Africa than any other US president. I am a very severe critic of the Bush administration, but you cannot take away from the president the fact that the commitment of the US, in terms of aid and debt relief, is certainly greater under Bush than Clinton."

Anti-poverty campaigner, Bob Geldof, who traveled to Africa, last year with Mr Bush said: "The Bush regime has been divisive - but not in Africa. I read it has been incompetent - but not in Africa. It has created bitterness - but not here in Africa. Here, his administration has saved millions of lives."

Todd Moss, a senior fellow at the Centre for Global Development in Washington said: "I don't think it's too strong to say that President Bush's Africa policy is the most distinguished foreign policy legacy of the administration. Although few expected such interest eight years ago, the president has clearly been deeply and personally committed to strengthening US - Africa relations."

Bush’s Africa Record

**Pumped US$18bn into fighting HIV/Aids, much of it in Africa
**Backed cancelling US$34bn worth of debt for 27 African states
**Launched initiative that has halved malaria in 15 African countries
**Led condemnation of Sudan's record in Darfur as genocide
**Pressed for north-south peace deal in Sudan
**"Saved millions of lives", according to aid activist Bob Geldof
**Backed Ethiopia's invasion of Somalia to battle Islamists

Looking at the assistance Bush rendered to the continent, all I can say is enjoy yourself in your Texas ranch.


A camel does not make fun of another camel's hump

Here we go again. Last week, while reading some online papers, I came across President Yahya Jammeh's condemnation of last month's military coup in Guinea Conakry.

The coup in Guinea was of course illegal, but how can Jammeh himself forget so soon that his July 22 coup was also illegal. Both he and Moussa Camara committed a crime against their countries and he is not qualified to offer any lecture to Captain Camara.

Jammeh is among a few African statesmen who because of their selfish interests maintained a cordial relationship with the Late Lansana Conte, while ignoring the sufferings the ordinary Guineans were going through as a result of his misrule.

Despite the fact that his military coup was illegal and that the Gambia is now under 'civilian rule', Jammeh still continue to waste millions of tax payers' money in glorifying it. Just last July, a cash prize of a million Dalasis was awarded to someone for composing a song suitable for adoption as the anthem of the July 22 coup. That is very insulting to the Gambian people many of whom are living on less than one Pound Sterling a day.

Jammeh's July 22 coup was unjustifiable as it has not brought anything meaningful to the Gambian people. And the more Jammeh continues to ruin the hopes and aspirations of the Gambian people and tear our country into shreds, the more he is breading dissatisfaction among the people.

Sit-tight despotism breeds military coups and rebellion.

Another thing that makes me laugh is the way Jammeh kept emphasising the importance of Ecowas in the article. The Gambia has ignored or broke many Ecowas protocols since Jammeh came to power.

Secondly, the Gambia government showed total disrespect to Ecowas when it failed to appear at the Ecowas Court of Justice last year. To further insult the sub-regional court, the government is yet to comply with court ruling that for the immediate and unconditional release of Chief Manneh.

If Jammeh truly believes in the ideals of Ecowas, then let him comply with its court ruling and show respect to its protocols.

For comments write to info@allgambian.net or papak196@yahoo.co.uk