By Omar Jarju

Sierra Leonean referee Victor Marah died after collapsing while officiating a community league football match in Freetown on Tuesday.

The incident happened a few minutes before the end of a well-attended match between Kroo Bay and Falcon 12 FC.

Attempts were made to revive the 27-year-old but he was pronounced dead after being rushed to hospital.

The exact cause of death is not yet known.

Marah took part in a Confederation of African Football (Caf) referees’ course in Cairo just a few weeks ago.

The course was the latest step in Marah’s career that could have seen him eventually become an internationally recognised match official.

“I can’t believe the news. This is a great loss to Sierra Leone football.” a Sierra Leonean Caf referee’s instructor and assessor Sanusi Rachid told BBC Sport.

“He was promising, and we had earmarked him to be a referee Sierra Leone should be proud of in the future.”

“This was why we nominated him to represent Sierra Leone in a Caf referee promising course last month in Cairo where he excelled.”

Family sources have confirmed that Marah will be buried on Friday.

Sierra Leone’s top referees officiate community football (non league) matches in the absence of official league football.

This is the first time in Sierra Leone a referee has collapsed during a match and died.

In our pursuit to build a better Gambia, it is critical that we first of all understand ourselves thoroughly to be able to make the necessary adjustments, particularly to our behaviours, as the current approach is clearly not working. I opined previously that we as a people have limited “intra-personal intelligence” (comprehensive self-awareness) which I ascribe mainly to the collective type of society in which our ways of life are prescribed to us from infancy. While this may offer us other benefits, it has contributed in narrowing our imagination, and distorted our sense of reasoning and thus limiting creativity. As Gambians, are we able and willing to search the real world outwith the realms of our dreams for unexplored dimensions, depth and meaning? Can we do this and most importantly harness the knowledge for our benefit? Of course not, not even close, we are yet to understand ourselves in relation to our immediate problems. The walls, that is where our thinking ends, is “god knows best and he is in control” even though he has made learning and knowing further compulsory on us. This is stress reducing and is consistent with our love for convenience and general laziness. Professional wise we are a polarised nation. We want to wear suits and be lawyers, a profession that puts a premium on winning arguments rather than solving problems, also consistent with our egoistic nature. The paradox is we want to cling to our ways, but desperate to benefit from the gains of others who thinks more realistically devoid of all superstitions.

Please excuse the boring, but necessary scientific augments here, as it offers an alterative to our belief. The three important question is who are we? Where are we going and why? Which is expressed in science as “proximate” and “ultimate” causation of living process. The worldview that underpins religiosity is that our presence in the world and its meaning is predetermined by a “designer” and that our temporal presence here is to perform a specific job that we ll be rewarded for in the hereafter. Conversely, in science, the intention of us being here is not attributed to the will of the “designer”, but the accidents of history. That there is no designer, but instead overlapping networks of physical cause and effect, genotype to phenotype. A random accident that makes another type of accident likely.  This is the phenomenon of natural selection described by Darwin in his book “origin of species” which explains how living organisms becomes adapted to the natural environment during the course of evolution. Natural selection means genetic make up of an organism is subjected to alteration which bring about new traits and traits that increases once ability to survive in a particular environment will be selected to be represented in the next generation. The sophistication of human beings driven by natural selection has climaxed as evidenced by the advancement of human knowledge and we are about to cross a borderline into techno-scientific era in which our evolution will be driven by “volitional selection” for which, with the available technologies for genome editing, humans can shape what we want to look like, be like etc. going forward. The shopping list is endless. The most contentious between religion and science is evolution on which modern medicine, that we all benefit from, stems. The most specific example is the new proposition of personalised medicine which aims to target and cure illnesses more effectively with greater precision. My philosophy here is, and I stand to be corrected or straightened out, devoid of judgement, that we must somewhat enjoy the best of both worlds. We take part in seeking knowledge rather than simply waiting for our fate on this earth and relying on others for help. We, and our leaders did not only wait for the west to help us tackle the Ebola outbreak, we blamed them for testing a genetically engineered Ebola virus as a potential bioweapon on us, even that we were too lazy to verify and prove.

How did this all fit in our current social interactions? The scientific studies suggested eusociality as the herald for our social advancement that encouraged competition, corporation and division of labour to enhance survival of the species. This social construct is observed across 20 different species including humans and insects like ants and termites. The dynamism and demands of competition and corporation by eusociality for survival in a particular environment required a memory good enough to evaluate the intention of other members, as well as to predict their Reponses from one moment to the next. This according to social psychologists, rapidly stimulated mental development of humans and consequently a more sophisticated memory and reasoning in the prefrontal cortext of the brain able to streamline past, present and future. This enabled us to asses the prospects and consequences of alliance, bonding, sexual contacts, loyalty, betrayal, domination and rivalries.

In addition to this phenomenon of eusociality, two theories were proposed by scientist that natural selection acted upon during human evolution – Kin selection and multilevel selection. The former is tested to be only viable in certain condition, which is a rear one and therefore wouldn’t be discussed further here. The latter, which is favoured as more plausible, is the what is visible in current human societies. Multilevel selection, as the name suggests, entails natural selection acting on both individual level (competition and corporation amongst members of the same group) and at group level (competition and corporation between groups).  Human beings instinctively are compelled to belong to a group or a need to create one. We prefer to be with those that look like us, speak the same language as us and holds the same belief.  This is in agreement with the popular verse in qur’an that says “god created us in tribes”, only that my contention is the misconception of “tribe” in the African context. We think that tribe can only mean Mandinka, Fulla, wollof, and cannot mean Gambian. Tribes can merge and form a bigger tribe in which the strengths of the diversity can be harnessed for greater prosperity. If we are restricted to a tribe, god would have put a barrier to gene flow to keep tribes separate. That means intertribal marriages will not give rise to any offspring, even if it does, the child will be infertile.

So what is the inherent characteristic in humans that allows us identify a tribe that we belong to? Is it genetic or environment? I believe culture may contribute in the past but gradually fading away in this process now. I also believe it is more to do with environment than genes. It is less to do with genes because we Gambians automatically belong to the tribe of our father’s, and not mother’s. Science said each parent contributes 50% of the genetic make up of the child during reproduction. In fact, based on this, one can argue that a person should belong to the mather’s tribe because in addition of the 50% genes derived from the mother, mitochondrial genes (the energy making factory in us) are inherited only maternally. Thus, we take more genes from our mothers than our fathers. I believe its mainly to do with environment. This is because, as we can observe, for example, mandinkas or jolas brought up in the greater Banjul areas are more likely to associate with the dominant tribe of that region, the wollofs. Also, mankinkas in the provinces will not readily associate with mandinkas in Mali or other regions in Africa. Thus, our current attention to address the issues attributed to our disunity are limited to rhetoric, the most effective way to unify our country as a single tribe is creating an environment that is the same across the country. That includes access to education, electricity, internet, clean water and adequate nutrition. The natural forces will enforce this as tribes continue to intermarry. Diversity is favourable for country because children from two tribes stands a better chance of surviving a disease outbreak than inbred children (both parents from one tribe), also, diversity helps to create new desirable traits in a population. Thus, its both nature’s and society’s benefit to come together.

I will keep this topic going discussing it from different perspective.

The Professional Standard Unit of the Gambia Police Force on Wednesday opened an investigation into the case of Eye Africa online TV cameraman who was alleged assaulted by the police.

Bubacarr Manga was allegedly slapped by a member of the Police Intervention Unit on Sunday, 22 September 2018, while filming a meeting organised by a group of teachers in Abuko.

The GPU leadership had called on the police Commissioner of Operations, Commander Landing Bojang, to formally express their condemnation of the act and to demand that the police high command launch an investigation into the case.

In reaction, the Professional Standard Unit of the police, which is in charge of investigating malpractices of police personnel, has been instructed to launch an investigation.

As an entry point for the investigation, the alleged victim, Bubacarr Manga, and the managing director of Eye Africa, Lamin Kanteh, on Wednesday went to the police headquarters to give their own testimony.

The GPU President, Sheriff Bojang Jr, urged the police to make the investigation swift, thorough and impartial.

“We will monitor the progress of the investigation closely and we won’t relent until there’s justice”.

There are already two pending cases of investigations of brutality against the media: an alleged assault by the former ruling APRC security and supporters on the GRTS news crew, and an assault on Pa Modou Bojang, a Brikama-based journalist, who was mal-handled and beaten allegedly by men of Police Intervention Unit.

So far, in all these cases, the police have not held anyone culpable, despite the promise by the IGP that investigations were open in each of these cases.

By Adama Makasuba

The Gambia’s security sector reform team will today Wednesday, September 26 conclude a two-day retreat at the Kairaba beach hotel in Kololi.

The retreat is aimed at providing an opportunity and a platform for the team to look at critical issues surrounding the security sector reform in The Gambia.

The retreat brought together security chiefs, government officials, a delegation from The African Union, and representatives from both The United Nations and ECOWAS.

Momodou Badjie, a security adviser said:

“We believe that the security sector as a whole needed reform and all of us must work together to render this process successful, and to archive the objectives.”

“The Gambia security sector reform process gives prominence to the effective and transparent management of our security sector, our security structures, our inter agency cooperation as well as the protection of civil rights, and other international norms,” he added.

He said as they have completed their assessment phase-had fair idea of the current situation of the security sector, saying “as we strive to move the security sector to the next phase, we should start thinking of the next level.”

Meanwhile Ousainou Darboe, Vice President and Women’s affair Minister reaffirmed Barrow administration commitment to sustainable peace and security in the country.

He further called for collective cooperation in the process for the sector to archive its goals, describing the retreat as timely.

Her first marriage to a white man was abusive and unpleasant. He claimed he loved her but robbed her of her abundant resources. She was glad to divorce him to marry one of her own kind. An adulterer and fornicator cannot send away his wife because of infidelity. Do you want her to be pure? Be pure yourself. She cannot be so, if you cannot.

Now on her 3rd marriage, her lot has not changed. Her husbands and the white man belonged to the same club. She a victim of surviving infidelity: Her husband’s infidelity destroyed her. There is nothing more wicked than sending away one’s wife because of adultery and fornication when one is himself guilty of infidelity. It is said. Whoever wishes to cast out his wife because of infidelity must first be purged of infidelity.

Their trend was the same. They all went announcing to the world her abundant resources, good virtues and invited men to come and explore her. They invited men into her bedroom to test for themselves her beauty and arable body contours. Even the Asian and Caucasians and are guilty of attempted rape: Those that showed interest could rape her. Her savings accounts were emptied to feed these visitors. And when her children were old enough they too joined in her abuse and continued rape and robbery. They took turns depleting her accounts. The little money she made was used to buy luxury goods from abroad and when money finished her drunk husband borrowed using her body as collateral. It was a miracle that the dreaded HIV had eluded her. How can a woman be so unfortunate? How can a devoted woman be subjected to constant rape and robbery from her husband and sons not counting strangers? Children of infidelity—how they hurt, and how they heal: Does a woman take his husband back after her penance for adultery?

Let’s join our hands and pray for her. Her 53 years of marriage have left her on the verge of insanity. If you take a wife, keep her as a wife. If you wish to find a certain quality in her, let her find that quality in you. What young man does not want the wife he takes to be a chaste woman? If one takes a virgin, who does not want her to be untouched? Her name is the Gambia!

The United States Ambassador to The Gambia, C. Patricia Alsup, has wrapped up her tour to The Gambia with a farewell call on President Adama Barrow on Tuesday, September 18, at the State House in Banjul.

In her meeting with President Barrow, Ambassador Alsup highlighted the strength of Banjul – Washington ties, and reaffirmed the United States government’s continued support to The Gambia’s democratic transition.

During her three-year tour, relations between Banjul and Washington witnessed robust and expanded developments in many areas. Bilateral ties were strengthened in the areas of governance and institutional development, health, security, trade, and education.  The major highlights included the restoration of Gambia’s eligibility to the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) program, the selection of The Gambia – the only country in 2017 – for the Threshold Program of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), and the comprehensive health sector assessment by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).  The Ambassador’s tour also witnessed several high-level US exchanges, including a congregational delegation visit led by Senator Christopher Coons, and the recent visit by the Deputy to the Commander for Civil-Military Engagement at the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM).

In a related development, on Tuesday, September 18, the U.S. Embassy staff also honored Ambassador Alsup’s decades of service with the U.S. Department of State during a farewell at the chancery.

Alsup was nominated by President Obama as Ambassador to the Republic of The Gambia on June 8, 2015.  She was confirmed by the Senate on October 8, 2015 and was sworn in on October 30, 2015.  Ambassador Alsup arrived in The Gambia on Friday, November 6, 2015 and presented her credentials on Monday, January 11, 2016.  A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, Ambassador Alsup will be retiring after 26 years of distinguished service.

Ambassador Alsup joined the Foreign Service in 1992, after working in the private sector in market research, strategic planning, and economic development.  Her assignments since joining the State Department have included Special Assistant in the Office of the Under Secretary for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs, Desk Officer for the Eastern Caribbean in the Office of Caribbean Affairs, and as Director of the State Department’s Office of Central African Affairs.  She served as Deputy Chief of Mission twice – at the U.S. Embassy in Banjul, The Gambia and at the U.S. Embassy in Accra, Ghana.

Dr John Pombe Magufuli, President of Tanzania, has asserted a strong stance against public spending and discouraged unjustified foreign travels by senior government officials, since assuming office. To do just that, he is leading by example. Shortly assuming the mantle of leadership in 2015, he made his first foreign visit to Rwanda in April 2016, using a commercial flight; in fact, this visit came five months after taking over the reins of power, as opposed to his counterparts in other poor African countries who normally spend hugely on overseas travels.

Magufuli also waged a war on corruption and wasteful spending by government officials. This has led to him losing a lot of friends; nonetheless, Magufuli will not budge, as the Minister of Works, he is widely hailed as a no-nonsense, results-driven politician and “Bulldozer”, perhaps due to his vision to pursue a program to build good roads across in Tanzania.

In 2015, when his country was gearing up of for its independence celebrations, President Magufuli ordered a nationwide clean-up exercise which he led to show that much-needed commitment as a senior statesman, Maguifuli’s move to not go for an extravagant celebration which could cost millions is commendable, in fact, he channeled the funds that were earmarked for the celebrations sort out to anti-cholera operations, that was needed most.

The Tanzanian President discouraged unnecessary physical meetings by public servants; instead, he advocated conference calls. For nepotism, favoritism and abuse of office, Maguifuli has zero tolerance for them. Magufuli wouldn’t think twice to deal with an incompetent civil servant, who lacks the zeal to wholeheartedly work for the advancement of Tanzania. On September 6, 2018. He appointed Diwani Athumani as Director-General for the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB). Corruption itself is said to be: “the single greatest obstacle to economic and social development. It undermines development by distorting the rule of law and weakening the institutional foundation on which economic growth depends” (World Bank).

Magufuli’s attributes cannot be found in many African leaders, who actually know their responsibilities as heads of states but give deaf ears to them. When it was time to attend the United Nations General Assembly in New York, most African Heads of States took chartered flight to New York but for Magufuli, a commercial flight will do, perhaps to save cost. What a decisive and commendable move?

Another Magufuli Type of leader can be found in Mexico, its new President, Lopez Obrador, took a commercial flight instead of a chartered flight to attend the UNGA. Mr Obrador said he would be “ashamed to have a luxury Aero plane in a country with so much poverty.”

Saidina Alieu Jarjou

Political Activist

Government says ID card is D450. I say it should be free. Everyone says The Gambia Government cannot afford to make it free. Some claim the Government is in deficit while others say national documents are not free anywhere in the world! Really????

I think sometimes it is better for folks to listen to themselves first and critically interrogate their own information and knowledge before speaking.

Those who claim that the government cannot afford this or that, on what basis do you put that argument? Who can claim that The Gambia Government cannot afford anything? All the evidence in terms of source of revenue for The Gambia Government clearly tells me that our Government can indeed afford to provide national documents without citizens paying a butut. If not justify to me why the Government cannot.

I can defend my argument that The Gambia Government can.

1. GRA collects more than D9 billion every year
2. Public enterprises collect more than D10 billion every year. Just follow the Janneh Commission to hear the millions of dollars and dalasi being generated out of our public institutions
3. Under Janmeh the Gateway produces at least 2 million US dollars every month!
4. Under Barrow the same Gateway produces at least 800 thousand US dollars every month!
5. The Gambia has received loans and grants of over D10 billion since January 2017
6. So far we don’t even know how many millions we receive in royalties from contracts given to oil and other mining companies

Where is that money?

At the same time, if we cannot afford free national documents, yet we have seen…

1. The president spend D18 million on one country tour.
2. Within six months over D300 million was spent on foreign travels
3. The president has so far made millions of donations
4. Millions more have been spent on ceremonies and festivals so far
5. Millions of dollars of loans and grants are contracted and received respectively without any tangible impact on our lives.

Therefore if this government is in deficit who should be blamed and who should suffer for that? Do you ask why the Government is in deficit in the first place?

Our citizens pay high tax all their lives. Our Government takes loans beyond what it can carry. Our Government receives grants of huge amounts. Yet for 52 years we only attained the status of ‘Highly Indebted Poor Country’ and ranked as a ‘Least Developed Country’.

Yet today fellow citizens tell us our Government is in deficit and it cannot afford this or that and that in America or Europe citizens pay this and that.

Sometimes you really wonder whether it is our Government that is the problem or our people are the problem or both!

Yes in America and Europe citizens pay huge taxes too and pay for everything else but at the same time they receive quality public goods and services and enjoy the highest standard of living.

In The Gambia we also pay high taxes and pay for every other thing yet we do not enjoy those quality goods and services and we don’t enjoy any good standard of living. Despite this painful reality you can still have these same citizens defend that same Government for imposing more fees on our heads!

Meantime bear in mind that ID cards are renewed every 5 years. This means for the duration of our entire lives we will all comeback again every 5 years to pay D450 for this document. There is no doubt that in 10 years this D450 will double to D900 and going up. But still citizens say it is justifiable! Great!!!!

Honestly one can see that when you don’t have conscious and critically minded citizens you can only have a corrupt and useless Government that imposes all costs on the people yet those same people will come back to defend that same Government.

And that is what they call that fairness and constructive criticism. Smdh.

Good luck Gambia.

Let’s see how on earth we will ever develop! Let’s keep paying more taxes. Let’s keep allowing Government to impose more costs on us. Let’s keep pampering Government. Let’s keep defending Government that they can’t afford this or that. Let’s keep saying this is what also happens in America and Europe even if we don’t enjoy the kind of living standards that Americans and Europeans enjoy!

Good luck Gambia! ?

The Gambia Press Union demands a thorough and impartial investigation by the Inspector General of Police into an alleged assault on the cameraman of Eye Africa online television.

Bubacarr Manga was allegedly slapped by a member of the Police Intervention Unit on Sunday, 22 September 2018, while filming a meeting organised by a group of teachers in Abuko.

“The GPU condemns, in the strongest terms possible, this alleged outrageous conduct of a Police Intervention Unit (PIU) officer,” said GPU President Sheriff Bojang Jr.

Mr Manga told the GPU that at the time of the assault, he was standing next to his ‘big’ camera and ‘big’ tripod and was wearing his press badge around his neck, so he couldn’t have been mistaken for anybody else. Besides, there was no confrontation or chaos between the PIU officers and the teachers at the time of the incident.

This is not the first time attack on journalists occurred.

Last month, officials of the GPU paid a courtesy call on the Inspector General of Police to discuss the safety and security of media practitioners in the country.

The meeting followed an alleged assault by former ruling APRC party supporters on GRTS news crew during the funeral proceedings of Asombi Bojang, the mother of exiled ex-president, Yahya Jammeh.

Before that, Pa Modou Bojang, a Brikama-based journalist was allegedly beaten by members of the Police Intervention Unit during the June 2018 Faraba incident.

So far, in all these cases against journalists, the police have not made any arrest despite the promise by the IGP that investigations were open in each of the cases.

“It is prudent that the Gambia Police Force now act decisively to ensure those accused of their grave crimes against journalists are brought to book in the interest of both the credibility of the GPF and the safety and security of journalists”, the GPU president said.

The GPU executive will leave no stone unturned in making sure that the case of Bubacarr Manga, and those of others are pursued to their logical conclusion.

“It will no longer be business as usual for journalists to be harmed and there’s no justice”.

The GPU executive is scheduled to meet with the authorities of the Gambia Police Force on Tuesday September 25 at the police headquarters for discussion.

Alagi Yorro Jallow

Chichidodo is a bird found in some parts of Ghana, the unique thing with this bird is that it hates human excrement with all its soul, but Chichidodo only feeds on maggot. The maggot the bird loves so much grow best in human excrement. The bird spends most of the time next to human excrement making faces and flapping its feathers due to the foul smell but at the same time trying to get the maggots from the same excrement. Ayi Kwei Armah author of the book ‘the beautiful one are not yet born’ has used the behavior of this bird to draw comparison with an upright man working for corrupt government.

Chichidodo can be anyone who hates a vice with a passion, but the person gains directly or indirectly from the same vice. Taking the case of corruption in this country, corruption can be taken as the human excrement and the maggots that grow in it as the proceeds from corruption. The real Chichi dodo in the case of corruption are the people who claim to hate corruption, yet they wouldn’t want it eliminated.

We campaigned against corruption, there were public intellectuals who talked passionately against corruption. They wrote articles with brilliant ideas on how corruption can be eradicated and even gave talks in public forums about the same. Today if Anti- corruption commission is being considered, and in the way, they suggested, the story has changed. They are pouring cold water to the whole exercise with lame excuses that the purge is partisan and politically motivated. These public intellectuals are like chichi dodo bird, they hate corruption, but they still need it.

In social media, there are people who did brilliant posts exposing the corruption and we all joined in giving our little contributions. Today, these same people don’t want to hear anything about the purge on corruption. The mere thought that Adama can even think of fighting corruption gives them migraine, they would want him to prosecute his brother and mother if he wants to be taken seriously. But if they were to be sincere and stopped beating about the bush, they would simply tell Adama to cease the purge.

I am not sure whether we have chichidodo in social media since there are very few maggots that come this way, if any. But maybe the maggots come in form of content. Corruption gives us the content to write juicy posts and this gives us relevance and keeps the story going on. But maybe we are all chichidodo, we eat maggots from the shit and we wouldn’t want to get rid of the shit, the source of the maggots.

The President of The Gambia, Adama Barrow has downplayed the Finance Minister’s reports on the Government Officials travel expenditures that amounts to Hundreds of Millions from January to July, 2018.

President Barrow amidst shocking revelations of his Finance Minister, flew to New York for the UN General Assembly in a charter flight.

When asked at the Banjul International Airport about the report he said: “Its just $4 Million Dollars…Compared to other countries.”

But even if one goes along with what President Barrow has insinuated by comparing his claims with other countries like Tanzania, its a complete different story altogether. President Magufuli of Tanzania flew to New York for the UN General Assembly in a commercial flight.

When asked why a commercial flight, the Tanzanian President said

“I will channel the money I would have spent on a private jet and a huge entourage to savings for the purchase of more planes and revamp the Tanzanian airlines.”

The President of Mexico, Lopez Obrador on Wednesday night was stuck on the runway aboard a commercial flight for more than three hours in the Pacific Beach Resort of Huatulco, Mexico.

“I would cringe with shame at boarding a luxurious plane in country where there is so much poverty,” Lopez Obrador said.

In the contrary, President Barrow flew with a high powered delegation to New York for the UN General Assembly in a vista jet, a charter flight.

Vista jet is a global business aviation company that flew government, corporate and private clients between any two points, under a “pay for hour flown” fare structure. It is reported that from Banjul to New York is $15, 000 Dollars per hour with a direct flight of 8 hours. Thus, sixteen hours return flight will cost the Gambian tax payer a whopping $240,000.

The above estimates is only for flight cost with the exclusion of accommodation, per diem and food amongst other expenditures. The delegation that left on Saturday, 22nd September is expected back to The Gambia on the 1st October, 2018.

Gambia’s Finance Minister, Mambury Njie on Wednesday told lawmakers that Government Officials spent D239 Million Dalasi on travel expenditures including per diem in seven months.

Over D118 Million was spent at Office of the President in seven months while another D18 Million was spent on the President’s ten days nationwide tour.

The press release from State House only mentioned the First Lady, Cabinet Ministers and Government Officials but did not indicate the number of delegates to accompany the President to the 73rd UN General Assembly in New York.

The Fatu Network has contacted the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to shed light on the matter but they instead referred us to the Press Director at the Office of the President. The Director of Press, Amie Bojang Sissoho who is part of the delegation that accompanied the President was contacted but has not responded.

The per diem allowances for overseas travels and night allowances for the Government Officials are as follows:

Vice President £350. Secretary General, Ministers, Speaker of the National Assembly, Chairman PSC, Chairman National Planning Commission £300.

Deputy Secretary General, Secretary to Cabinet, Chairman IEC, Ombudsman £250.

Permanent Secretaries, Deputy Secretary to Cabinet, Governor Central Bank, Director Generals, Chief Executives, Managing Directors, Ambassadors, Director of Treasury, Auditor General, National Assembly Members, Deputy Ombudsman, Chief of Defence Staff, Inspector General of Police, Director General NIA, Executive Director NDEA, Commissioner General GRA, Statistician General and Chief of Protocol get £230.

Officials on Grade 12 and below £200. Drivers and Orderlies £130. Night allowances for all Grades D650 per night.

Meanwhile, the First Lady who is not a government official is allocated an unspecified allowance which is not captured in the Central Government’s Budget.

Given that the government of The Gambia recently declared that there will be food shortage this year due to the poor rains; and that over 1.7 million Gambians will require food aid during the coming year, it is absolutely insensitive to tell citizens to spend four hundred and fifty dalasis (D450) to acquire an ID Cards.

Given that the company contracted by government to issue these ID Cards is embroiled in many corruption scandals and that they have been shown to be fund of bribing their way throughout Africa in order to win contracts; and given that it has been revealed that they issue ID Cards and Passports to foreign nationals, it is wrong for government to ask Gambians to get ID Cards from this company.

Given that there are companies in the country that can do this work; that is issue these ID Cards presumably at a lower cost to citizens and that whatever profits generated will remain in the country, it is wrong for government to tell citizens to pay that huge amount of money to Semlex in order to get ID Cards. One would have thought that the government will promote indigenous companies in order to boast our economy.

This government has repeatedly told us that the economy they inherited was not good and that IMF advised the country to cut spending and put austerity measures in place to recover our former economic status; yet, we observe lavish spending on its part which suggests that the economy is not as bad as they want us to believe. Now that they want us to also pull out huge amounts only to acquire ID Cards, we should not allow them to drag us into that.

Due to all the above, I call on citizens to boycott the ID Cards from the Semlex Company!

Tha Scribbler

A Concerned Citizen

By Omar Wally

One Baboucarr Manga, a cameraman for Eye Africa TV, was allegedly assaulted by a paramilitary officer while providing media coverage at a meeting organized by teachers for change at Abuko.

Teachers for change is a pressure group formed by teachers in December last year to fight for their rights.Currently about 80% of basic secondary school teachers are on an indefinite sit down strike since Monday, September 17.

Lamin Kanteh, CEO of Eye Africa TV, confirmed the incident to the Fatu Network, saying when PIU officers arrived at the venue, he  instructed Manga to leave the hall.

‘Manga left the hall and was standing outside with his camera and tripod, that was when the officer went behind Manga and slapped him.’

When the officer slapped Manga, his colleagues confronted him asking him why he did that, the officers  boarded their vehicle and went back. Kanteh confirmed that Manga sustain injuries.

Meanwhile efforts to reach the Police PRO proved futile.

The former Paramount Chief of The Gambia, Demba Sanyang was Saturday, September 22 laid to rest in his native town of Lamin at 5pm.

Baba Demba as he was commonly called worked for many years at the State House, as a personal orderly of the former president, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara. He used to maintain the household of the first families, a job he held till 1994. His amiable nature and honesty endeared him to all those who interacted with him.

He held a similar position at the Prisons Department, where he supervised daily purchases and rations. That was his last job, before he was appointed Chief of Kombo North. He made quite an impression on the former president, in that position, and that was what prompted his appointment as the Chief of all chiefs in the country.

He was coronated in 2007, to much pomp and fanfare. He excelled in his role, making a name for himself, as a unifier, as a steady pair of hands in hard times. His health started failing in 2017, particularly his vision, and he resigned his position, as a result.

Mourners at the funeral speak of a man who had time for everyone, rich and poor alike, and was very generous. Alagie Babou, a childhood friend of the former Chief lauded him as a patriot, and a great family man.

He is survived by a wife, and ten children. This is not a loss for only Lamin, but the whole of the country. A grieving sister we spoke to cried.

He was laid to rest at the Lamin Cemetery.

Alagi Yorro Jallow

Following the completion of the Gambia’s electoral cycle at the Presidential, legislative, and municipal levels, it is evident that it’s time to overhaul the current Election Act and enact a new electoral system, a strategy that can deepen our democracy, improve the integrity of our national elections. In doing so, we hope that a new voting system will help to widen the understanding of the requirements for strong, democratic and cohesive society that can consolidate and sustain the Gambia’s nascent democracy and its electoral processes.

The adoption of a new constitution and new electoral system is the beginning of a new of era in Gambian politics. The Gambia is now at a crossroad between the past and the future. The past can never be restored, and the present cannot be sustained. The future is uncertain. Its course can only be influenced by a Third Republican Constitution and effective electoral system in place. The Gambia is not the only country on the continent to have abolished presidential term limits. It is, however, consensual that term limits can contribute to good governance and further deepen democracy in the country. The Gambia government should consider reinstating Presidential Term Limits as well as the requirement for Proportional Representation mode of election and an absolute majority for the successful candidate of any presidential election. In the same vein, and as part of future constitutional and legal reforms, to encourage consideration of the need to reinstate elections for community leaders (Seyfos and Alkalos), some of which play key roles in their localities during elections. The 1997 Constitution provides for the election of the President every five years and that an election must be held three months preceding the expiry of the incumbent’s term of office. If, on the first ballot, no one candidate receives more than 50 per cent of the vote, a second round takes place within 14 days President Jammeh’s key 2001 amendments included the removal of the previous two-term limit on the presidency and of the provision for a second ballot if a presidential candidate fails to obtain 50 Percent Plus One Vote, votes cast on a first ballot. Currently, Presidential elections take place under a simple majority system ‘first-past-the-post’ (FPTP) with the whole country effectively serving as a single constituency. Furthermore, 2003 amendment of section 48(3) of the constitution changed the voting system for presidential elections from “50 Percent Plus One Vote” absolute majority, a second round if no candidate obtained the required vote in the first round, to the first-past-the-post system (FPTP). The government of President Yahya Jammeh adopted the first-past-the-post method (FPTP) to ensure continuous victory in a country with a history of weak and fragmented civil society groups and opposition political parties. In the December 2016 elections, a coalition of opposition parties united and overcame their differences and fielded Adama Barrow as the standard -bearer of the coalition. The plurality electoral system allowed Barrow to win the elections.

President Barrow and his coalition government must be reminded that he presides over a minority government, as less than 50 percent of the voters elected him (he won 45.5 percent of the vote, with Jammeh at 37.7 percent, and a third-party candidate, Mama Kandeh, at 17.8 percent). President Barrow should champion to abolish the current electoral system of simple majority “first-past-thepost” (FPTP) voting system and introduce the Fifty-Percent-Plus-One vote. Here is where the problem begins with the current voting system: the government has failed in its quest for national cohesion and, worse, there is no deliberate effort by previous or current government to build a voting system, a Fifty-Percent-Plus-One, or the Proportional Representation voting system that will reinforce the Gambia’s democracy. The reforms cannot be entirely directed towards building a hardened ethno-political chauvinist electoral base. For example, despite the oddness and unfairness of the American electoral system, its defenders argue that it ordinarily “works” just fine. The winner-take-all system is bad for American electoral politics, just like the current “first-past-the-post” system is bad for Gambian democracy. The Electoral Reform Society is a political pressure group based in the United Kingdom that advocates abolishing the first past-the-post method (FPTP) for all elections. It argues FPTP is “bad for voters, bad for government and bad for democracy”. It is the oldest organization concerned with electoral methods in the world. Regardless, it is an incredibly easy move to simply propose an alternative vote system in our electoral politics, requiring more than fifty percent of the seats to be considered a majority government. Likewise, it would be an easy solution to work on implementing a Proportional Representation system, which is a whole new ball game. These are not challenging things to change and we need them for our democracy.

I believed that the upcoming constitutional and electoral reform promised by the government of President Adama Barrow may ignited the death of a political personality who protested for electoral reforms in the Gambia and precipitated a radical change of government after twenty-two years of autocracy. As part of the government’s reform promises, an alternative voting system should be adopted in the new Constitution and in the Election Act of the Gambia. The government of President Barrow and the Independent Electoral Commission should resolve to reform and abolish the current FPTP system of electing the president; adopt a Fifty-Percent-Plus-One voting system that will see the country turn away from the winner-takes-it-all scenario; and introduce a system of Proportional Representation that will enhance stability and the representation of minorities.
The Gambia had been using the FPTP or winner-takes-all system to elect presidents, members of the National Assembly, mayors, chairpersons and ward councilors. This new voting system will mean that candidates will have to amass more than fifty percent of the vote to win. In the second-round voting system, when no such majority is obtained by any candidate in the first poll, a runoff should be held in which the two candidates who obtained the highest numbers of valid votes should be the only candidates to run in a second round of polls. On the face of it, the proposal is straightforward and makes logical sense. Yet, it is more complex than it first appears, and if adopted it would revolutionize the way electoral politics is done in the country. This proposed new voting system will reduce the toxic politics of regionalism and tribalism in our electoral politics. These two electoral systems, Fifty-Percent-Plus-One and Proportional Representation will also enhance national stability, which is the bedrock of any successful nation. A simple majority (FPTP) system is not fair, and the standard electoral objections ring a tad hypocritical when we consider that most candidates receive less than fifty percent of the vote, and that parties regularly form “majority” governments with far less than fifty percent of popular support. Yet, when it comes to switching to a system where more votes matter, a true majority of voters suddenly is good enough for our democracy.

On the issue of representation, Proportional Representation will be dramatically improved through this 50 % + 1 vote system as compared to under FPTP. The proposed system of voting patterns will show that all the major parties have significant support in all areas of areas across the country. Proportional Representation would honor the diversity of opinion, so all regions would have representation from both political parties, and quite likely minorities will have better representation as well. Regional sweeps by a single party would be a thing of the past. Rural and Urban voters would still have the same amount of representation, but they wouldn’t all be the same color anymore. In addition, all regions of the province would elect representatives to both the government and the opposition under a proportional system. Entire regions of the province would no longer be completely shut out of government decision-making, as they are now, with all their representatives doomed to irrelevance on opposition benches. Political parties have long enjoyed “majority” governments while representing only a minority of voters.

The country has only elected one true majority government in its history. That was in 1996 and 2001, when one party, the APRC of President Yahya Jammeh won 55.6 percent and 58 percent of the vote, which was magically transformed by FPTP into 95 percent of the seats! Garnering 55.6 per cent of the national vote, Yahya Jammeh’s election victory was deemed dubious by observers, who considered the poll neither free nor fair. Nevertheless, he was declared the civilian President of The Gambia in October 1996, and has ruled since Proportional representation forces parties to either earn the majority power or cooperate with other parties. Either way, the legislation that is passed reflects the will of a true majority of voters and is much less likely to be reversed immediately after the next election. Studies show that countries with proportional representation have better outcomes in terms of voter satisfaction and voter turnout. People understand that their votes matter, regardless of their party preference. The choice in the upcoming constitutional and electoral reforms must come down to one basic principle: do we believe that one minority after another should have the right to do as they please, or do we opt for a system which represents voter preferences more fairly? When you compare how these systems work for voters, rather than parties, there’s no comparison: for Fifty-Percent-Plus-One and Proportional Representation win hands down.

Ever since Donald Trump won the Presidency in November 2016, many Americans have been complaining about their “outdated” political model, known as the Electoral College. Some pundits believed that is “undemocratic” and needs to be reviewed, to ensure that the presidential candidate with the clear majority in the popular vote is elected. First, as we’ve seen, a candidate can receive the most votes on a national scale and still lose in the Electoral College. In all, five presidential candidates have won the most votes but lost the presidency. In 2000, George W. Bush was declared the winner of the general election and became the 43rd president, but he did not win the popular vote. Al Gore garnered about 540,000 more votes than Bush. However, Bush won the electoral vote, 271 to 266. In 2016, Donald Trump won the electoral vote by 304 to 227 over Hillary Clinton, but Trump lost the popular vote. Clinton received nearly 2.9 million more votes than Trump, according to an analysis by the Associated Press of the certified results in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Second, under a winner-take-all system, most of states are shunted to the sidelines, forced to watch from afar as the candidates fight it out in a few battleground states. “The Connecticut state House passed a measure that would give the state’s electoral votes to the presidential candidate who won the popular vote, if enough states promise to do the same. The bill would have the state join an interstate compact that grants participating states’ votes to candidates who wins the popular vote,” the Hartford Courant reported. In short, the new Third Republican Constitution must reinstate the principle of having a president who is put into office by the absolute majority principle. It should be a requirement that no one would be declared a president if he or she does not have more than 50 percent of the votes cast. The Jammeh administration removed this provision in the 1997 Second Constitution and replaced it with the simple majority principle where one could win an election without having the support of the majority of voters.