There is a refrain in a certain Mandingka circumcision song that is replete with meaning and it certainly captures the right mood as one of the outstanding heroes of the United Democratic Party’s struggle passes on. 

This same chorus came to mind when the late Lang Marong passed away and more so does it resonate today as we try to process news of the demise of the late Honourable Lamin N. Dibba, former National Assembly Member and erstwhile cabinet Minister of this transitional government. 

Born and raised in the historic town of Badibu Salikenni, the late Lamin N. Dibba was a career community development worker who morphed into a politician, being a founding member of the United Democratic Party; who later became National Assembly Member for his home constituency of Central Badibou, replacing the late Abdou K. Kassama,  in a by-election in 2001, occasioned by the untimely death of the latter in a car accident.

Mr. Dibba was known for his courage to challenge the powers that be and also to speak the truth regardless of who was in agreement with him or otherwise.

He has served his country both in the legislature and the executive arm of government and ended up back into politics with a view to correct the wrongs he saw in the current administration. 

Honourable Dibba was not one to give up on any struggle. He fought many battles and paid exacting prices for them but the most recent one that comes to mind was when he joined his party leader and other UDP top executives to walk out in protest when news of the late Solo Sandeng’s death came out in 2016. Detained and under trying conditions, he was to be among the group of top UDP leaders sentenced in a court case that was all but free and fair. 

During the past year, I had the good fortune of visiting the late Mr. Dibba at his home  and we had very close and personal conversations that revealed his wisdom. He had a vision for this country; and cynical as I usually am about conventional thinking regarding the future of our country, Mr. Dibba really impressed me when he shared his views about a post-transition administration in our so called New Gambia.

His views and passion were manifest; yet he spoke with a sense of calm and serene detachment from any possible outcomes. He sounded well assured that his vision about the future of our country would come to pass one day. 

Such a disposition should should not be strange in a man well cultured, tried and tested in our tough world. He once told me that he was no longer bothered about visiting the UDP’s political bureaus or issuing rejoinders on behalf of his party because he was well satisfied with the crop of young talented minds populating the UDP.

The late Honourable Dibba knew quite well that the seeds of leadership the UDP had sown have grown and matured to the point that there was not much of a need to tend that garden; but rather to sit back and rejoice in the sight of the ripening fruits of their sweat.

There is no better literature to capture the foregoing ethos than the Mandingka circumcision song ‘selli tei; alfaa lu yeh selli tei, e taa tay laa soo!” ( the elders of the community have cleared the forest and returned home to sleep).

The rules of our culture would not allow me to dilate much on the foregoing verse but any matured man from our tradition would know the deeper meaning of these sacred words. An elderly man would not circumcise children and go to sleep in his house unless he is well assured that the young ones were in competent and safe hands.

Such a man, like the late Honourable Lamin N. Dibba, would be quite sure that he had sown the right seeds and cleared all the dangerous bushes and marauding creatures before leaving the camp to his lieutenants. 

May Allah forgive the late Honourable Lamin N. Dibba for his shortcomings and grant him blissful repose in Jannatul Firdaus. 

Amen.

Momodou Sabally 

The Gambia’s governance and democratic transformance process has been recognized by the United States government, indicated in its Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) scorecard for the fiscal year 2021, the Office of the Vice President has announced.

The MCC scorecard was presented to the Vice President Dr Isatou Touray through the US Embassy on Friday, November 13th, according to the Vice President’s office in a news release.

The news release said: “At its quarterly meeting in December 2018, the U.S. Government’s Millennium Challenge Corporation Board of Directors reselected The Gambia for continued threshold programme development focused on policy and institutional reform to spur economic growth and reduce poverty. The Board also directed MCC to explore regional investment opportunities in the Gambia and other compact partners in West Africa.

“MCC was created in 2004 as a new and different model of development assistance – one focused on reducing poverty through economic growth. Built on the lessons of decades of development experience, MCC provides time-limited grants to developing countries that meet rigorous standards for good governance, from fighting corruption to respecting democratic rights, as evaluated on its scorecard. The programme takes a business-like approach, with bedrock commitments to data, accountability, and evidence-based decisions.

“During the briefing which took the form of a virtual meeting, the MCC Threshold Department’s Managing Director, James Gerard, started by indicating the impressive performance of the Gambia in key MCC indicators. He affirmed that The Gambia has passed the assessment test for governance, democratic rights and economic freedom. He further revealed that The Gambia is doing well in their indicators especially on control of corruption and rule of law, as both rated at 92% on the scorecard, and that the country has secured 12 green out of 20; which means it has shortcomings in 8 critical areas.

“Mr. Gerard informed that this information has been gathered by the Freedom House and that it encourages the government of The Gambia to do more to enable it retain the greens on the scorecard and change the red to green as indication for good governance that translate to improving the wellbeing of its people.

“He noted that the scorecard will be available to the public as it provides information regarding numerous indicators relating to democratic activities, economic freedom and public resources.

“Reacting to the information about Gambia’s good performance on the MCC scorecard, Vice President Dr Isatou Touray said she was overwhelmed and happy to note that Gambia has gone this far in fulfilling its democratic obligations.

“She thanked the ambassador of the US to The Gambia, and the MCC team for the good work they have been doing in The Gambia and extends President Barrow’s good will message to the American people.

“Vice President Touray went on to assure the MCC team that The Gambia will work hard to ensure that there are improvements in areas where they have shortcomings or where they under-performed. She noted that the scores are great achievements for the government of The Gambia and all Gambians at large.

“The Vice President went on to acknowledge the efforts made by Gambians and the government of President Barrow for making the worthwhile gains. This she said is possible despite difficult circumstances, and past experience of tyranny and maladministration.

“The US Deputy Chief of Mission to The Gambia, Shelly Seaver, also acknowledged the efforts of the government of The Gambia in making this tremendous achievement and pledged to continue the support they have been providing to the government and people of The Gambia

“The meeting was attended by the representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Finance Ministry, Minister of Petroleum and Energy, the Director of Department of Strategic Policy and Delivery, and the Gambian ambassador to the United States.”

Police have announced immediate enforcement of a new law against public smoking that seeks to keep the nation free from tobacco and its related diseases.

The police are mandated to exercise the law on anyone found liable which started on November 12; they have however solicited the cooperation of the general public.

Speaking on behalf of the Inspector general of police at a news conference in Banjul, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Ebrima Bah told journalists: “The general public is hereby informed that the Gambia Police Force in collaboration with the ministry of health and other law enforcement agencies which include: environment inspectors, custom officers, public health officers and any other person appointed by the minister as authorised officer, will begin enforcement of the tobacco control act 2016 and regulation 2019 with immediate effect..”

“Henceforth, it will be an offence to smoke in all public places which includes, health facilities, markets, offices, public transport, schools, airports, carparks, bars, restaurants, hostels, prisons, police cells, toilets and corridors just to name a few,” he added.

“Furthermore, all forms of tobacco advertisement, display of tobacco products at points of sales, selling of single cigarette stick or packets of less than twenty-sticks and selling cigarettes to minors that’s people under 18 years are all prohibited.”

The Ministry of Youth and Sports has said it has learnt with ‘shock’ and ‘disbelief’ the attitude of the Gabonese delegation upon their arrival at the Banjul International Airport last night.

“Despite 20:00hrs [arrival time] was [the] communication to the officials in The Gambia, the Gabonese delegation arrival in The Gambia around 12midnight,” the ministry in a statement on Monday said.

The statement added: “We learnt that upon their arrival at Banjul International Airport, the delegation refused to surrender their Covid-19 test certificates to the public health officials; equally they refused to be tested at the airport and put up with unfavourable behaviours [sic].

“The public health officials on duty did not allow them to leave the airport without being tested until 05:30am after the matter was reported to the Match Commissioner by Mr. Lamin Jassey, General Secretary together with GFF President Mr . Lamin Kaba Bajo to CAF Medical Officer by Dr. Omar Sey , who is designated as CAF medical officer for this match.

“The public health officials were given assurance by the Gabonese sports minister and the ambassador that tests will be conducted on each member of the delegation at their Hotel. It was after this assurance the delegation was allowed to leave the airport.

“The matter is currently under discussion at the Technical/ coordination meeting at Football house spearheaded by the match commissioner.

“The public would kept posted about the reaction of CAF regarding this very unpleasant behaviour of the Gabonese delegation.”

A Papa Faal government will establish a taskforce comprising government and the private sector support by local and international experts to design and implement realistic and cost-effective solution to the country’s electricity problem.

Former President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara’s grandson over the weekend announced his candidature for president.

On the country’s electricity problem, Mr Faal is planning to permanently resolve the issue by expanding generating capacity through liberalisation.

In doing this, his government will ‘establish establish a taskforce comprising government and the private sector support by eminent local and international experts to design and implement realistic and cost-effective solution to the country’s electricity problem’.

The Papa Faal administration will also ‘rename NAWEC to Gambia Public Utility (GPU) and break it down into three sectors’. The three sectors will be be; energy generation, energy transmission and distribution and municipal water supply.

Youth and Sport Minister Bakary Badjie has told The Fatu Network the information his ministry got is that Gabonese who are playing The Scorpions later today refused to be tested for coronavirus.

Gabonese players spent hours at the airport early Monday after they arrived in the country to take on The Scorpions in a CAN qualifier.

Sport Minister Bakaryy Badjie told The Fatu Network: “We will issue a press release. But it has to do with the Gabonese team refusal to adhere to our COVID-19 regulations, as well as that of CAF upon their arrival at airport around 12am.

“The information we got so far is that the team refused to surrender their COVID-19 test certificates to the public health officers posted at airport and refused to be tested before they will be allowed into the country.

“That’s what kept them at airport until around 5.30am. The matter was later resolved when the Gabon Minister of Sports and Ambassador promised to ensure test is done at their hotel.”

GDC’s diaspora second vice president MamaHawa Sowe has died in Norway, the party’s national youth president said on Sunday.

“The National Women’s mobiliser Aji Remeh Jagne regrets to inform the general public that MamaHawa Sowe, the 2nd vice president of the GDC Diaspora has passed away yesterday night in Norway.

“The deceased was a very active senior executive member of the GDC and has contributed a lot towards the party’s success,” MC Cham Jnr said.

UDP on Saturday lost its senior administrative secretary Lamin Ndambung Dibba.

In a Papa Faal government, rape of infants and girls will be seen as a treasonable act punishable by castration.

Former President Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara’s grandchild Papa Faal on Saturday announced he will run for president next year.

And in ‘Papa Faal – 4 – 2021’ manifesto, the affairs of women and girls have been given prominent focus.

“Our government shall make rape sexual violence of minors (infants and girls) a treasonable act punishable by castration, life imprisonment with[out] parole, or on most severe cases, death,” the team proposes.

The first five years of a Papa Faal administration will ‘swiftly’ implement a national service policy that will create the National Service Corp and induct all Gambian citizens between ages of 15 to 30 for a two-year mandatory national service.

Papa Faal on Saturday launched his bid for presidency under the independent ticket dubbed ‘Papa Faal – 4 – 2021’.

And in a manifesto seen by The Fatu Network, Faal who served in the US military for ten years and his team are looking at infusing ‘discipline, pride and nationalism’ in every Gambian.

“Only when the citizenry is disciplined, knowledgeable and skilled shall our country become self-determined and self-reliant,” the Faal team insists.

According to the team, the proposed National Service Corp shall comprise nine corps which are, Citizens Defense Force, Science and Technonoly, Research and Development, Civil Engineering Corp, Fire and Rescue Corp, Teachers Corp, Medical Service Corp, Agri-Corp, Automative Corp and Non-Specialised Technical and Services Corp.

Citizens Defense Force shall be the reserve component of the Armed Forces [and] all citizens who are not on Active Armed Forces Status shall be partof the CDF, the team proposes under its citizens reorientation priority.

President Adama Barrow has commiserated with the family of Lamin Ndambung Dibba over the death of the former agriculture minister on Saturday.

Referring to the former minister as ‘my friend’, the president said Dibba’s demise is a great loss not only to his family but to the nation as a whole.

“I extend my sincere condolences to the Dibba family, the UDP and its leader, Ousainou Darboe, all politicians and the people of The Gambia.

“Mr Dibba’s career as a politician has left a mark on the political terrain of the country and will always be remembered for his contribution to nation-building.

“I pray to the Almighty Allah to grant him a place in Jannahtul Firdawsi,” the president wrote on Saturday.

“In a similar vein, I extend my sincere condolences and prayers to Yusupha Cham on the demise of his wife. I pray that Allah gives him the fortitude to bear the deep sense of loss,” the president while also commiserating with Yusupha Cham over the death of his wife said.

Fearless Banjul Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe late Saturday advised any Gambian woman against venturing into politics if she feels scared of being called names.

Hundreds of Gambian on Saturday gathered at Kotu for the annual general meeting of Refela Gambia chapter. Refela is a project being implemented in several African countries meant to empower women.

The mayor said: “If you enter into politics, they will reside you everywhere but I want to ask you not to be afraid and scared. What’s trending now is ‘the prostitute, the witch, the drug dealer, the bastard’. But it’s not moved me. It has not stopped me from being Mayor.

“But if a man wears her (Rohey Lowe’s) t-shirt, stand behind her and clapping and dancing for her but [on the whole] trying to pull her down. If we do not change our attitude, we will not move forward. So let’s change our attitude so we can help our families.

“But a woman who is scared of being called ‘prostitude’, [my advice is] do not enter into politics. A woman that’s scared of being called drug dealer, do not enter into politics. But a woman who’s scared of being called witch, do not enter into politics.”

Elsewhere in her statement, the mayor asked Gambian women to be however bold and take their place alongside men.

The mayor said: “I want to ask Gambian women to come out and enter into politics. Don’t allow anyone to frighten you, don’t allow anyone to relegate you. I always take myself as a example because they say who feels it knows it and experience is the best teacher. When I was standing for elections, I used to ask women to get up and start selling fish and oil.

“They used to laugh but what I was asking them to do was what I was doing. But where is Refela today? They have implemented a pilot project. They are taking fish and oil to Senegal selling it there, now they are building their houses. So then what is wrong with selling oil and fish?”

Papa Njie admitted the road is going to be tough as he announced he will be taking a shot at the presidency next year.

The country will hold presidential election next year and former US army officer Papa Faal is the latest to announce his intention to run for president.

Speaking at Brikama Wellingara on Saturday Faal insisted the road will be tough after laying out how the country relapsed into underdevelopment following the end of Sir Dawda Jawara’s rule, his grandfather.

Faal said he will running under an independent ticket dubbed, ‘Papa Faal – 4 – 2021’ – and in a manifesto seen by The Fatu Network, the team will be selling five key issues to Gambians among them citien reorientation, citizen welfare and corruption.

By CGTN Africa

More than 100 people have drowned in four separate shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea in just 72 hours, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said.

According to a press statement by MSF, this latest figure brings the death toll of people who have died trying to cross into Europe by crossing the central Mediterranean Sea to nearly 700 this year alone.

However IOM earlier this week stated that the figure could be higher.

MSF insists that European states must stop placing the blame solely on traffickers for deaths at sea, saying that governments must accept that the many lives lost in these incidents are the human costs of harsh policies.

“The responsibility for these deaths lies squarely with European Union (EU) member states,” said MSF humanitarian affairs advisor, Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui.

IOM’s Chief of Mission in Libya Fredrico Soda echoed the same sentiments saying “the mounting loss of life in the Mediterranean is a manifestation of the inability of States to take decisive action, to redeploy much needed, dedication search-and-rescue capacity, in the deadliest sea-crossing in the world.”

MSF teams in Libya say they assisted three survivors rescued by fishermen just two days ago, after a wooden boat capsized and left 20 others dead or missing in the water.

Both organizations continue to call on the international community, and the European Union (EU), to take urgent and concrete action to end the cycle of return and exploitation.

UDP’s senior administrative secretary Lamin Ndambu Dibba died on Saturday in his mid 70s, the UDP has confirmed.

The party’s leader Ousainou Darboe in a statement said Dibba ‘gallantly’ fought for the country and his leadership will be missed by UDP. Mr Darboe expressed ‘deep’ sorrow and regret while announcing Dibba’s passing.

UDP spokesman Almamy Taal confirmed Dibba’s death to The Fatu Network.

Dibba was the country’s former agriculture minister but was sacked last year by President Barrow alongside Darboe and Amadou Sanneh. His termination came while he was on a trip to Chad.

MP for Niamina East has said the people of Niamina East are discriminated under Barrow’s administration, vowing to keep demanding the ‘development’ and ‘aspirations’ of his people.

In a statement said with The Fatu Network, the MP blasted: “The people of Niamina East constituency are unfairly treated under Barrow’s administration despite the taxes they are paying to the government.

“It’s disheartening to realise that president Barrow is denying development needs to certain geographical areas or group of individuals including the Niamina East constituency.

“Under Barrow’s administration, the one and only project established in Niamina East since 2016 is a pipe borne water facility in a village called Kerewan Demba which does not have the capacity to serve the community 24 hours.

“It’s a baseless argument to say that Niamina East constituency are supporting the opposition political party GDC which is denying them development earmarked from the government.

“Whether or not the electorate of Niamina East voted for president Barrow or the opposition, the people of this nation fought in 2016 to reconcile and equitably distribute the state resources and the people of Niamina East are not an exception.

“The people of Niamina East are still battling with the same challenges: lack of basic amenities, water supply, road networks, skill centres, accessible and affordable health care facilities;among others.

“I will keep on demanding the development needs and aspirations of my electorate, it does not matter for how long the government will keep ignoring my messages.

“I am therefore calling on the government and development partners to come to the aid of the said Constituency.”

The attorney general has told a summit of African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights dialogue has been initiated over the failed draft constitution.

Dawda Jallow participating 67th summit of ACHPR held virtually on Friday said various programmes are being implemented regarding the country’s transitional justice processes.

He said: “In relation to our transitional justice processes and the transition to a fully-fledged democracy, a new draft Constitution was produced by the Constitutional Review Commission following extensive consultations nationwide and with Gambian nationals in the diaspora.

“The draft which was subsequently submitted to the National Assembly in September couldn’t pass the threshold required to proceed to referendum. A process of dialogue with the leadership of all political parties has been initiated with a view to building consensus on all the contentious issues, with a view to re-submitting the draft to the National Assembly.

“The Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission which is currently underway, has submitted its interim report in November 2019 and we await its final conclusion in the early part of 2021. The Government is already preparing in earnest for post TRRC activities and a multi-sectoral taskforce or working group will soon be constituted to coordinate this process.”