PRESIDENT JAMMEH OPENS 2008 LEGISLATIVE YEAR

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANJUL 000117

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL EPET KDEM SOCI GA
SUBJECT: PRESIDENT JAMMEH OPENS 2008 LEGISLATIVE YEAR

REFS: (A) BANJUL 19 (NOTAL)
(B) BANJUL 106 (NOTAL)
(C) BANJUL 109 (NOTAL)

BANJUL 00000117 001.2 OF 002


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SUMMARY
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1. (U) On March 28, President Yahya Jammeh presided over the
opening of the National Assembly, which marked the beginning of the
2008 legislative year. This year's event was the most elaborate in
recent years and was attended by National Assembly Speakers and
parliamentary delegations from four West African countries.
President Jammeh used the occasion to outline his government's plans
in various sectors of the economy, spoke out against unproductive
men in the workforce, racism, and homosexual marriage, and provided
an explanation for the delay in oil exploration in The Gambia. END
SUMMARY

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A GRAND AFFAIR
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2. (U) The National Assembly Speakers of Senegal, Mauritania and
Guinea Bissau and a Parliamentary delegation from Nigeria were
invited to the event by the Speaker of the Gambian National
Assembly, Fatoumatta Jahumpa-Ceesay, better known as "FJC." FJC is
a senior member of the ruling Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation
and Construction (APRC) and she brought the party's political
machine into full play, making the opening of the legislative year
into a big political event with more pomp and pageantry than usual.
Former President Sir Dawda Jawara was also present at the ceremony,
and was seated next to the Vice President, Isatou Njie Saidy.
President Jammeh's acknowledged Jawara's presence with an
introduction as "the father of the Gambian nation, ex-President Sir
Dawda Jawara," adding, "Welcome my uncle," which drew loud applause
from the audience.


3. (U) In his speech, which was frequently punctuated by applause
from the APRC-dominated Assembly and pro-government invitees, the
President made a general review of progress in various sectors of
the economy and outlined plans for the coming year. On the subject
of the economy, President Jammeh quoted figures cited in the 2008
budget and said the country experienced a GDP growth rate of 6.7
percent in 2007, inflation fell to 5.1 percent and the country's
international reserves stand at a comfortable level of 4.5 months of
import cover. He maintained that the government would continue to
promote a strategy of careful management of the country's external
debt to finance the priorities under its current Poverty Reduction
and Strategy Paper (PRSP),though he made no mention of the
country's recent attainment of debt relief measures, which he has
derided in the past (ref A).

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AGRICULTURE
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4. (U) Regarding the all-important agricultural sector, which he
recently brought under his portfolio (ref B),President Jammeh
announced that agriculture would be transformed from a seasonal
activity dependent on seasonal rainfalls into year-round activity
"taking full advantage of the new technologies available." Without
giving specific details, he said his government would exploit the
potential of the Gambia River and underground water resources, as
well as water harvesting, to ensure that irrigation agriculture
become a way of life. "Under my leadership, as the Secretary of
State, agriculture will be given a new lease of life," he declared,
indicating that his tenure as Agriculture Minister would not be as
temporary as previously believed.

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PETROLEUM EXPLORATION
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5. (U) On the subject of efforts to exploit The Gambia's purported
offshore oil reserves, the President said that drilling of the first
exploration well in the two off-shore blocks that are licensed to a
Canadian company, Buried Hill, would commence in 2009. He disclosed
that his government is also negotiating with other companies for
exploration and development activities in the remaining offshore
blocks, the ultra-deep, near-shore, and onshore areas. President
Jammeh, who recently took over the petroleum portfolio as well (ref
C),said the delay in oil exploration was due to the fact that the
conditions proposed by some of the companies were not acceptable to
him. "When these companies tell me that other countries are
accepting five percent share of their oil revenue, I tell them that
this is The Gambia and we look at what favors us," he said.

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SIDEBAR

BANJUL 00000117 002.2 OF 002


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6. (U) The President drifted from his prepared text on a number of
occasions to address, in typical Jammeh fashion, issues that none of
the government departments would have included in their submissions.
For example, he spoke about introducing what he called an
"Extra-Wife Tax" for men who wish to marry young girls because they
feel their first wives have become old. Jammeh thanked women for
providing bedrock support for his development efforts, noting that
as the reason why he had "rewarded many women with top jobs" in the
government, and berated men who do not contribute to the workforce.
Urging import-dependent Gambians to consume locally-produced goods,
he encouraged them to also wear locally-made clothing. To the
amusement of his audience, Jammeh, who has abandoned Western dress,
added: "We will introduce a tie-tax for those of you wearing suits
and ties." He also went on to warn that racism and gay marriage had
no place in The Gambia. His only reference to the "West" and the
United States was an expression of thanks to the United Kingdom and
the U.S. (as well as the Government of Taiwan) for assistance in
training The Gambia's military and police.

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COMMENT
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7. (SBU) Although the State Opening of the National Assembly is a
constitutional duty for the President, this year's event was more
significant for its sub-regional political objectives than the
substance of the President's speech. Some observers believe that
the National Assembly speakers from other countries were invited as
part of a strategy to help break Jammeh's isolation from the
majority of his peers in the sub-region. President Jammeh has not
attended a meeting of the Economic Community of West African States
(ECOWAS) in three years since losing a bid for the chairmanship
against President Tandja of Niger. Jammeh is also displeased with
the ECOWAS Community Court for hearing a case against the GOTG over
the disappearance of journalist "Chief" Ebrima Manneh. However,
Jammeh has begun to travel again in the region, and reveled in the
visit of the Mauritanian President earlier this year, perhaps seeing
it as a sign of growing acceptance amongst his regional peers.



8. (SBU) Though this was one of Jammeh's more tempered speeches in
recent memory, it spoke little to the actual agenda of the National
Assembly in the new legislative year. Aside from the long-awaited
Women's Bill that Post expects to be brought to the floor in the
coming months, we have little sense of what to expect in terms of
new legislation -- though it is likely that the APRC-dominated
National Assembly will continue its current policy of rubberstamping
the President's wishes. END COMMENT

WELLS