At a time when governments of the US and North Korea are engaged in high level diplomatic release of journalists Euna Lee and Laura Ling by President Clinton, an African president is spiraling down the same road, in the opposite direction. Even the most repressive of regimes and reclusive of persons (Kim Jong Il) today understand press freedoms, pardons and what it takes to maintain global peace in a global world and its associated politics but an obscure and myopic president as Mr. Jammeh plunges the opposite pathway in an archaic, unpopular and totally unnecessary fashion.

He has just convicted six (6) Gambian journalists on six (6) counts of
defamation and sedition using archaic defamation laws, wrongly interpreted and ruled against unfair and biased legal practices.

It is this same person that has continued to remain silent on the disappeared journalist, Chief Manneh whom his security agents had held; and has raised no finger in the case of the Deyda Hydara murder within a state he governs.

He has openly defied the ruling of the ECOWAS court on the Manneh disappearance, an indictment on the court and the ECOWAS system which he and ECOWAS leaders all signed up to.

In a day when press freedom and democracy walk hand in hand, what is the Jammeh administration saying to its people, the regional economic commission, the African Union and the international community?

Another sad case of an African president waiting to go down.

I am in Accra on the same the day that Barack Obama visited, and I listened to him deliver an inspiring and memorable speech in his ever so charismatic and eloquent style.  I had mixed feelings.

I was happy that he did not hold back or minced words in speaking the truth to die hard, stay long African leaders.

But I also have this rather sad and shameful feeling that African presidents needed to be reminded by another peer president of what their obligations and responsibilities should be in simple words and terms so basic that any one could have uttered them in precisely the same forms and ways but they would hold not much meaning except if they came from an Obama.

Now, will it make sense?

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Can the world’s financial institutions think of a better way of verifying the finanacial suitability of an individual besides owning and using a credit card?

Way before the recent global financial turmoil, the credit card seems to be the only means of verifying financial stability and suitability for a service by service oriented  institutions; hotels, car rentals, airline agents, etc. Until debit cards came along, one could hardly transact business online or at hotels. I recall the difficulty of checking in at a Seattle hotel in 2006 even though I had cash to pay for my stay. Though  card custodians may be  hugely indebted and financially sunk beyond timely redemption, there seems to be  a certain degree of self worth associated with the flashing of this piece of plastic. And the banks continue to honor them!

This may seem all well and good but not when it pertains to matters of grave importance such as buying a house or a car. If credit history as determined by the frequent minimum payment to a credit card debt is the only factor that qualifies one for such benefits then we have only seen a tip of the iceberg of the global financial crisis as defined by the wall street. The gross consequence is, of course, that those who have decided to stay debt free – far away from the clutches of the plastic ‘god’ would forever be unable to afford these necessities which hitherto (and for a long time) have been seen by the banks as luxurious.

Do not step close to a financial institution if you are not indebted to it!

Given my understanding that a credit card may only be issued after some  security verifications, and that banks have a large degree of self interests and benefits that come with society’s indebtedness to it, it is utterly ironic that debt is used as financial viability.

Couldn’t the combination of ones employment contract, months and months of banking history (and a trend analysis from monthly expenses as defined by this history), an annual or biannual balance sheet be sufficient to determine financial viability? Or some rental agreement, utility bills, etc all strengthen the financial position of an individual?

Financial stability is not determined by the minimum balance paid to a credit card but to the credit worth an individual has. That worth is only known to the individual and the banks should seek better forms of eliciting this worth in order to avoid future global collapse of self worth as recenly (and currently being) experienced.