President Adama Barrow has appointed Professor Herbert Robinson as the new vice chancellor of the University of The Gambia.

Interim vice chancellor Professor Pierre Gomez made this known on Wednesday during the matriculation event of new students of the varsity.

Professor Robinson was appointed to role last month.

Professor Herbert Robinson is a Gambian professor in the United Kingdom who worked for both the UN and African Union.

The United Democratic Party (UDP) leadership has continued to urge its members and supporters across the country to avoid discussing the merits of the ongoing presidential election petition at the Supreme Court.

This call reiterates its position as earlier expressed in a 14th December public statement from the party’s leader, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe.

“I urge all members and supporters of the UDP to stay calm and continue to be peaceful and law-abiding at all times. And to go about their normal activities in peace and tranquility,” the statement read.

Adding that, “as the matter is now before the apex court of our nation, I urge all members and supporters of the UDP to refrain from discussing the merits of the case or to engage in any sort of trial by media until the court passes its judgement.”

At Tuesday’s hearing, President Barrow’s lawyers filed a fresh motion withdrawing the previous motion. The new motion brought a stronger request asking the Supreme Court to dismiss the UDP petition. The matter stands adjourned to Friday 24th December 2021.

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) hopes the Malian transitional authorities finalize a precise electoral calendar before the end of this year.

ECOWAS envoy, Goodluck Jonathan made the remarks after meeting with Mali’s interim leaders. He led a delegation to Mali to assess progress of a promised election after the mutiny in August 2020.

“The meeting with interim president Colonel Assimi Goita went very well,” he told reporters without giving further details.

“We hope that, by the end of the year, all the decisions, including recommendations and an electoral calendar for the continuation of events in Mali, will be released,” he said, adding that he will come back next January to take stock.

Following the mutiny in 2020, an 18-month political transition starting from September 15 is underway in the West African country. The transitional authorities said earlier that the vote scheduled for February 2022 will likely be postponed by a couple of weeks or months due to security concerns. (XINHUA)

Lawyers for President Adama Barrow have filed a fresh motion asking the Supreme Court to dismiss UDP’s petition against the president.

UDP initiated a lawsuit against President Barrow over the December 4 presidential election, accusing the president and his National People’s Party of bribing voters.

On Tuesday 21st December, President Barrow’s legal team withdrew their motion filed earlier seeking the Supreme Court to dismiss the petition filed by the United Democratic Party on grounds that a sitting president is immune from legal action.

The defendant’s withdrawal came with a fresh motion. The earlier motion only had one prayer which was the dismissal of the petition whilst the new motion is more elaborate with eight prayers. The new motion, Sheriff M Tambadou lawyer for the 1st respondent said only seeks to consolidate the other motion that had been filed earlier.

Chief Justice Hassan B. Jallow granted the application and ordered the defendant to pay cost of D10,000 to the petitioner (UDP).

The petitioner (UDP) was represented by Lawyer Borry S. Touray, Lawyer Abdul Aziz Bensouda and Lawyer Lamin L Darboe. While the 1st respondent (President Barrow) was represented by Lawyer Sheriff Marie Tambadou, Lawyer Christopher E. Mene, Lawyer Pauline Bakurine and Lawyer Ida Richard.

And the 2nd respondent (IEC) was represented by Lawyer Kebba Sanyang and Lawyer Malick HB Jallow.

The matter stands adjourned to Friday 24th December.

A brawl has broken out in Ghana’s parliament during a late-night session over a contentious government-proposed levy on electronic transactions. MPs shoved, pushed and threw punches at each other, while others tried to stop the fighting.

The chaos started after opposition MPs rushed forward to prevent Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu from leaving his seat to vote, local media reports.

He was chairing the session, which was then adjourned because of the disorder.
The opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has rejected the proposed levy of 1.75% on electronic transactions, which includes mobile-money payments.

It says it will hit low-income people and those outside the formal banking sector.
But Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Artta has said it is necessary to widen the tax net, arguing that it could raise an extra 6.9bn Ghanaian cedi ($1.15bn; £870m) next year.

The parliamentary session began on Monday morning and broke up after midnight, the local Graphic newspaper reports.

Many Ghanaians have expressed disappointment at the behaviour of their MPs, saying they ought to be role models – not behaving immaturely. The deputy speaker’s vote was seen as crucial as parliament has been heavily divided over the proposed tax.

It was approved by parliament’s finance committee by 13 votes to 12, but only after its chairman cast the decisive vote in favour of the proposal, the Graphic says.
The parliamentary session is due to resume on Tuesday.

Ghanaian politics has been fractious since last year’s election when the NDC and President Nana Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) obtained 137 parliamentary seats each.
One seat is held by an independent, who has thrown his weight behind the governing NPP, giving it the edge.

In January, soldiers entered parliament to end a brawl among MPs over the election of a speaker – the NDC’s Alban Bagbin was elected to the post after some NPP members voted for him rather than the NPP’s Mike Oquaye.

Mr Bagbin was not present during the chaotic session on Monday, leaving Mr Owusu from the NPP in the speaker’s chair.

SOURCE: BBC

General Lamin Bojang has given his view on the just end presidential election saying no one could steal it.

“The way this election went from the registration to the way the voting took place, no one steal in it,” General Bojang told reporters at the high court in Banjul on Tuesday.

His comments come as officials of the National People’s Party went to court for UDP’s petition against President Adama Barrow.

UDP has accused President Barrow of bribing voters and the party is asking the Supreme Court to annul his victory.

UDP commando Momodou Sabally has called on UDP supporters to keep calm amid the party’s court battle.

“Just like I told you, keep #calm and remain #Yellow. One #victory @ a time, inshaa Allah… #KanaSong,” Sabally wrote amid UDP’s case on Tuesday.

UDP is currently in court disputing the December 4 presidential election result. The party wants the Supreme Court to scrap the election for alleged bribery and non-citizens voting in the election.

Supporters of the party celebrated online after lawyers for President Barrow withdrew an earlier motion seeking the dismissal of the case.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) is not in favour of large-scale Covid-19 lockdowns because of the economic impact and how it affects people’s mental health, one of its leaders has said.

Dr Margaret Harris, a public health doctor from WHO said the most important thing people in the fight against the new Omicron variant is to get vaccinated. It comes after WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters that people may wish to scale back their Christmas plans.

“All of us are sick of this pandemic, all of us want to spend time with friends and family, all of us want to get back to normal.

“The fastest way to do this is for all of us, leaders and individuals, to make the difficult decisions that must be made to protect ourselves and others.

“In some cases, that will mean cancelling or delaying events, just as we have had to cancel the reception, we planned to have with you (journalists) today.

“But an event cancelled is better than a life cancelled. It’s better to cancel now and celebrate later than to celebrate now and grieve later.”

Asked whether WHO wants people to cancel Christmas, Dr Harris said that is “not what the director-general was saying – he was saying large events, so he was actually referring to a reception we promised to have with journalists…”

On people’s plans for Christmas, she said the public should think about questions such as “Who is coming? What is their status? Have they all been vaccinated? Are you taking other measures – are you opening your windows, ventilating your room? Can you space things, have they worn masks? So there are lots of things that you need to do and take into account when you put your party together.”

She said “vaccines are really protecting” people, including the vulnerable, from going into hospital and from dying.

Asked if lots of people can contract Omicron but not find themselves in hospital, she said: “We’re hoping that that’s the case, especially in well-vaccinated populations. So that’s why we’re saying getting vaccinated is key.”

On the issue of lockdowns, Dr Harris said they work but not without an impact on people and business.

“We prefer not to see lockdowns, a big lockdown because they have huge economic implications, they have very severe social implications and mental health implications,” she said.

“However, they do work. So governments do get to a point when the hospitals are overwhelmed, where they run out of options.”

Asked if the British Government is probably right not to bring in further restrictions, Dr Harris said: “We don’t give marks to any individual country.

“We understand that leadership and health authorities tailor their measures and their decisions according to the epidemiology in their populations, but also the cultural and behavioural dynamics at work in their populations.

“But the overall message is limit crowding and take the measures if you’re out and about that will protect you, like wearing the mask and wearing the mask properly. Please wear it over your nose… And make sure that you do the handwashing, the distancing, and really, really seriously, get vaccinated.

“Not just get vaccinated, but if you know someone who’s still struggling with the idea of being vaccinated, help them to get vaccinated.”

Regarding the mental health impact on younger people and the impact of lockdowns, she said: “We prefer that governments do not get to the point – that your epidemiology does not get to the point – where governments feel they need to make that decision because, indeed, the mental health impacts are very serious and we have seen a big rise in mental health suffering during this period.

“So, if you do go into lockdown, look at how you can support people, what you can do to alleviate the suffering that it does cause.”

Dr Tedros said the pandemic could be ended in 2022 if 70% of the population of every country of the world has been vaccinated by the middle of next year.

By: Amara Thoronka

Making English efficiency a demigod

Speaking good English or being fluent in the international dialect, especially in anglophone African countries, is generally used to measure someone’s intelligence, ability and competence. Using English with a high degree of proficiency is perceived by many Africans as an attainment of high class and prestige in society.

In many English-speaking countries, elementary, high school and university learners who speak good English are mostly rated high and accommodated by tutors over average and poor speakers of the language.

More interestingly, many of those tutors usually order pupils to kneel for long, sweep the floor, stand on one leg, etc as forms of punishment for not being appropriate and proficient in speaking English. On the instruction of teachers, there are sometimes lists prepared by class monitors (class captains) containing the names of pupils who use their mother tongues (indigenous dialects) other than English to communicate in class or within the precincts of their schools.

The adverse effect of overemphasizing English proficiency over practical knowledge

To avoid being judged as not or less intelligent, many students put more attention in cramming grammatical rules and vocabularies to enable them speak well. Research has shown that students who learn a foreign language by only stuffing the rules tend to lack confidence. Instead of speaking freely and confidently, the focus will be on applying the correct rules and there is sometimes a debate in the head as to which expression, word or rule is correct in a given context.

This is also reflective in the labour market. Many employers have complained of hiring people due to their display of mastery in English, only to discover that they can’t deliver on what they claimed to have studied or trained for. Granted that there are deficiencies in practical learning in many developing anglophone African nations, but the overemphasis given to error-free English usage over practical and professional skills acquisition renders many graduate employees practically inefficient in their workplaces.

Intelligence and English proficiency dichotomy

Intelligence and proficiency in a language are two distinct things. English is just like any other language. The only difference is that it is an international language and the most spoken worldwide. It’s called the “queen’s language” because it is originally from The United Kingdom ruled by Queen Elizabeth II.

The intelligence of someone can be tested by his/her ability to do something with merit and excellence, solve complex problems or proffer solutions. Intelligence enables humans to experience and think. Though interrelated, intelligence is also different from learning. Learning refers to the act of retaining facts and information or abilities and being able to recall them for future use, while intelligence is the cognitive and/or ability to perform tasks, solve complex issues and think beyond the box.

The way forward

Teachers and school authorities should consider the English Language as a medium of communication and not a prerequisite of intelligence. Most young innovators and entrepreneurs in the continent are not fluent in English but have used their intellects to solve perennial socioeconomic problems in their communities. Instead of psychologically coercing learners to be efficient and fluent in using English, learning authorities should primarily focus on providing the enabling environments for learners to exhibit their inherent abilities.

The importance of the English Language, at elementary and high school levels, should be limited to communicating and not to prove intelligence. People who want to be specialists in the language should be encouraged to opt for English linguistics and related fields.
There are many great brains in science, innovation, information communication technology, entrepreneurship etc whose inherent dreams have been killed in schools all in the name of prioritizing English proficiency over their burning desires to be creative in solving the challenges of society.

Fields like journalism, teaching, linguistics/interpretation and a few more need mastery in the language. Other fields like engineering, applied science, entrepreneurship and more only need some level of proficiency in English to communicate and nothing else.

Note: This write-up is not in any way, expressly or impliedly, against the English Language. In fact, it is very important for learners to have some level of efficiency in it as it is the political language of the world. The point here is that learning English should not be prioritized over practical abilities.

By XINHUA

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Monday said that 466 migrants were rescued off the Libyan coast and returned to Libya in the past week.

“In the period of December 12-18, 466 migrants were rescued/intercepted at sea and returned to Libya,” IOM said.

So far in 2021, a total of 31,456 migrants, including women and children, have been rescued, while 509 died and 831 went missing off the Libyan coast on the Central Mediterranean route, according to the organization.

Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of its leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.

River transport services by the Gambia Ports Authority Ferry Services have been restored following Monday’s stoppage.

Technical issues prompted authorities to temporarily halt services but they services are now back up.

The Fatu Network has confirmed the Kunta Kinteh ferry is now available to transport travelers between Banjul and Barra. Kanilai Ferry will be back up on Tuesday.

The Gambia Port Authority ferry Services has announced the temporary halting of ferry services in the country.

The ferry services said in a dispatch on Monday technical issues prompted the move.

The dispatch said: “The Ferry Service Management wishes to inform the general public and its esteemed customers that the service between Banjul and Barra is temporarily closed due to some technical issues.

“The technical staff are working to restore the service as soon as possible. During this period, there would be no ferry service on the Banjul Barra route.”

By: Christian Conteh

Few weeks after the 4th December 2021 presidential election, Gambians are already demanding their government take steps to halt the rising food commodity prices and ultimately improve the Gambian economy.

These concerns have come at a time when the country is experiencing a hike in the price of staple food, with the shortage of bread the most recent example. This is not unusual during the festive season.

Fatou Jobe is a petty trader who sells at the popular Serrekunda Market she says the wholesale cost of fish and meat has increased and that has naturally affected the retail cost. As for bread, some bakeries have inflated the price despite a government statement saying the prices remain the same. She called on the government to monitor and ensure traders comply with the state’s directive.

“The government should ensure they enforce their decision to maintain the price of a loaf of bread. As I speak some bakery owners do not adhere to the government instructions even though it is clearly stated in a statement by the government that all prices should remain the same,” Jobe said.

On the campaign trail, President Adama Barrow promised to make The Gambia better for Gambians by ensuring he tackles the high cost of food through investment in agricultural production. A promise Alhaji Sowe recalls.

“I know it is still too early, but we need results and we need them fast. This is the festive season and we do not expect the price of food commodities to shoot up like this,” Sowe lamented.

He urged the government to address this challenge with the urgency it deserves.
Mariama Baldeh is another petty trader who sells bread and other breakfast related items on Kairaba Avenue she says the news of the price increase and the subsequent government reversal of the price has affected her sales.

“I sell different types of stews to be eaten with bread and all my customers are used to the D7 price. The price was then increased and later decreased after government intervention, but the price has remained the same. Government must embark on monitoring its regulations to ensure compliance,” she said.

The Drug Law Enforcement Agency on Monday announced the arrest of a civilian support staff of the army for allegedly being in possession of prohibited substances.

Amie Ceesay, was apprehended at Banjul, Hald Die on the 17 December 2021 around 19:20 GMT onwards with 17 wraps, one stone and some quantities of suspected cocaine as well as four wraps of suspected heroine, according to DLEAG.

“The suspected cocaine were placed in a black purse while the suspected heroine were hidden in a black handbag,” DLEAG said in their statement.

They said elsewhere: “DLEAG’s Bakau field office also nabbed one Saikou Conteh, an adult male Gambian with two (2) bundles, sixteen (16) parcels and twenty eight (28) wraps of suspected cannabis sativa. He was arrested on the 17 December 2021 around 16:00 hours GMT onwards in Bakau.

“Elsewhere, one Modou Sinyan was clutched by DLEAG’s Serrekunda field office with five (5) parcels of suspected cannabis sativa. He was nabbed on the 16 December 2021 around 11:10 hours GMT onwards.”

By: Dawda Baldeh

The Gambia Taekwondo Association Masters on Friday 17th December held a press conference at Dady Jobe Comprehensive School in Kanifing where they rejected the recently concluded Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) Congress and said it was done in ‘greed’. The event brought together Master’s from different groups taking Taekwondo as a career.

Speaking at the conference Baba Sarr President of the Gambia Taekwondo Association said the recently concluded GNOC congress was done out of greed, whilst expressing his disappointment.

He said the association which was established in 2017 must ensure every leader who should take charge of Taekwondo must have the know-how and experience.
He expressed disappointment at the executive in charge indicating that they have overstayed their tenure.

“Their term in office has expired since November, and they have not brought any development to Taekwondo,” Sarr noted

Adding that, for the past years, “they have not shown any interest in taking Taekwondo to the next level.”

He further stated that the executives have violated the constitution that governs sports in the country.

“We have sent several letters to the executive but they never reply us. They have manipulated the Congress to remain in power. They denied others from participating in the process. We are calling on the National Sports Council to take proactive steps on this issue,” he said.

He further described their act as illegal stating that it has greatly affected Taekwondo in the country.

“After four years in office, they cannot organize even a single competition for the Taekwondo practitioners and they haven’t given certification to any. This is devastating. We want the affairs of Taekwondo to be taken to the next level where our youth will realize their potential. We are not training them to become criminals but to represent the country at the international level,” he said.

Sarr who is a master and instructor said before the establishment of the Association in 2017, the affairs of Taekwondo was handled by three men who were doing a good job.

“These interim executives have done better compared to these executives. They were able to provide 12 Balck Belt certificates to the practitioners. They also succeeded in taking some to represent The Gambia in Azerbaijan. This conference is to alert the executives about our next step if they fail to respect our call,” he said.

Baba Ceesay is Secretary-General of Gambia Taekwondo Association, he said sports is one of the fastest ways to mitigate youth unemployment in the country. He also joined the other speakers at the event to reject the GNOC Congress.

“This is what is affecting sports in the country. We have incompetent people who are running the affairs of sports especially The Gambia National Olympic Committee,” he said.

Mr. Ceesay added that they want the youth who are taking Taekwondo as a career to feel the improvement and its importance.
“We want these people to represent our country at the International level,” Baba Ceesay said.

Other speakers include Babucarr Bobb Taekwondo Instructor, Tijan Colley, President of Confu Federation in The Gambia. They both called on the executives occupying the GNOC to leave the office as their term has expired.

We have contacted the Secretary-General of Gambia National Olympic Council (GNOC), Mr. Babucarr Jallow who said he is no longer a member of the executive, pointing out that the said Congress was done in a free and fair manner.

Former Information Minister Demba Ali Jawo has given his view over UDP losing the 2021 presidential election.

In an OpEd on Sunday, DA Jawo wrote: “Even though there were five candidates who lost against Barrow, but the biggest losers were the UDP and their presidential candidate, Ousainou Darboe. No doubt most UDP supporters were quite devastated by the results because most of them were quite confident of victory.

“Therefore, for not only losing but Darboe scoring less than half of what Barrow scored, came as a big shock and disappointment for them. Most of them are no doubt still wondering what may have gone wrong with their campaign strategy.

“Of course, several things may have gone wrong with their campaign, which of course included over-confidence as well as failure to have an effective campaign strategy, as opposed to the NPP, who no doubt ran a very effective campaign, which eventually paid dividends for them.

“Where has the UDP strategy faltered, one may wonder. UDP is a well-structured party which was expected to perform much better in the elections. However, the very fact that they performed well below everyone’s expectations shows that something was fundamentally wrong with their approach to the elections.”

By Dawda Baldeh

Musa Trawally has arrived at the Denton after spending more than a week walking from Basse to Banjul to meet President Adama Barrow at the State House to congratulate him on his electoral victory.

“I promise myself during the election campaign that when president Barrow win the election, I will walk from Basse to Banjul to celebrate his victory,” Trawally, 30, from Sareh Pirasu told The Fatu Network as he arrived at the Denton Bridge.

According to him, the love he has for President Barrow kept him motivated during a week-long walk from his home in Basse.

“I am very happy that today I’m fulfilling my promise,” he said. Trawally has walked for more than 400 kilometers.

More follows…

The Ethiopian military has regained control of the historic town of Lalibela from Tigrayan rebels.

The move came amid an announcement by the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) that it is withdrawing from all areas in the Amhara and Afar regions. The TPLF said it took the decision to clear the way for a peaceful resolution to its conflict with the government.
The conflict has caused a massive humanitarian crisis, with international mediation efforts having so far failed.

It is unclear when the military retook Lalibela, but Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen Hassen visited the town, in Amhara, on Sunday.

Lalibela, famous for its rock-hewn churches which date back to the 12th and 13th Centuries, was designated a UNESCO world heritage site in 1978. The town has changed hands several times since August.

On Saturday, the government said its troops had retaken several other towns as well, including Weldiya. The TPLF has been withdrawing its fighters to its stronghold of Tigray after being forced to abandon its plan to advance on the capital Addis Ababa.

It said the withdrawals were part of “essential modifications” that it was making, though it did not confirm that it had pulled out of Lalibela and Weldiya.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been to the frontlines to lead the fightback against the TPLF. The group had also been hit by airstrikes.
Thousands of people have been killed, millions have been left homeless and nearly 10 million need food aid.

Fighting broke out over a year ago between government troops and the TPLF following a massive fall-out over political reforms introduced by Mr Abiy when he took office in 2018.
The TPLF had dominated the federal government for more than 25 years, and now controls most of Tigray.

Credit: BBC