Saturday, June 13, 2015

Jammeh's health continues to deteriorate

Jammeh at the Elysee
Yaya Jammeh's health continues to deteriorate as challenges to his iron-grip rule mount, from both internal and external forces.  It has been known for at least four years now that he suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes and high anxiety levels that incapacitates him for days with only family members and Syrian doctors in attendance.

Lately, these anxiety bouts have gotten the best part of him causing him to be incoherent in speech and erratic in action beyond his normal trademark levels of incoherence.  It is no surprise that Jammeh's health is being closely monitored by both his foreign and business partners, leading them to start whisking their investments away.

Previously profitable businesses are being closed and fixed assets transferred to government entities that will prove to be burden to the national treasury.  One such transfers is the Bazzi-owned Brikama power plant that was transferred under cover to government for a sum estimated to be in the region of D 800,000 - D 1,000,000,000.  The Finance Minister did not reveal the equivalence of 2% of GDP expenditure made by government "on behalf of NAWEC".

A source observed that these business partners have been quietly divesting at home and quietly transferring investments abroad for what they see as the untenability of the political climate - they see Jammeh losing grip on power - and his continued deteriorating physical health, some would say, his mental health as well.