Honourable Minister,

I salute you in your noble efforts to continue to serve our motherland despite the rocky terrains you had to traverse in that process. Indeed you are a patriot worthy of commendation.

You and I did cross paths in the service of our nation and for sure you know that it was not all milk and honey between us, especially in the light of some of the games you played that led to some really unpalatable outcomes during the time I served as Director of Budget and you were my boss as Finance Minister. The collateral damage that happened regarding your schemes at the time was actually worse but as fate would have it, we met under some strenuous circumstances and dusted off the past, thereby reconciling and moving on.

To be fair, I want to acknowledge that your tenure as Finance Minster back then around the year 2012 could surely be labelled a success in terms of reigning in fiscal profligacy and restoring correct practice in budget implementation. You were bold enough to say NO at a difficult time.

However, I am a bit alarmed at your recent pronouncement of a proposed 50% increase in salaries that has all but gotten the endorsement of the executive and is almost certain to be passed by the National Aseembly due to the excitement it has created in the country with obvious political advantage for the powers that be.

Honourable Minister, can you tell us where and when will you get the quantum of resources necessary to fund and sustain a 50% surge in the wage bill? In a budget where 3 quarters of the domestic resources are tied to the wage bill and debt service how do you increase salaries by 50 and still transform your social infrastructure?

What about the potential inflationary impact of the quantum leap in pay? In the face of the Central Bank’s weakening of our money market by crashing the policy rate without due regard to the potential impact on the money markets, how would you conduct open market operations as countervailing measures to mop up liquidity in the system (or shore up resources for deficit financing where necessary)?

Don’t get me wrong I am all for a significant increase in the salaries of public servants for myriad reasons but does that have to happen overnight at such an alarming rate without adequate explanation as to where and when the additional resources would come from? Can’t the proposed 50% increase in salaries be phased out over a reasonable period?

I repeat, I am not against improving the remuneration of the public servants but what would have made sense would be a complete overhaul of he pay structure itself through a well calculated system that would give fitting explanations to the “how’s” and “what-ifs” regarding the proposed salary increase. Perhaps you have the answers and the public needs to know, so let us hear you.

Honourable Minister, you know that your ministry had serious constraints in meeting the projected personnel emolument commitments plunged into the 2018 budget and this almost led to some social upheavals through industrial action. Would it not be more prudent to actually correct the errors committed in the 2018 budget process that included over-compensating public servants due to a policy failure in vehicle matters that never saw the light of day but yet the concomitant planned increase in allowances were implemented anyway?

Sorry for boring you but I am going to repeat again for the sake of clarity that I am not in anyway suggesting that the salaries of civil servants should not be increased. All I am saying is that it could and should be done in a more systematic and prudent manner because there is no excuse for a lesser alternative due to the obvious catastrophic impact of policy failure in this domain.

And beyond the domestic consequences of the apparent policy misstep, have you thought of its potential  impact on foreign direct investment? If I were to invest into this economy in 2019, I would certainly hold back a bit and wait to see the impact of this policy move before I come in. Any rational investor would look at your key macroeconomic aggregates and they don’t need to be trained economists to suspect the impact of such a move given the extant policy variables that are already unappealing.

Furthermore, Honourable Minister, given the revenue measures that are being traded around for this salary increase, what makes you think that your economic watchdogs in Washington will accept this move given your commitment with them in terms of debt issues?

Honourable Minister, I  know that there is a lot of pressure for the increase of pay and I know the desire of the current government to urgently take steps that will please the voting population. There is nothing wrong in pleasing the electorate but this kind of drastic move only reminds me of one of my mothers favourite Mandinka proverbs “may-ya kaanay dung moromontongo nyimo to!” ( a scintillating desire and whet appetite should not force you into to chewing a millipede!)

My dear brother, I  look forward to your answers to the above questions; yet knowing how sensitive you are, I am not expecting much of a response from you; this letter is likely to peeve you. I do apologise in advance for the inconvenience this missive is sure to cause you. However, the Wolof saying comes to mind “ku bort buki fog haj-yi bow la!” If you carry a wolf on your back then dogs are sure to bark at you!” And in this case what you carry is more contentious and more attention-grabbing than a wolf, you carry our national ‘arrangkess’!

Therefore I would still make bold to do the Halifa on this one and humbly invite you to a debate on this subject on national television.

Meanwhile, Honourable Minister, please accept the assurances of of my highest consideration and fraternal esteem.

Yours in National Service

Momodou Sabally

Former research economist and National Budget Director, Momodou Sabally has undergone extensive professional training in macroeconomics and public financial management at the IMF Institute, the Central Bank of England’s Center for Central Banking Studies, Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government and holds a masters degree in Economics from Georgia State University in the US.

Microsoft has unseated Apple to rank as the world’s most valuable listed company, reclaiming the number one spot after more than 15 years.

The software giant ended Friday with a market value of more than $851bn (£668bn) compared with Apple’s $847bn.

The two firms have been vying for top place all week, with Apple remaining ahead at the end of each trading day.

But the iPhone maker, which has seen its share price plunge in recent weeks, finally lost its lead.

On Friday, Microsoft shares gained more than 0.6% to close at $110.89, while Apple shares finished at $178.60, down about 0.5%.

Apple’s shares have fallen almost 25% since October – more steeply than the market overall – amid concerns about slowing smart phone demand and the possibility of additional US tariffs on Chinese-made goods.

The sell-off has erased more than $200bn from the firm’s market value, which is calculated by multiplying the share price by the number of traded shares cited in the firms’ most recent quarterly reports.

By many measures – including annual revenue and profit – Apple remains the bigger company.

For now, however, investors are betting that Microsoft’s prospects are brighter.

The firm’s cloud services unit, which sells to other businesses, has driven the firm’s growth in recent years.

Apple, by contrast, depends on consumer spending, which investors are worried could slow.

Daniel Ives, managing director of equity research at Wedbush Securities, said Microsoft is poised for significant growth, as more companies sign up for the firm’s cloud products.

Microsoft boss Satya Nadella is well-positioned to “further transform [Microsoft] into a cloud behemoth over the coming years,” he wrote in a research note.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES

Microsoft flourished in the 1990s and ranked as the world’s most valuable company in the early 2000s.

But the firm took a hit after a landmark anti-trust case and fell farther out of favour as mobile phones emerged to challenge desktop computers.

In 2010, Apple overtook Microsoft as the most valuable technology firm.

The iPhone maker unseated Exxon Mobil for the overall number one spot for the first time in 2011, and has held the title largely uninterrupted since.

It became the first trillion dollar company in the US this summer, but lost that distinction this autumn as its share price started to plunge.

BBC News

An Egyptian actress who wore a revealing dress to the Cairo Film Festival is to go on trial on charges of “inciting debauchery”, reports say.

Rania Youssef appeared in a lacy, black, see-through outfit that exposed most of her legs, outraging many Egyptians, though some said she should be able to wear what she wanted.

She could be jailed for up to five years if found guilty, a judicial source told AFP.

Ms Youssef has apologised.

The 44-year-old said she would not have worn the dress if she had known it would cause such controversy.

The charges were brought by two lawyers Amro Abdelsalam and Samir Sabri, who are known for taking celebrities to court.

Ms Youssef’s appearance “did not meet societal values, traditions and morals and therefore undermined the reputation of the festival and the reputation of Egyptian women in particular”, Mr Sabri told AFP.

The Egyptian Actors’ Syndicate also criticised the “appearance of some of the guests”, which it said “undermined the festival and the union”.

In a social media post, the actress said she had “probably miscalculated” in choosing to wear the dress.

“It was the first time that I wore it and I did not realise it would spark so much anger,” she said.

“I reaffirm my commitment to the values upon which we were raised in Egyptian society,” she added.

Last year an Egyptian court jailed singer Shaimaa Ahmed for two years – later reduced to a year – for appearing in a music video in her underwear while suggestively eating a banana.

Meanwhile in January prosecutors detained another singer, Laila Amer, after her music video, showing her dancing and making suggestive gestures, sparked controversy.

BBC Africa

I salute you my brother,

I have never met you in person but I have followed your activities through social media and I respect your consistency in your adherence to the original reggae genre and your outspokenness in terms of social justice as well as your condemnation of deviant musical genres that seek to degenerate and demean our youths like the despicable  “passa passa” among other sordid trends of our confused times. For this and your bravery in speaking the truth I salute you General Dimbaa Jarju AKA DJ Fireman.

My purpose of addressing this missive to you is to congratulate you and all lovers of Reggae music on the decision of the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) to include reggae music in the  “list of international cultural treasures which the United Nations has deemed worthy of protecting and promoting.”

Bless up bro and fire born all destructive music genres and evil forces that seek to corrupt our youths!

On the advent of this momentous occasion for Reggae, I thought I should share with you some reflections I once penned down about the music of the one guy we might as well call the chief priest of Reggae, the legendary Robert Nesta Marley. Below is an excerpt from an essay I did, as published in the May 12, 2014 edition of the Standard Newspaper titled, “Natural mystic: The genius of Bob Marley”

Among the finalists was the legendary Bob Marley, but he had played all of his hit tracks and needed one more song to break the tie to win the royal prize to be presented by Her Majesty the Queen herself. When the gong sounded Bob scratched his head and there was no song popping out. He turned around looking at the “I Threes” but the look in their eyes was not promising. Then he looked at Carlton Barret; the master percussionist nodded and the halls of Buckingham Palace reverberated with the sound of his drums. The sound oozed out of every musical instrument in the band. Bob was mute for an unusually long moment and then the verses flowed:

There’s a natural mystic blowing through the air;

If you listen carefully now you will hear.

This could be the first trumpet, might as well be the last…

If you listen carefully to this song you will see that the instrumentals go on a little bit longer than usual before Bob’s voice comes in. The explanation is in the narration above. There was no song written for it but when Carlton Barret and the band hit the notes and Bob knowing he would lose the majestic prize if he didn’t sing, he got inspired and the lyrics flowed through…

I have been studying the genius that is Bob Marley for a long time trying to establish the secret source of his brilliance. And in this process of studying his music, he has very often given me inspiration when I needed it most. There is this song of his where he chants:

We got something they could never take away:

And it’s the fire (fire), it’s the fire (fire)

That’s burning down everything…

I have played this song hundreds of times just to get that single verse to inundate my mind. For me the fire in that verse represents inspiration and its indispensability to success in any field. And I get inspired further when Bob sings that our enemies can take everything from us but the fire burning within. This is why I have said that even if I am banished to the Kalahari Desert alone I will live a happy and successful life because of that immutable fire I have got burning in my soul.

And speaking of enemies (or should I say frenemies) Bob’s song “Who The Cap Fit” speaks for most people, knowing the amount of backstabbing and insidious scheming we have suffered from people who are supposed to be friends. I am sure you have had your fair share of this so let me reproduce some lyrics of this song and refrain from analysing it because nobody can say this better than the great Robert Nesta Marley himself:

“Man to man is so unjust, children:

Ya don’t know who to trust.

Your worst enemy could be your best friend,

And your best friend your worse enemy.

Some will eat and drink with you,

Then behind them su-su ‘pon you.

Only your friend know your secrets,

So only he could reveal it.

And who the cap fit, let them wear it!

Who the cap fit, let them wear it…”

Bob is right; when you think it’s peace and safety, a sudden destruction. He also hit the nail on the head when he sang, “if your night should turn to day, a lot of people will run away!” All because of the rat race that most of us are engulfed in.

Now turn a page to the greatest panacea for the kind of venom mentioned above that kills more people than guns. In his song One Love, Bob calls for unity and reconciliation, and the message is surely divine. This is the song he performed in a peace concert for the reconciliation of two political archrivals in Jamaica…

Still on the subject of love, my love and admiration of my dear mother Kaddy Jammeh has made Bob’s song “No Woman No Cry” another favourite of mine. And on pages 94-95 my book The Way to Happiness I wrote this about that song:

“It’s a breezy Saturday night in Dakar. As I stroll along the Yoff highway my Sony walkman (old-fashioned me, I am yet to get an iPod or iPhone) blasting the lyrics of Bob Marley’s No Woman No Cry. The lyrics depressing at first then inspiring as the track crescendos into the refrain: “Everything’s gonna be alright, so no woman no cry!”

“My mind races through all the women I see toil and moil every day to feed their loved ones amid the mountains of obstacles and tears. My mind walks further down memory lane about the struggles of my own mother, widowed some 33 years ago, working around the clock to raise five kids, with one that has a huge stomach like me. From her selling porridge in the streets of Banjul to the cleaning of offices in The Quadrangle she fought against the odds to bring up all her children under one roof, resisting the overtures of relatives who thought the burden to be too heavy on her, offering to adopt some of her kids. And then I imagine the struggles of many more women with similar and sometimes more compelling stories.”

Yes I had a challenging childhood in Banjul and Lamin. And it was during my childhood years in Lamin that I heard the story of Bob Marley in a competition at Buckingham Palace as narrated above. Because of the way the story was narrated to me and the fact that unlike most of his songs Natural Mystic does enjoy a long space of instrumentals before Bob’s voice comes on I believed the legend that he never wrote that song, it just came in the heat of a hot contest. Doing my analysis of Bob’s genius, I later concluded that yes the legend may not be true but that it is indeed possible that Bob Marley could compose such a song without any preparation. I know this because I am now acquainted with the source and nature of his genius and that source, that secret, can be summed up in one phrase that was uttered by no less a mind that Bob himself: Natural mystic. His genius is natural yet mystical. “That’s the natural mystic blowing through the air…”

My good brother Dimbaa, the above is an excerpt from one of the the essays I did on the inspiring reggae lyrics of Bob Marley. As the world celebrates reggae and places it at its rightful pedestal in the global cultural symphony, I salute you and all reggae lovers and promoters.

Have a great weekend and enjoy the sounds and lyrics of the Jamaican genre. In my Bunny Wailer voice I urge you bro:

Stay with the reggae rhythm,

‘Cause this a inspiration is sent from the King.

So we’re gonna stay with the reggae rhythm,

‘Cause this a reggae music make you dance and sing.

Ooh-yes…

We’re moving onward, and we ain’t gonna stop,

Rock reggae music till it reach the top.

Yours, in the Service of the People

Momodou Sabally

The Gambia’s Pen