PODIS leader Halifa Sallah has insisted the fuss around the draft constitution is strictly a parliamentary matter requiring consultation between the executive and parliament.

Sallah has been ruing the rejection of his request for permission to move a motion to scrap the draft constitution vote-down by MPs in September.

The Barrow government has turned to mediation specialist Dr Goodluck Jonathan to find consensus on the draft constitution ahead of its planned return to the national assembly.

But Halifa Sallah appearing perplexed has asked what is there to mediate.

He told reporters this past Wednesday: ” Since we have power to rescind a decision during a session, now we wanted to create a precedent that will also enable us to rescind a decision of another session. That’s all I was seeking from the speaker and from the national assembly members.

“And why was that necessary? Because they’re talking about the constitution building process, they even invited an international delegation. To do what? What mediation? This is about a bill to be brought to the national assembly, to be decided by three- quarters majority before we can proceed to the next stage and even to a referendum. That is a parliamentary matter.”

KM Mayor Talib Ahmed Bensouda has declared UDP will win the 2021 presidential elections.

UDP will at next year’s elections find President Adama Barrow standing right in front of them.

But while welcoming UDP delegates at the party’s congress at Pencha Mi Hall, Bensouda said UDP will win the critical plebiscite.

“At this congress the United Democratic Party will set the foundation and build the roadmap that would demonstrate to the whole of the Gambia that we are indeed a party like no other.

“In 2021, under the leadership of His Excellency Honourable Ousainou Darboe, we shall introduce to the Gambian people a campaign machinery that they have never seen before in the history of this country.

“In 2021, the United Democratic Party will showcase its brilliance, its power and its ambitious vision for the development of The Gambia. In 2021, the United Democratic Party will be victorious,” Bensouda said.

UDP’s huge congress got underway on Friday at Pencha Mi Hall with leader Ousainou Darboe who is seeking reelection calling for a grand effort to stop President Adama Barrow at next year’s presidential elections.

UDP chief Darboe insisted next year’s election will be a referendum on President Barrow’s ‘corrupt’ and ‘failed’ government.

“At the end of this important gathering, the Gambian people will have a clear understanding of what we propose, how we intend to execute the agenda set forth and more importantly how it will mirror their priorities,” Darboe told delegates of up to 1,000.

Darboe added: “The upcoming elections would be about clear choices, both for the nation and the individual voter. It will be a referendum on a corrupt and failed government that has squandered a golden opportunity to pivot our country.

“A referendum on a government that is resorting to the discredit tactics of the regime it succeeded and a referendum on a government that is seeking to divide the nation and use subterfuge and deception to fool just enough people to slide by and continue to amble along with their failed agenda and mediocre leadership.

“This administration has scuttled the reform agenda supported by majority of Gambians and this clearly demonstrates its incompetence. We must not allow them to cause additional damage. They take our limited resources to live large and feed the people with empty rhetoric.”

By Lamin Njie

Former Nigeria President Dr Goodluck Jonathan who has made a name for himself as a mediator in the Ecowas region has arrived in the country to front efforts aimed at shaping consensus around the draft constitution.

MPs loyal to President Barrow shot down the draft constitution after they contended it took away the Gambian leader’s rights. While President Barrow has denied any complicity in the voting down of the draft constitution, pressure from development partners including Ecowas has now seen his government racing against time for the charter to be ratified.

Jonathan who will meet all 16 leaders of all political parties in the country announced his arrival in the country late on Thursday.

“I arrived in Banjul this evening to support the ongoing constitutional review efforts in The Gambia. I am pleased to have been invited to play a role in the confidence-building process.

“I thank the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Dawda A. Jallow, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Mamadu Tangara and other key officials of the Government of The Gambia, for their goodwill and warm reception,” Dr Jonathan said.

Dr Jonathan’s recent mediation activity was in Mali when colonels of the nation’s army toppled Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

A seven-man Spanish delegation met with foreign minister Dr Mamadou Tangara on Thursday to discuss economic cooperation and the issue of migration.

“Both sides agreed to approach migration and other developmental issues in a holistic manner,” foreign ministry spokesman Saikou Ceesay said in a statement.

“The seven man delegation arrived at the Foreign Ministry at about 12:30pm. After welcoming the Spanish delegation, Foreign Minister Tangara commended the Government of Spain through Her Excellency Cristina Gallach Figueres for this important bilateral visit.

“He used the opportunity to inform the Spanish delegation that the Government of His Excellency President Adama Barrow and the Gambian people in general are grateful for the invaluable support Spain has given to The Gambia during the political impasse and in the transition period.

“He said The Gambia made positive improvement in containing Covid -19. This achievement, he posited was as a result of the excellent measures put in place by the Health Ministry. He informed the delegation that as of 16 December, The Gambia registered 3 Active cases adding that preparations are in place in anticipation for a Second Wave.

“For her part, Her Excellency Cristina Gallach Figueres said her delegation was in the country to discuss and look into ways of deepening economic cooperation, she said the two countries have long standing bilateral ties dating 60 years ago. These long standing relations, she went on form part of the basis for a deepened economic cooperation and sharing of expertise for the young to be properly skilled,” the statement said.

Popular Imam Bakawsu Fofana has called on Imams Chebo Cham and Baba Leigh to end any feud between them as he chipped into a sex workers controversy that has gripped the nation.

Imam Baba Leigh had suggested sex workers deserved support from the government because they are humans. Imam Chebo Cham then tackled him over his comments

Imam Bakawsu Fofana says it’s too graphic to call women sex workers – that it would have been sufficient to call them unmarried women.

“The prophet said it’s jihad to help a woman who’s not married. Please shield women [from embarassment]. This name [sex worker] is too graphic. They said they want to help adulterers, prostitutes. That name is too graphic,” Imam Fofana said in an audio message.

He added: “But you see the prophet called them women that are not married. They prophet knows how to speak. Because you see an unmarried women, two things could affect her: hunger and sexual starvation.

“If she’s hunger could lead her into adultery to survive or she could get starved sexually and gets sick. So you should help women that are not married. If they’d said they are going to help women that are not married would have been better. But it’s too graphic to say ‘sex workers come, we will give you money’. What I want to tell the government is empower power so that can get off the streets, they can stop sex work.”

Dr Lamin J Sise has vowed that nothing will deter the TRRC from pursuing the task handed it by the national assembly.

Speaking shortly after former army chief Lang Tombong Tamba complained about Jolas being sacked from positions and other issues in his closing remarks on Wednesday, Dr Sise insisted what LTT went through during his testimony applied to anyone who held a position of responsibility.

“We’re going to put any leader, any person who had responsibility at a very high level in the same hot seat to assist us in establishing the truth,” Dr Sise told Tamba

He continued: “I will read you two primary objectives that the national assembly gave this commission. It included in that list that we address impunity, we’re going to come to that at some point.

“It also mandated us to prevent a repeat of the violations and abuses suffered by making recommendations for the establishment of appropriate preventive mechanisms including institutional and legal reforms.

“We have for the past month or so been looking at institutional issues. We will continue doing that, to be able to make appropriate recommendations at the end of our work and nothing will deter us from pursuing this mandate. We will do it until hell freezes over.”

The TRRC has been asked to looked into the ‘plight’ of suspended general Alagie Martin.

The army moved quickly on General Martin following charges of torture levelled against him by Sana Sabally and army lieutenant colonel Babucarr Sanyang. General Martin was accused of carrying a hammer when torturing detainees but he has denied the charges.

But appearing before the TRRC, former army chief Lang Tombong Tamba pleaded with the investigation to look into Martin’s ‘plight’.

“Martin appeared before this panel but I have never seen anybody appear before this panel who has been laid off from his work but Alagie Martin happens to be laid off from his work, from the day he left this commission.

“I want to appeal to the chairman and this commission to look into the plight of Alagie Martin. Certainly I have followed his proceedings here. I have never heard where he had killed somebody. Some of the witnesses that confessed killing are maintaining their jobs,” Tamba told the TRRC.

MA Bah told the TRRC on Thursday he did speak with Lang Tombong Tamba about Ndure Cham’s coup shortly after leaving the former army chief’s office.

LTT was the deputy CDS at the time and MA Bah said he entered his office shortly after leaving Ndure Cham’s and told him how Cham planned to carry out a coup and wanted him to join.

“He looked at me in the eye and said, ‘look, shut your mouth’. That was how I left his office,” MA Bah said contradicting accounts by LTT that they spoke about the coup.

When told LTT has dismissed ever discussing with him about a coup, Bah replied: “He’s not telling the truth.”

He later told the probe Tamba called him on the day he was supposed to enter the witness box and told him he was working on ensuring his release.

Serrekunda MP Halifa Sallah said on Wednesday it’s funny deputy speaker while presiding as speaker insisted a ‘dead’ constitution can be reintroduced at the national assembly.

Momodou Sanneh refused to entertain Sallah this week when he requested permission to move a motion for the scrapping of the decision by the House to throw out the draft constitution bill in September to pave the way for a fresh process.

And on Wednesday, Sallah at a news conference explained: “And why did I introduce it? Since we have power to rescind a decision during a session, now we wanted to create a precedent that will also enable us to rescind a decision of another session. That’s all I was seeking from the speaker and from the national assembly members.

“And why was that necessary? Because they’re talking about the constitution building process, they even invited an international delegation. To do what? What mediation? This is about a bill to be brought to the national assembly, to be decided by three- quarters majority before we can proceed to the next stage and even to a referendum. That is a parliamentary matter.

“You needed a consultation between the executive and parliament to resolve this matter. Now when I introduced that motion, the speaker’s ruling is that I have not proven urgency. That is one. But what is more fundamental to me is that at the end of the ruling, the speaker strayed into a matter that is purely for the judiciary and not for parliament.

“The speaker indicated that this matter… The constitution having been blocked is now dead. But what is funny, a constitution that is dead, the speaker is saying that it can be reintroduced. Something that is dead, you will breather life into it and introduce it again by cabinet or by members of the national assembly. This is the second coming of a constitution.

“Where in the constitution has it said under Section 101 or Standing Order 62 where it says that a bill may be introduced by the president, vice president, a minister or a member of the national assembly. ‘May be introduced’. But there is no statement that talks about reintroduction. Wherever you reintroduce something then that is not dead. And this is where their flaw lies in interpretation. Because what is dead cannot be reintroduced. And that’s what I recognised, that by our decision in September, they killed the constitution.”

By Madi Jobarteh

After much reflection on LTT’s testimony it is sad that the General chose not to serve our country well at such an opportune moment. His testimony only served the purpose of tribalism and division and not national salvation! Unfortunately.

First, he was a key pillar in maintaining the Dictatorship. When you do an analysis of power one will realise that the CDS is one of the major structures in the edifice of State power. Before that, Lang was a commander of the guards that protect the presidency which was occupied by a tyrant. Hence the existence and survival of the Yaya Jammeh Dictatorship rested heavily on Lang’s shoulders.

There was no human being on earth who did not know or had no opportunity to know that Yaya Jammeh was an ungodly, tyrannical leader! One such evidence of that Dictatorship was that very panel at NIA of which Lang was a member. This was one of the structures and processes that were created to legitimize and legalize disregard of the rule of law, violations of human rights and maintain a culture of impunity. Yet Lang continues to appreciate that structure and process.

As an adult and a senior military officer and senior citizen, Lang cannot feign ignorance of the culture of tyranny that was unleashed on Gambians. Lang knew from the beginning that the Yaya Jammeh Regime was a murderous, intolerant, oppressive and corrupt regime! But until today he cannot bring himself to acknowledge that fact. Why?

It is so disingenuous for Lang to deny any knowledge of abuse yet he was going inside the NIA to preside over investigations of treason! Is it that Lang wants to tell us that between 1994 and 2009, no one ever told him, even in confidence of the crimes of the time? Does he want to tell us that he never read any media and international reports about the state of affairs in The Gambia at that time?

Even those illiterate, underprivileged Gambians without access to any modern gadgets and social media knew that there was mayhem in the land! But a sophisticated general says he was not aware!

What is most scandalous in Lang’s testimony is to seek to moralize and legitimatize that NIA panel as a decent body. Yet Lang knew that there were individuals connected with that body whose sole purpose was to torture which he could confirm with the case of Faring Sanyang. If that was not enough to tell Lang that there was crime going on then Lang must have been either part of the crime or a highly ignorant and dishonest person!

Then he became a victim of that system. But even there Lang has the audacity to pretend that Yaya Jammeh had no hand in his predicament? Why would Lang defend a tyrant who sent him to jail illegally and even killed other people such as Daba Marenah, who Lang claims to be his close buddy much like family?

But today he sought to defend that system even though he noted that he was subjected to mock tortures! He did confirm that he was sure that there were plans to torture and even kill him. If there could be such possibility, is it not therefore logical to conclude that such abuses had indeed happened to others? I am sure while in Mile 2, at least one of his fellow inmates would have told him that someone was tortured. Yet Lang continued to act as if he was not living in and aware of the situation in The Gambia under Yaya Jammeh.

At the end of the day, Lang did not help The Gambia. The Lead Counsel spared no opportunity in reminding him that the purpose of the truth commission is to establish the truth in order to account for human rights violations, seek accountability and reconciliation and help prevent future occurrences. Nothing could be more noble than that. The exercise was meant to expose how this country drifted away from truth and justice to become a hotbed of abuse and violence!

No one is better placed than Lang Tombong Tamba given his role as a leader, participant and victim of that regime all throughout to tell us the true nature of things. Lang’s lone testimony should have been enough to satisfy everyone in better understanding that system hence help the country reform. If Lang had been generously open and forthcoming, his testimony would have served to provide deeper insight about security sector reforms as well as wipe the tears of all victims and provide a lesson to all future and current security officers serving in the security sector.

But Lang rather chose to deny Gambians the truth which is necessary for national salvation as he had to make Essa Faal literally force the truth out of him. Yet he has the audacity to end with a passionate closing statement as if he ever cared for The Gambia! That’s shameful and hypocritical.

To tinge that closing statement with underhand tribal remarks while seeking to cleanse Yaya Jammeh off of any form of tribalism is indeed a great disservice to the country. Yes, any citizen who is removed from office on account of tribe must be condemned. So those officers and officials who were sacked, if it was only because of their ethnicity then they must be reinstated and compensated! That’s utterly unacceptable.

But the fact remains that it was Yaya Jammeh who indeed cultivated a culture of tribalism in the public sector as well as in the security sector in ways never seen before. He perpetuated a tribalist narrative in politics and did everything to force that narrative and behavior on citizens. Therefore, even if you have other officers from other tribes in the top echelon of the armed forces or fewer ministers from his own tribe, that cannot wipe out the blatant tribalism of this despot! Lang knew that back then.

As if that was not enough, how dare Lang vouch for Alagie Martin, the hammer man, just because he did not kill, or that others who killed were not suspended from the military? Does Lang know what he was really talking about? GAF and Gambians do not deserve any officer who is a torturer, rapist, killer and corrupt. So instead of asking for clemency for a known torturer, a decent man would have asked that all such criminals be removed out of the security sector. Has Lang forgotten about the victims?

Clearly Lang has shown us that he definitely did not find anything wrong with Yaya Jammeh and his evil regime. Rather it appeared Lang’s interest was only on tribe and friends and not what happened to the Gambian nation under that evil regime. This is indeed very concerning as this is coming from the lead general of our security system. It means Lang has only served to further entrench tribalism and division in our society. He has given credence to that toxic tribal narrative concocted by Yaya Jammeh which continues to haunt the country!

I hope the TRRC will throw away his plea to the booboos!

For The Gambia ?? Our Homeland

President Adama Barrow has said democracy being implemented in The Gambia exceeds that of the United States, asking Gambians to balk at those trying to deceive them into a fresh struggle.

Gambians fought and struggled throughout against the 22 years rule of former President Yahya Jammeh. President Adama Barrow since falling out with key coalition stakeholders has also seen appreciable opposition against his rule.

But speaking in Basse Dampha Kunda on Wednesday, the president insisted the struggle for country was now over.

“Gambia’s struggle is over. Those fighting now are doing it for their own selfish interest. Or those supporting them are fighting for one man only because they are not fighting for Gambia any more. Gambia’s struggle is over,” the president said.

According to the president, the reason “I say this is because yesterday they say there was no democracy in this country but the democracy we have in Gambia today surpasses even America’s democracy”.

“The freedom in Gambia, it’s kind cannot be found anywhere else in the world today. The development taking place in Gambia today has never before been achieved throughout Gambia’s history. So what are you fighting for still? So let no one poison your minds, telling you rubbish statements and you join a pointless fight,” the president said.

Lang Tombong Tamba’s marathon testimony ended with the former army chief asking the TRRC to look into the sacking from the military of people who did not commit any wrongdoing.

“I also want to make a plea to this commission, there are certain things that I want them to look into,” LTT began on Wednesday afternoon shortly before pulling the curtain down on his marathon testimony which spread across three days.

He said: “I have noticed that there is a particular group here that have been left out. The present government is composed of almost all the tribes, all Gambians. However I have noticed that there are people who have been left out. There are officers who did nothing at all who have been relieved of their duties and I believe that if we want to move forward that should be discouraged.

“By this I mean the likes of navy captain Sillah Kujabi, Colonel Bojang, Brigadier General Savage, I have a list I could not remember all in the list. These are people that I have not heard anything that they committed. This is something that hurts in the heart. Probably this commission may not know. These people, most of them I mentioned they belong to the Jola tribe.

“I know of former managing directors were relieved of their duties. Probably they belong to one tribe and I don’t think this will help if we say we want to move forward as a country. I recall in the days of former president Yahya Jammeh, in fact in his cabinet, there were no more than two Jolas there as ministers. In the military people who handled chief of defense staff positions most of them were not Jolas.”

Police said on Wednesday the grace period given for owners of domestic animals to restrain their livestock to ensure they are not found at public places and highways has ‘almost’ come to an end.

“The Gambia Police Force in collaboration with the Cattle Farmers Association will on the 15th of December 2020 commence an operation to ensuring that no stray animals are found roaming within The Greater Banjul Area.

“During the operation, stray animals such as (sheep, goats, donkeys and cattle) found roaming around especially at public places will be captured and restrained at an identified location. Consequently, in order for owners to regain their animals, penalties will be awarded in accordance with the law.

“The cooperation of the general public, particularly owners of animals is highly solicited,” police said in a statement.

Former army chief Lang Tombong Tamba has told the TRRC the junglers hit at tables after they went against an order from their boss to torture him.

Tamba on Wednesday recalled how a jungler pointed a gun at his head in the bushes outside Banjul and later taken to the NIA.

“We met Solo Bojang, he exchanged words with them which I didn’t hear,” Tamba told the TRRC as he said of his arrival at the NIA.

He continued: “But what happened was Solo instructed that they should lead us to the conference room upstairs. And of course, I was the first to be led and of course what Solo told them was for us to be tortured. But like I said earlier, those junglers they knew that our allegation of a planned coup was false. So even if they’re given instructions to torture us, they wouldn’t do.

“The reason they took us upstairs that night was to be tortured. When we reached the conference hall, I was the first to be taken before Bo Badjie. What they did was… They had of course some sticks, batons I’m not sure. They started hitting the tables, they said they will hit the tables so that if Solo Bojang hears that, he will feel that we have been tortured. That was what they did. And before we left, those junglers advised us that when we’re coming downstairs, we should be limping as if we suffered that torture and of course they don’t want Solo to notice that we were walking normal meaning that nothing was done to us.

“So certainly we complied and when we were getting down the stairs, walking towards our vehicle, we were limping. And certainly when they took us back to Mile Two, that was the same impression we showed there as if we were tortured. That was why on Cell No. 1 were I stayed, all that I pretended that we were been tortured.

“So my colleagues there, I heard Serign Faal before this commission, that I have been tortured seriously. It was as a result of this. I also heard the prison officers saying that I was tortured to the extent that I couldn’t walk. I want to state on record here that they might have made a mistake.”

Citizens’ Alliance will depoliticise and restore discipline in the army when it takes power, according to the party’s manifesto.

“We will: aggressively resource, train, and equip The Gambia Armed Forces to respond to wide-ranging security challenges; depoliticise The Gambia Armed Forces and restore discipline, encourage loyalty to the State, and establish mechanisms for transparency and meritocracy as the basis for all promotions; [and] streamline peace-keeping operations in accordance with UN mandatory requirements and transparent personnel selection,” CA said regarding its plan for the army.

Citizens’ Alliance on Dec 5 unveiled its 68-page manifesto where its presidential candidate Dr Ismaila Ceesay insisted it should not just be a document to fulfil a request.

“This should not just be another document to fulfill a request that a party should have a manifesto,” Dr Ceesay speaking during the unveiling of the document at Paradise Suites Hotel said.

CA’s manifesto dubbed ‘a contract with the Gambian people’ offers a real idea as to how the party is planning to govern the country.

CA says its commitments are anchored on four pillars which “will be critical in navigating our country’s reversal from underdevelopment and stagnation to the pinnacle of growth, progress, and prosperity”. These pillars are: creating economic prosperity and decent Jobs; empowering the Gambian citizenry; promoting good governance and transparency; and ensuring peace, security and stability.

Fresh calls for justice have been made amid the 16th anniversary of the dastardly slaying of the editor and co-founder of The Point Newspaper, Mr. Deyda Hydara.

Deyda Hydara was murdered on the night of 16 December 2004 on the orders of the former President Yahya Jammeh.

GPU in a statement said: “He was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting on the night of December 16, 2004. It was the 13th anniversary of The Point and he was driving home two of his staff Ida Jagne, a typist, and Niansarang Jobe, a layout editor, who also sustained gunshot wounds on her leg and was briefly admitted for medical treatment.

“Although the former government had denied any involvement in the killing of the journalist, a member of the hit-squad of then-president, Yahya Jammeh, told the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) that he participated in the killing of Mr. Hydara. He confirmed that Yahya Jammeh ordered the assassination in an operation meant to get rid of the ‘magic pen’ (a codename referring to Mr. Hydara).”

On the 16th anniversary of his murder and the attempt on the life of his staff, the GPU president, Mr. Sheriff Bojang Jr. said: “As an institution, we have submitted ourselves to the ongoing transitional justice process and have cooperated with the current government in pursuit of justice for crimes against journalist.

“Now that compensation has been fully paid by The Gambia government to the family of Hydara, as dictated by the Ecowas Court of Justice, we are keenly monitoring the TRRC and are hoping that the recommendation it will make will be in the interest of justice.

“As a country and people, we all owe it to Deyda Hydara to bring his killers to book as soon as possible. He dedicated his life and sacrifices that much for The Gambia”.