Alagi Yorro Jallow

Nine U.S. presidents without college degrees:

Captain Thomas Sankara & President Paul Kagame without College Degree:

Education is essential: Leaders make people to be believe. It is down to biology. We do not identify with the frontal cortex of our brain, we identify with the limbic part of the brain, where “gut” decisions come from. You will often hear people say that they can feel a person. Not necessarily from the logical force of their argument but from a deeper instinctive place that just resonates with them. (Excerpts from Simon Sinek on inspiration and leadership).

 Nine American presidents and State governors who didn’t go to college are: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, and Harry Truman. I tried to reason the constitutional provision on the qualification for president of the Republic of the Gambia in the new constitution. I would propose that no person may be elected President unless he is a natural-born citizen of the Gambia, a registered voter, able to read and write, at least forty years of age on the day of the election, and a resident of the Gambia for at least ten years immediately preceding such election.

 I noticed that the qualification for President is not the same as the qualification for Supreme Court Judge or President of a University. For example, a Supreme Court Judge or a University President must be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence. It seems that anybody can be President, but not anybody can be a Supreme Court Judge or President of a University. A senior secondary school graduate can be President, but to be or Supreme Court Judge, a person or President of a University, one must have high moral and academic qualifications.

 I realize that we do not need a highly educated person to provide us with roads, bridges, school buildings, health care, affordable rice and nice resorts, but we need a person with a high level of education, with cognitive skills, moral standards to decide who goes to jail or not. Indeed, different jobs need different kinds of qualifications, but to sit beside the Kings of kings and the Lord of lords in his glory requires faith not work

 Two of Africa’s two great statemen did not have college degree only secondary school certificate and military trainings. Captain Thomas Sankara and President Paul Kagame have showed the world that leadership is a choice. It is independent of position; it is an inside job. It is earned by action. It is transferable, it is scalable. As Amilcar Cabral said – to put the interests of the masses first.

 I discovered there have been nine United States presidents without college degrees, who never attended college or completed a degree. So how did they make it to the White House? Two things—literacy and a healthy dose of curiosity.

Each one of these presidents knew their education had been limited—some of them with as little of one year of formal schooling! Each of them made the decision to own their education and take it beyond the classroom. They filled their libraries with great books. When they wanted to know something, they would go to an expert source. They knew an education could be gained without years in school. They studied law without going to law school. They had tutors and mentors—men that they trusted for information. In time, they became the experts.

 Our modern, information-saturated society unfortunately believes education must take place in the traditional classroom setting. Having a college degree makes presidential candidates attractive. It makes anyone attractive. It’s essential.

But here’s the rub. You don’t ever have to step inside a lecture hall to be educated, no matter what the college admissions officer tells you. It isn’t daily attendance to lectures that make someone great. It’s the desire to learn. The curiosity that propels you to study, to know a subject deeply.

When you combine that curiosity with practical life experience, you have raw potential for greatness on your hands. You can study like the presidents and still get your degree.

That’s one of the main appeals of Unbound. Unbound students are gaining real life experience while earning college degrees outside of the traditional classroom. For them, it isn’t an either-or situation. They do both and so can you.

Nine of U.S. presidents have proven that it takes more than just a college degree to achieve greatness. What can you be doing in addition to earning your degree that will set you apart.

How extraordinary that we live in a time when education, critical thinking skills, knowledge of history, and intelligence are not virtues but the mark of the elite. I reject the idea that ” good old common sense” with a dollop of superstition makes one suitable for leadership.
Perhaps if we had a more educated electorate have better leadership in the country.Education,by whatever means is not a negative.But just because a leader doesn’t have a college degree doesn’t mean that leader is a bumpkin only fit for a minimum wage job.
Unfortunately, getting a college degree does not mean that someone is smarter or more qualified to be a leader. You can be a book smart and life or street stupid. No number of degrees will make someone who isn’t ready for the real world when they enter politics. The nine presidents who didn’t go to college are: George Washington, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Grover Cleveland, and Harry Truman, and they were effective leaders unlike president Woodrow Wilson, the only US president with a doctoral degree who is described as one the worst president in US history.

 In Africa, Presidents Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Laurent Gbagbo of Ivory Coast and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe are  bulimic educated elites with the highest level of education, hoard their countries little national wealth that is still available to shamelessly enrich themselves, accumulate stolen capital in tax havens, sending their children to get university education in Western countries before they return to perpetuate the system that oppresses the people, in complete collaboration with the Western powers which continue to pillage the continent in complete impunity. They example of bad leadership on record as the worst educated leaders in Africa with extraordinary academic accomplishments.

 Captain Thomas Sankara and Paul Kagame who does not have college education but have projects that reshaped the living conditions of their people in a meaningful way. They impacted on people’s consciousness, contributing to changing people’s attitudes which until were formed by a set of beliefs dating from feudal and archaic times.

Sankara and Kagame without college degrees achieved what no African head of states has managed to be accomplished: To give back to their people the dignity they had lost through centuries of humiliation and exploitation by colonialism and the elites of the post-independence era.

The improvements in the living conditions of the people of Burkina Faso and Rwanda is the result of the good leadership from the Sankara and Kagame, from the construction across of many mega infrastructures to allow rural populations to cultivate many crops during the year, increasing their sources of income, to the complete transformation and the accomplishment of ambitious programs to clean up ghettos

I read somewhere that leadership is the ability to motivate and inspire others to take positive and sustainable action. This principle is not pegged to the number of followers. It can just as easily apply to a household or a relationship.

 The underlying objective is not merely to lead but how well we lead that counts. At the most basic level, a true leader must live by example. All talk and no action won’t cut it. I will not emphasize this enough, we are ALL capable of being great leaders. We are already leaders in some way, shape or form and within certain circles. From the level of close relationships to groups to community to country, continent and the planet, we are all capable of providing leadership.

Reports reaching The Fatu Network has it that television crew from the national broadcaster, GRTS that travelled to Foni Bujinga to cover the burial of the mother of former president Jammeh, Fatou Asombi Bojang, was attacked.

Their camera, according to information gathered was also seized by angry youth of the village.

The crew was however saved and are currently on their way back to the Kombos.

A source told The Fatu Network earlier that the Bojang family demanded for privacy to bury their death upon arrival at The Banjul International Airport.

According to the manifest of the special flight that flew in the body of Fatou Asombie Bojang into Banjul, a few family members escorted her body. This includes one Kaddy Colley and Landing Jarju.

The flight landed into Banjul at 16:50pm local time shortly after which her coffin was transported directly to Bujinga in the West Coast Region on board an ambulance provided by Mbowen Clinic.

Sources say some members of the delagation upon arrival proceeded to The State House to meet with President Adama Barrow. The reason for the meeting was not disclosed to us.

“Also two flights were seen heading to Banjul but the second one never landed, it was in the air space until Brussels Airlines flight 203 was about to land before it gave way”. A source told The Fatu Network.

The source added that the said flight could be air support to escort the one carrying the body of the former President, Yahya Jammeh.

‘The escort is still in Gambia air space, it may be a military flight as it does not have a call sign and by international law they don’t have to have on”. The source concluded.

At the request of family members, people around the airport were not allowed to take photos. There was also a card attached to the coffin with the APRC logo on it with ‘Rest in Peace’ message. Some say that is most likely from Jammeh.

Meanwhile, the late Fatou Asombie Bojang is expected to be laid to rest today, Saturday, August 4 at her home village of Bujinga.

The Body of the late Fatou Aja Asombie Bojang, mother of former President, Yahya Jammeh is expected to arrive at the Banjul International Airport at 4:50pm local time.

The body is on board a special flight, CS-FAF Ceiba intercontinental Boeing 737 operated by White Airways.

According to internet search, White Airways is a Portuguese charter airline headquartered in Porto Salvo. It is said to mainly operate charter flights from Lisbon on behalf of tour opeartors as well as on lease on behalf of other airlines.

Once the body of the late Fatou Asombie Bojang arrives in Banjul, it will be escorted to her home village of Foni Bujinga in the West Coast Region where she will be laid to rest.

Information reaching The Fatu Network has it that the government’s policy on the tourism sector known as “The all inclusive” is seriously affecting businesses at the industry.

According to sources, due to the said policy, tourists pay everything to hotels before their arrival including transport, craft materials, food and drinks amongst others.

It is said that 20% of The Gambia’s GDP comes from the tourism sector making it second to the agricultural sector which is said to be the economic backbone of the country.

“There is lot of redundancy in the tourism sector,” Baba Singhateh said.

Singhateh, a local hotel employee told The Fatu Network that majority of them are working on a six months contract basis after which they are asked to stay home untill the next season. He added that they stay home for six months without salary.

“The salary is very low. Many of us rely on tips from the tourists,” he added.

The young hotel employee complained bitterly about the behavior of some tour operators whom he accused of telling negative things to tourists about the country.

“The ‘all inclusive’ is killing the industry,” he told The Fatu Network.

He ridiculed the tourism minister’s claims of the all year round tourist season which he said was a failure, saying the industry has experienced the worst ever off season.

Over 90% of the hotels, restaurants and supermarkets at the tourism industry are at least owned and operated by foreign nationals which make them the biggest beneficiaries of the sector.

Sarja Krubally, President of the Brikama Craft Market also lamented that the ‘all inclusive’ is threatening their businesses.

“All inclusive is the biggest problem affecting our businesses. We want the government to help us,” Sarja said.

The President of the Brikama Craft Market told The Fatu Network that they are good citizens who want to contribute to the development plans of the country. He added that they want to have a dialogue with the government about their concerns.

According to him, there are seven craft markets in the country with hundreds of employees who are earning livelihoods to support their families. He said there are over sixty stores at Brikama Craft Market.

“The all inclusive only favours hotel owners because everything is included in the tickets of the tourists,” he lamented.

Ansumana Colley, a tourist taxi driver also explained the same challenges with the ‘all inclusive’ affecting their businesses. He said the hotels are offering everything to the tourists.

“We cannot even have trips anymore,” Colley told The Fatu Network.

The tourist driver said the hotels are arranging their own transports for trips within the country and outside the borders.

Meanwhile, the tourism minister could not be reached for comments but efforts are underway to meet him.

Alagi Yorro Jallow

Mamudu: This country has lost so much to corruption and indiscipline that huge sums of money meant for infrastructural projects have lined up private pockets as well as in private bank accounts.  If we keep living like this, a developed Gambia will remain a mirage! Our core problem is not just corruption, it is indiscipline! There appear to be no big solution to this country’s problems. But there are little solutions that, when combined, will ultimately create the big solution. Let us tackle corruption, incompetence, indiscipline in our private lives, while a committed leadership tackles them at the national level.

Mamudu: If only we could do something about these two cancers that are blighting our country, the Gambia would once again have the opportunity of holding its head high among the comity of nations. Otherwise, no matter how hard we worked, it would only be like fetching water with basket.

 Just like indiscipline, corruption is now found in every facet of our life. This canker has serious ramifications for our country’s survival.

Rome, it is said, was not built in one day. We must commit to the input-process-output model if we are truly sincere about growth and progress. I do not think fasting and praying are as effective as upright living. I have said that before and I am saying it again. Religious rituals, with corruption, without righteousness, are mere exercise in futility.

Indiscipline and corruption account for almost all the problems that we are facing as a nation and affect almost every facet of our lives. These breed selfishness and not caring for what happens to the person next to you, stealing, robbery and all manner of related crimes.

Mamudu: Consider this; Littering and disposing garbage in residential areas. Haphazard construction in total disregard to physical planning rules. Dirty and disorganized public markets where traders take no responsibility to clean after themselves. Unregulated hawking supported by populist politics. Senior public officials driving on the wrong side of the road. Rowdy student’s incapable of dialogue. Absentee teachers in public learning institutions.

For if a politician put in charge of the country’s purse is corrupt and the police, who must arrest the politician, are corrupt, and the nurse, who must look after the patient, is corrupt and the judge, who must find people culpable and punished, is himself/herself corrupt, then whither are we drifting as a nation.

Politics based on glorified violence. Unruly law enforcement officers. A public transport system driven by hooliganism and lack of respect for passengers.

Indiscipline leads to disregard for law and order. An environment where disregard for order is the norm, where anything goes, such indiscipline manifests itself as corruption. Leaders like Paul Kagame of Rwanda understand this. That is why in Kigali, there is so much focus on the “petty” order issues – like being tough on littering, traffic offenses and order in public transportation.

Mamudu: Some months ago, residents in certain locations within the Greater Banjul Area told of harrowing experiences with bot fly maggots burrowing under their skin due to an unkempt dump site in the town. The bot fly experience is also visiting those living near a dumpsite next to Bakoteh. If the municipal and central governments where disciplined enough to respect NEA rules on waste disposal, this dehumanizing experience with bot flies would not have happened in the first place.

Mamudu: In Bakoteh, the largest poorly managed dump site is in the middle of a residential area. Nobody is in a hurry to relocate the dump site to a more appropriate location. It seems “fixing” roads and planting grass on Banjul Highway is important but not as much as the restoration of human dignity. The Bakoteh dump site operates as if the country is devoid of adequate environment and waste disposal law. The authority tasked with regulating the environment is yet to muster the courage to charge the Kanifing Municipal council and government officials in court.

This obsession with indiscipline follows us even in death. A visit to certain public cemeteries serves as an apt illustration of our indiscipline. Both public cemeteries have ran out of space. Our collective indiscipline cannot allow us to accept that fact. Government and municipal councils are busy elsewhere with lucrative contracting and not with “petty” but important things that give dignity to humanity. The effort to procure new land for cemeteries both in the country has fallen off the list of priorities for both central and local governments.

It is now common to find one fresh grave atop another. Dead bodies are being buried in pathways within the cemeteries. Grave memorials and tombstones are being desecrated to find space for the new dead. Disturbed marble plaques and concrete crosses lying hopelessly everywhere.

Rather than encouraging the country government fix the cemetery crisis, families are now busy “buying” and fencing off sections of the cemetery in advance, to secure a final resting place for their loved ones. Unfortunately, even certain communities within public cemetery is not spared the ongoing desecration.

Methinks that to effectively fight corruption, we must restore the place of order in our lives and ruthlessly punish indiscipline. From the ordinary man littering the streets, the public official who thinks traffic laws are not meant for him and the greedy real estate developer, together with his facilitators building on riparian land.

Mamudu: In this country, it is quite common to see people flout rules with impunity and get away with it. We pride ourselves on the façade of practicing the rule of law when everyone in Gambia has become a law onto themselves. Gambians litter indiscriminately and do not care a hoot whatever the consequences would be, we flout traffic regulations with careless abandon and create additional lanes without care, we park our cars anywhere and anyhow, sell at unauthorized places and erect structures indiscriminately even on waterways.

Did you notice the chaos, the absence of decorum, the indecency, the noise, and the child-like indiscipline? For years we have agonized over the Gambia’s failure to take off, development wise; the country’s inability to meet its potentials despite it being abundantly blessed with human and natural resources. For the nation’s present and past predicament, we have, like President Adama Barrow, looked for someone or something to blame. But we seem to have forgotten those little things that matter – personal discipline, self-respect, decency, humility, and sense of order. These are defining characteristics that are mostly absent in the social lives of our political and business elite. Any wonder why the country has been so continually messed up? How can a group of politicians most of who have little or no self-esteem, no social grace, and whose personal conduct so belittles their high offices possibly birth and superintend over an orderly society?

Mamudu: Many years ago, Gambians prided themselves on neatness and order which mostly prevailed in the countryside. This beautiful heritage is, unfortunately, also gradually fading away as people from the cities, with their bad habits, are infesting the communities with their crooked ways. When we travel abroad, we come back with tales of how neat and orderly the places we visited were. But Gambia can only be like the developed countries if we are determined to make it so. Now, we need to revolutionize the way we do things and ensure attitudinal change in people.

A non-Gambian could not but leave with the impression that Gambians are a noisy and unruly lot, a people lacking in self-respect and personal discipline, and who do not appreciate beauty and order. We should be worried when those who pass off this impression of the Gambians are the cream of our political elite, men and women who initiate laws, who formulate and implement policies.

 Is it any wonder this cartel of political elite cannot envision the Gambia in 50 years and put structures in place to make such vision a reality? Any wonder why nobody seems to be thinking of tackling the education and health of the burgeoning youth population in the short and long term? Any wonder why a president would advertise the list of proposed infrastructural development and number of employment opportunities for youth and celebrate that as an achievement, or a legislator commission a pit latrine as constituency project?

Mamudu: We have all been caught in the quagmire; the educated and uneducated, the teacher and the student, the farmer and the office worker, the mechanic and the driver, the ruling authorities and the ruled. We are all involved. The phenomenon had become such a canker that it may need God’s divine intervention to free us.

State House, Banjul, 3 August 2018

His Excellency, President of the Republic, Adama Barrow, on Friday morning received the Letter of Credence of the new Qatari Ambassador to the Gambia, His Excellency Faisal Fahad Abdallah al-Mane’a, at the State House in Banjul.

After inspecting the Quarter Guard mounted in his honour by the Presidential Guard, the Ambassador met the President to present the official letter of assignment. A closed-door meeting followed during which the President expressed gratitude to the State of Qatar for immensely supporting the development efforts of the country, despite a difficult relationship with the previous regime.

‘’Immediately after the change of government, Qatar expressed interest to continue the cooperation and relationship between our two countries. Not only did they send a delegation to express solidarity with us, they also maintained and reopened our embassy in their country,’’ the  President said.

While urging the Ambassador to follow in the footstep of his predecessor, who had so much goodwill for The Gambia, the President expressed best wishes and assurance of the highest consideration during his tour of duty.

For his part, Ambassador Faisal extended greetings from the Emir of the State of Qatar, and promised to strengthen the strong ties between the two countries.

Meanwhile, the President of the Republic also received in audience the Attorney General, Dr. Ali Bin Fetais Al-Marri, at the State House.  During the closed-door discussion, the special envoy was full of praise for the President’s style of leadership and ambition to transform the country.

‘’Other countries and leaders request cash and financial support from us but President Barrow requested technical support to promote the rule of law, justice and good governance. You [referring to President Barrow] choose the Mandela way’’, he stated.

According to Qatari Attorney General, that demonstration of the seriousness and visionary leadership of the President serves as a strong motivation to support the development of The Gambia. He added that The Gambia is changing and Qatar  wants to be part of that history by supporting the justice delivery mechanism in the country.

President Adama Barrow thanked the State of Qatar, through the Attorney General, for supporting his government. He said he is particularly impressed by the commitment shown to support the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparation Commission and the forthcoming OIC Summit, which will be hosted in the country by 2019.

Dr. Omar Janneh (PhD)

In my view the TRRC Act, 2017 has bestowed too much power onto the President to appoint, upon consultation with the Minister and the Public Service Commission, the Executive Secretary to the TRRC [TRRC Act, 2017; section 22(2)]. I hold the same view in regards to the power the Act confers on the Minister to appoint a Deputy Executive Secretary to the Commission.

Overall, the powers conferred to the President by the Act is excessive: The President is empowered to appoint the members (TRRC Act; section 5(1), Chairperson & Deputy Chairperson (TRRC Act, 2017; section 5(2), Executive Secretary (TRRC Act, 2017; section 22(2) as well as fill any vacancies that arise (TRRC Act, 2017; section 12). Further, the President is able to remove Commissioners (TRRC Act, section 10(1-3) and may also be able to remove the Executive Secretary (TRRC Act, 2017; section 22(6). It can be argued that the President may be prejudiced in his hiring, firing and rehiring of some Commission staff. Further, we  must also realise that the President, the Executive Secretary and probably the Minister fought against the tyrannical rule of the previous regime whose human rights abuses the Commission is set up to investigate. To my mind, the conflict of interest is obvious. Some of the victims who have waited so long for justice may see nothing wrong with conflict of interest. To the perpetrators of the crimes (and most likely the international community), the appointments and possible firing/rehiring of conflicted individuals (President, Minister, and Executive Secretary) may be prejudiced and may be justifiably perceived as being fair. I am not a lawyer, but I believe justice has to be seen to be delivered fairly.

[Some questions that will not go away from my mind are: Were the victims or families of affected victims ever asked what they want or expect out of the TRRC prior to the construction of the Act? If not, would it not have been more reasonable to construct the Act at the conclusion of a comprehensive public consultation on the matter? To me, it seems that the Act was constructed without public consultations and it is only now that they are doing the public meetings. If this is true, then the Act is a work of fiction. If they had constructed the Act following due process, they would have a good chance in capturing something in the Act that matches the expectations of the victims. The current Act cannot deliver what it promises – the last time I checked, the streets of the Gambia were not paved in gold. Why do we like to put the cart before the horse in the Gambia?]

One would have thought that such appointments should not have been left, at best, in the hands of an individual. The work is complex and potentially toxic and so appropriate checks must be applied to ensure that appropriate vetting took place so that the most suitably qualified individual is always recruited. This can only be effectively carried out if we take corrective measures that ensure that we carefully plan what it is that we want to do and assemble a team composed of individuals who have the intuition to do such complex work. Thus my suggestion for a better procedure in regards to composing the team in the TRRC Secretariat, and where possible staff to the Commission, would have been as follows:

• Following the outcome of a public consultation and the drafting of the TRRC Act, an impartial body composed of suitably qualified individuals with integrity, vision, good track record (in recruitment and selection) and influence be constituted to consider applications to the post(s) through a competitive process which follows good standards and processes (by the way, using a GMAIL is unacceptable!);
• The body makes recommendations [to e.g., Parliament (– a body) and not the President or Minister as the former is definitely conflicted] to appoint the individual(s) qualified for the post, based on merit.

On the appointment of the Executive Secretary to the TRRC: It is my view that the TRRC Act, 2017 conferred too much power onto the President to appoint an individual, upon consultation with the Minister and the Public Service Commission, to this post. Anyone who has read the TRRC Act, 2017 and knows the academic qualifications, skills and competencies which are explicitly stated and implied to do the work would know that the President has got the appointment of Executive Secretary to the Commission very wrong. For a start, the President is conflicted – he fought against the previous regime and should not have been empowered by the Act to appoint an Executive Secretary to the Commission who also brings conflict of interest to the post. Most of us, if not all, know that Dr. Baba G. Jallow was wronged by the former regime, resulting in his exile in the US for some 16 or more years, so he may well have to appear before the Commission. I think the perpetrators of the crimes may be justifiably concerned that the process may not be impartial or perceived to be fair. Is this what we mean when we say new Gambia?

Heading the Secretariat is a challenging assignment, but also a potentially rewarding one if the work of the Commission can be successfully completed as it will make attractive the resumes of those involved. But what about the rest of us when the TRRC goes wrong, as it is likely to? While it can be considered almost wrong or a weakness to shy away from challenges, we must declare if some challenges are a little beyond our capabilities, i.e., whether, in the interest of doing the job well, one is suitably qualified to take on some challenges. Having read the TRRC Act, 2017 which specifically addressed the criteria and responsibilities of the Executive Secretary, it is my view that Dr. Jallow could have declined the job offer from the President on grounds that he does not fulfil most of the items which could be broadly described as essential and desirable. Further he too must know that he brings conflict of interest to the job. I have come to the decision, with regret, that Dr. Jallow is not suitably qualified for the post of Executive Secretary of the Commission and some of my reasons can be summarised as follows:

1. That there is conflict of interest because he was a victim of the rights abuses of the former regime. The perpetrators of the crimes may have legitimate concerns that the Commission is prejudiced against them in appointing him to this role; the process must be perceived to be fair and his presence in the post does not give the process the impartiality it deserves;
2. That he does not have the experience of 10 years in administration or management (TRRC Act, 2017; section 22(4)(b) required to hold the post. Although I describe the TRRC Act, 2017 as a work of fiction, there must be a good reason why the requirement of at least 10 years in administration or management was inserted in it. Indeed, upon reading the Act, one can explicitly see the need for an appointee to fulfil these criteria, with many more reasons being implied;
3. That it is doubtful if Dr. Jallow possesses competencies in the other duties and responsibilities required to effectively and with distinction carry out the duties of the post such as outlined in the following sections of the TRRC Act, 2017: 24; 26; 27(2); 28; 31(2)(a)(i-ii); and 32(a)(b).
4. In regards to item 3 above, one can argue that the TRRC Act, 2017 empowers our Dr. Jallow (the conflicted Executive Secretary) to appoint and engage consultants, and advisers as the Commission mayrequire (TRRC Act, 2017; section 24(1) & (3). The problem with him appointing staff or Consultants to the Commission is that he cannot be perceived to be impartial in his appointments because he was a victim of the rights abuses the Commission is set up to look into. And please allow me to insert some cautionary notes here. In order to avoid the cost of this time-limited Commission spiraling out of control, in the best case scenario, the Executive Secretary must be able to do much of the work himself or recruit an individual(s) who can do what he cannot do; that individual must also have considerable influence. On the issue of spiraling costs, Dr.Jallow’soffice is in a hotel, which in all likelihood is not free. Our governments are quite good at saying and writing what they want to do for the people they are meant to serve – as if money grows on trees, but very poor – without much effort, at costing and doing things well, and a large percentage of us fall so easily for their promises – every time.

I do not doubt Dr. Jallow’s abilities as a fine historian and a fine writer too, which is necessary for this work, but I question his other skills and competencies to do this assignment well. We must not confuse title/knowledge/capacity to do a job with leadership. Titles hold no value when it comes to leadership or capacity to do a job and do it well which is always of paramount, most especially here. Leadership may often be assigned, or awarded, but true leadership is earned and one has to invest in it for a considerable amount of time to acquire good leadership skills. By appointing someone with even lower qualifications, leadership skills and influence as Deputy Executive Secretary, I believe we are missing the opportunity to establish a strong team in the Secretariat of the TRRC.

On the appointment of the Deputy Executive Secretary to the Commission: The TRRC Act, 2017 empowers the Minister to appoint the Deputy Executive Secretary to the Commission upon consultation with the Executive Secretary (TRRC Act, 2017; section 22(7). However, the appointment of Ms Musu Bakoto Sawo to the Deputy Executive Secretary could have passed some very basic checks. In my view, empowering the Minister and the conflicted Executive Secretary to appoint a Deputy Executive Secretary undermines the impartiality of the Commission and may be perceived improper. Further, it is not sufficient for the (conflicted) Executive Secretary to give the recommendation to appoint Ms Sawo as Deputy Executive Secretary a nod without the (conflicted) Executive Secretary exercising his duties by using the provision the Act confers upon him, in regards to appointments. Here, section 24(1) of the TRRC Act, 2017 says ‘The Executive Secretary mayappoint through a competitive recruitment process, such other staff as the Commission mayrequire.’ In my view, it would have been reasonable, justifiable and proper for the Executive Secretary to work within the spirit of the provision of the Act in regards to making his position known to the Minister so that public funds are used appropriately. After all, it is the Executive Secretary who has responsibility over the use of the Commission’s funds (TRRC Act, 2017; section 28). In short, did Dr. Jallow ask the Minister if the recruitment of Ms Sawo to the Commission pass the competition test (TRRC Act; section 24(1)? I suppose I can see how the (conflicted) Executive Secretary could feel awkward asking such a question, because his own appointment may not have passed the competition test. Will we ever know?

The point here is that if we can shout our lungs out when we are on the touch lines, we must ensure that we do what is expected of us when we are in theatre. It is an insult to our intelligence to assume that we can be fooled; perhaps some can be, but not all. We have all lived through some failures (-I mean governments but I suppose applicable to self). Therefore, going forward, we must work in a manner that shows that we have understood and learnt from past failures. This reflective practice is important for our recovery. Let’s abhor mediocrity; we can either choose to do the TRRC well or ask the victims what they want/expect for the wrongs they endured under Jammeh. To do it well, we would need to bridge the capacity gap by securing the engagement of highly skilled individuals, Commissioner(s) and an able Chairperson who bring impartiality to the task and can help direct the functions of the Secretariat (TRRC Act, 2017; section 23(1)(f) and the Commission. And the recruitment and selection of staff to the Commission must be done by individuals who will not undermine the impartiality of the Commission.

The Spokesperson of The Gambia Government, Ebrima Sankareh has said that the former President Yahya Jammeh will not escort his mother’s corpse or attend her burial.

The demise of Aja Asombi Bojang, mother of the former President Yahya Jammeh was received with sympathy by Gambians regardless of political, religious and tribal affiliation.

President Barrow has officially sent condolences while a high power delegation led by the country’s Vice President, Ousainou Darboe with some state ministers went to pay respect to the former President’s family.

Despite former President Yahya Jammeh’s denial for Gambias who died in exile to be buried in The Gambia, the corpse of his own mother was allowed to return for a befitting burial at her home village.

“The mother of the former president is a Gambian citizen who was born in the Gambia and it is her wish to be buried here,” Spokesperson Sankareh told The Fatu Network.

However, the Government issued press releases on the demise of the former President’s mother but did not state whether the former president would escort the corpse to The Gambia.

Sankareh added: “The former President will not be coming to the burial. He has no plans to attend it. The government is not aware of any plans of him coming to The Gambia.”

The Government Spokesperson said the corpse will be escorted by Equatorial Guinea Government officials but could not ascertain whether a relative of the former President will be part of the delegation.

“Maybe a relative of the former president in Equatorial Guinea will also escort the corpse,” he said.

Sankareh commended the authorities of Equatorial Guinea for making arrangements to send the body over to The Gambia.

Meanwhile, the Spokesperson has emphasized that the decision of bringing the corpse of the former president’s mother was entirely taken by The Gambia Government.

In the issue of The Standard Newspaper of Thursday, 2^ndAugust 2018, Mr Almamy Fanding Taal, spokesperson of the United Democratic Party is quoted as saying that ‘there is no argument or issue that the UDP has with the Barrow Youth Movement for National Development….’. He went further to postulate ‘We have the majority and we are very grateful to the Gambian electorate.’

I am flabbergasted by these statements of my Comrade Mr Almamy Taal. Given the damage and harm that political patronage, nepotism and cronyism have caused in this country, one would have thought that the United Democratic Party, the de facto ruling party in the country to stand up for good governance and the promotion of the rule of law and following due process.

The current inquiry into the financial activities of former president Yahya Jammeh, his close relatives and associates show clearly that political patronage only encourages corruption and nepotism to the detriment of the Gambian masses. We know that prior to being elected president, no one named an association after him. Thus, naming an association after him now is just a way to get close to the corridors of power with a view to gaining something from him.

A sitting president is a servant of the people who pay him and thus his focus should entirely be on how to serve the nation. We pay Pres. Adama Barrow two hundred thousand dalasis every month and as such, his entire waking moments have been bought and paid for by Gambian taxpayers. Focusing on any movement (whatever the name, be it development or progress) is a form of cheating the nation.

I am not against any association or movement but why name it after our democratically elected president? We don’t want any conflict of interest. We want our president to focus on national development. The Barrow Youth Movement has the potential to derail the president as we see them traveling with the president and making pronouncements and even the president now talking about their projects.

We heard, and we know that they keep saying that their funding is not coming from government. Yea yeah, we heard, we know all that but that does not guarantee that they will not influence decision or be granted some privileges which they do not deserve. We have seen the Green Youths, the Yayi Compins and others during the previous regime. They also called for national development but well, we know what they were or what they turned out to be.

The United Democratic Party has always stood for good governance and the rule of law as we have seen how its secretary General Lawyer Ousainou Darboe has sacrificed everything to ensure that we have good governance. He is a world-renowned lawyer and could have obtained a job anywhere in the world and make tons of money, but he didn’t. His love for this country made him stay and face the difficulties of the dictatorship like any other Gambian. For Heaven’s sake, he even went to prison for our liberation!

It is therefore confusing, if not disappointing, for the United Democratic Party not to take a stance on the issue of the Barrow Youth Movement. Many will jump to the defense that Barrow is a Coalition candidate as he resigned from the UDP in order to contest. But that, My Dear Reader, is just an excuse. Barrow is UDP and therefore the technicality of him resigning is just that – a technicality.

The point is, even if we go by that, the UDP will still have a moral responsibility to take a stance against the Barrow Youth Movement. So, to now hear my Comrade Almamy Fanding Taal (he was my president at Gambia Writers’ Association) say that the UDP has no qualms with the BYM is an abdication of responsibility and a disappointment.

The United Democratic Party (UDP) must show leadership!

Alagi Yorro Jallow

Adama Barrow is Gambia’s President today. He did not meet a perfect country when he took over, but his job is to make it less imperfect. His responsibility is to solve problems that he met on the ground and the ones that have sprouted since his occupation of the office. He can explain the difficulties he meets on the job and we can empathize with him, but he does not need to find scape goats on the things that go wrong accusing journalists and diaspora critics of his government. He received a lot of flak a few weeks ago when he tried to explain away the incompetent handling by his government mushrooming corruption and of the violence unleashed by police killings in Faraba and at Foni

It is obvious that President Adama Barrow does not always filter his words before they come out. If he filters them at all he does not fully appreciate the connotative and denotative meanings of the words he uses. All words have meanings and can be subjected to literal or metaphorical interpretations. We have had several occasions when the President’s handlers have accused the public of misinterpreting or misunderstanding or misconstruing what the President had said. Sometimes they claim that the president’s words were taken out of context or have been stretched to achieve a political purpose. I sympathize with the President’s minders who have to lick the vomit from time to time to make the President look as presidential as presidents are expected to look.

 It seems that Adama Barrow don’t understand that being a president is not being an ordinary person or citizen; it’s being an extraordinary person. What does it mean to be an extraordinary citizen? It means that citizen who occupies that only seat of power at the Statehouse who is accountable to all people under the sovereign republic of the Gambia. It means having a tragic sense of life: that being fair and just matters more than being right. It means being able to give up personal gain for the greater good of all Gambians.

The fact that the President makes too many controversial statements means that there is something wrong somewhere. It is either his public utterances are not properly managed, or he does not listen to advice. None of the reasons is good for our country. It is the convention that whenever the President is likely to have an interview, or meet a crowd or make a speech, he ought to have a serious briefing session with his handlers. The handlers must compile possible questions for him and play the devil’s advocate so that his answers can be finetuned for best reception by the audience. It is possible that his handlers are shut out by the hawks within the kitchen cabinet and are not allowed to have the kind of access necessary for them to ensure that Adama puts his best foot forward in the public arena, especially in speaking matters. Each time the President makes a gaucherie and the handlers try to panel-beat his speech for him after delivery I feel sorry for them. And when they comb the streets and bushes looking for the motives of the critics I feel even more sorry for them. The reason I feel sorry for them is because they are doing a very difficult job and they know that most of those who criticize the President are not looking for his job. They are simply bothered that with his unguarded tongue he is making their country look uglier than it is expected.

President Barrow political rallies and town hall meetings represented a very false description of his government as far as democracy and fight for corruption is concerned. There is corruption in the Gambia as there is in most other countries. The only difference is that while most of these other countries vigorously tackle their corruption problems our governments do not pay serious attention to the extirpation of the scourge on a non-partisan basis. So, it festers.

The naked truth is that Adama should never have said at all what he said about the construction of 60 Mosque nationwide especially at a forum for showcasing our country’s best attributes for the ears of potential donors and investors. No president does that except Adama. He has a penchant for demeaning his country globally apparently without knowing its full ramifications. His speeches are a validation of the stereotypical image held by some non-Gambians, which is fueled by some jaundiced foreign media.

The International community, the donor and Christians are piqued. The government spokesperson in a statement indicated that the “Barrow Youth Movement for Development, have availed themselves to the President with promises of boreholes, farming implements, seeds and fertilizer to support his development initiatives as well as the voluntary construction of 60 mosques following requests by local worshippers”. But there is actually no need for this nitpicking semantic gyration on the matter.

A trial in the public square can be unforgiving. Unfounded allegations have a heavy strain on one’s physiology. Allegations of professional impropriety, however unfounded can have a detrimental effect on one’s relationship with family, professional members and the general population respectively. If you are a public figure or a professional, the allegations can damage your credibility and moral standing for life. The public does not make its mind from facts. Minds are made from what is said, the conduct of those involved and an assessment of known past behavior of an individual. The assessment is never objective. Trials in public square are won or lost bases on the perception of one’s “believability.”

President Barrow is not winning the trial currently happening in the public square, courtesy of ambiguities in his response and that of his minders. In a case where Adama Barrow doesn’t name people and diaspora Gambians approaching him through the back door seeking for employment, (name these journalists asking for money in exchange of favorable coverage) due to some sense of wishing to shield people from the wrath of the law, or the people, he may be deliberately compromising the relationship between diaspora Gambians, journalists and the people. He may also be guilty participating in eroding the credibility and reputation of all hard-working Gambians abroad and journalists. These allegations from the Adama Barrow has weaken journalists, impact negatively on their ability to hold government to account and signals a wrong perception against diaspora Gambian visiting home

 If Adama Barrow is telling the truth, then as the country’s chief law enforcement officer, he should not make public allegations without providing evidence to substantiate his allegations against independent journalists. What sort of president would be subject to blackmail from anyone, let alone a journalist?  Adama Barrow doesn’t know this, but what he accused journalists can be defined as ‘extortion’ and, this is illegal; it can be a crime. These allegations could be the prelude for sanctioning and muzzling journalists or a good reason to justify that the media law on ‘false news’ to clamp down on ‘fake news’ that the presidency deem unfavorable or uncomfortable. This is the beginning, evidence for ‘slippery slope’ to both official and self-censorship.

The concluded Meet the People’s Tours episode is the latest in the series of presidential gaffes not forgetting his past foreign media interviews that defied presidential interview precedent, turning blunders into a shot at the presidency. Adama Barrow in his pronouncements in political rallies has exposed his shady and dodgy political propaganda. The construction of mega infrastructural developments (construction of Banjul -Barra ferry crossings estimated $1.5 billion), without National Assembly approval; construction of 60 Mosques nationwide; free WIFI connections in villages and townships; and display of billboards on all major roads and cities. He reminded and warned of would be protestors the of the Public Act law will be fully executed by police. This whiplash has generated a storm of criticism in both mainstream and social media especially for the construction of 60 Mosques announced by president Barrow. The Gambia remains a secular, constitutional democracy where all are free to believe and practice their faith and it is not government’s business to interfere in people’s religious beliefs.

The president’s role wherever he is home or abroad is to promote the Gambia’s good image, not to balloon the negative stories that already exist about the country. The international community already know through their embassies and citizens about Gambian politics. They know about Yahya Jammeh’s dictatorship, the corruption scandal and the Gambia’s courts and rule of law but in totality these constitute only a very minute portion of our huge population. But they become bigger than they actually are when Adama gives a presidential validation to them in his public utterances.

By John Sparks, Africa correspondent, in Harare, Zimbabwe

SKY NEWS

For supporters of Zimbabwe’s opposition MDC Alliance party, this was a day they had been dreading – the moment their dream of election victory was crushed.

The news was delivered by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (or ZEC) as they announced the results in dribs and drabs for the lower house of parliament.

The ruling ZANU-PF party has won two thirds of the seats and will dominate the assembly – as they have done since the country’s independence from Britain in 1980.

For members of the MDC it all felt a bit familiar.

Once again, they had lost the battle for control of parliament and there seemed little chance that Nelson Chamisa – their charismatic party leader – could claim the presidency.

On the streets of the capital Harare, we found supporters and party members who were so frustrated, they could barely get the words out.

Fightmore Mharadze told me: “I cast vote my vote and it has been stolen. We are going to have to go to war, go to war against ZANU-PF.”

The party faithful had gathered at MDC headquarters in the early morning and sung, chanted and held their hands high in a collective act of protest.

Meanwhile, officials from the electoral commission were read the results from the parliamentary contest in a stuffy meeting room in the Rainbow Hotel.

Down the hall observers from half-a-dozen foreign monitoring teams gave their verdict on Zimbabwe’s national election.

The observers had been invited by the ZANU-PF’s leader, President Emmerson Mnangagwa as part of his “guarantee” of a “free, fair and transparent election” and their verdict on the poll was mixed.

A US team said the election “fell short of what was needed,” citing ZEC’s lack of independence, the use of food, fertiliser and seed to buy votes and the ballot design which gave President Mnangagwa an inexplicably prominent position.

However, monitors from southern African states (SADC) were largely impressed, calling the poll a political watershed in the country’s history.

Protester Sweetfoy Mushonganande told me he could not believe that SADC had actually done any monitoring.

He said: “SADC tell me, what you observing, what are you observing? Where did you go? Can’t you see with your own eyes?”

Inevitably, perhaps, the riot police then the army arrived and they gradually retook the city centre by force.

The soldiers drew their weapons – and used them too. At least three protesters have been shot and killed.

The MDC’s spokesman, Nkululeko Sibanda called it a dark day in Zimbabwe’s history.

He said: “The force used today was clearly disproportionate and unjustifiable.

A delegation from Open Society Initiative for West Africa Tuesday urged Gambian investigative journalists to set new trend in the country’s media after concluding a training program.

The delegation urged the journalists to make the best out of the knowledge they gained from the training and put it into practice.

Tem FuhMbuh, an official at OSIWA, described the trainees as the vanguard of truth and accountability, urging them to set a new trend in the Gambian media.

“Transparency and accountability are paramount. Journalists are the vanguard of transparency and accountability,” he said at the University of the Gambia.

He added: “We thought that through this project you will be able to create a new card of journalists in The Gambia who will be able to dig into the truth and let ordinary Gambians know what is going on in the government.”

We expect you to be the vanguard of truth, we expect you to be the vanguard of accountability, he added.

Jeggan Grey Johnson and Fatou Sy both officials at OSIWA, assured OSIWA’s continued support to Gambian journalists.

The trainees lamented over the low paid of journalists in the country and asked OSIWA and Gambia Press Union to cooperate and assist the Gambian journalist and create avenues for them to sell their investigative stories at better rates.

Meanwhile, OSIWA exists in 10 West African countries helping in supporting production of publication and research studies, and run advocacy campaigns and provide institutional support to partners on ground.

25 Gambian Journalists are currently undergoing an eight week intensive training which is funded by The Open Society Initiative for West Africa implemented by Gambia Press Union and the University of The Gambia.

The Gambia will this year celebrate the world breastfeeding day for the whole of August, which is the first of it kind in the history of the celebration in the country. This information was disclosed by The Ministry of health and social welfare during a press conference held in Bakau, as the ministry outlines its plan of celebration for the program.

The Ministry urged lactating mothers to breastfeed their babies up to a maximum period, noting that breastfeeding makes both mother and the baby healthier.

Modou Faal, executive director of NANA, said 47 per cent of Gambian women are practicing breastfeeding, saying that is an improvement in breastfeeding in the country.

He said a lactating Child should be left to breastfeed up to their satisfaction, adding that breast milk helps children to be intelligent.

“We need to educate the mothers about suckling. Children should be left to breastfeed for so long, breastfeeding helps the child to be intelligent and healthier,” he said.

He also said women need to be well nourished before their pregnancy while lamenting over the short period of breastfeeding for mothers on their lactating children.

Modou Njie, director of health promotions and education, appealed to the media to disseminate the information of health and its related matters.

He said: “We appeal to the media to kindly work with us in disseminating information, because they are the people who can do that fast.”

By Omar Jarju

The head coach of the first division side Marimmoo FC Momodou Jallow has said that The Gambia will relish the prospect of going toe to toe with the reigning African champions Mali in the West African Union football tournament Zone ‘A’ which kicks off in Dakar, Senegal from 9^thto the 18^thof September 2018.

The draw was made in Dakar on Tuesday and Gambia’s name popped up in Group B alongside Liberia and the defending African champions, Mali. The hosts are in Group A with Guinea Bissau and Sierra Leone while Group C hosts Guinea, Mauritania and Cape Verde.

Speaking to this reporter shortly after the draw, Jallow said The Gambia has all it takes to beat defending champions Mali and make it to the finals of this year’s tournament.

‘’We have very young and god players playing in the league and I think if any of them is selected it will do great for the team. This time, I am sure the selection process will include third, second to first division players, so the MRI shouldn’t be a case for us’’, he said.

‘’We have a very technical minded coach in Abdoulie Bojang, so I think the country should rally behind him and give him all the support as far as the tournament is concern’’, Jallow ends.

Meanwhile, the organizers say MRI scans will be used to determine the eligibility of players to take part in the tournament. However, the announcement will evoke sad memories of 2009 when as newly-crowned African champions for the second time more than half of the Gambian team were found to be overage and therefore disqualified when the Fifa Under-17 World Cup used the MRI technology for the first time to prove the age of players.

Media chiefs from The Voice Newspaper, Foroyaa Newspaper and The Fatu Network have reacted to President Barrow’s allegations against journalists in the country.

President Barrow in his recent nationwide tour made open allegations against journalists alluding that some of them requested money from him to write good things about his government. He has not mentioned names except general allegations against the journalists.

Sam Sarr, Managing Editor of Foroyaa Newspaper has reduced the President’s allegation to a trivial matter, saying the allegation cannot be verified or relied on since the President did not give any name(s).

The veteran journalist told The Fatu Network that journalism is a noble profession and a journalist is someone who is in pursuit of the truth to ensure that the government is hold accountable and inform the public with balanced, accurate and factual stories.

“This can be done only with an independent mind,” Sam Sarr said.

“You cannot have an independent mind when you are bought,” he added.

Sarr who has been with the media for the past three decades said the President’s allegations are meaningless that we should not let it divert the public’s attention from the most relevant issues.

The Editor in chief of The Voice Newspaper, Musa Sheriff has blamed the media team surrounding the President.

“If you are in the presidential media team you should be there to guide the president about the media,” Chief Editor Sheriff said.

“Its not really a good statement coming from the President,” he added.

The Voice Editor in Chief called on President Barrow to retract his statements, saying the Director of Press Office of the President should convene a press briefing to clear things. He added that the presidential media team should work towards guiding the president about the media.

Sheriff explained that some international news agencies and magazines do cover feature stories or special reports on Presidents, governments and companies that he felt might be the case at hand. He made reference to special reports on The New African Magazine by Baffour.

Fatu Camara, Proprietor of The Fatu Network wrote a Facebook post saying she find the President’s allegations very disturbing.

“This to me is trying to discredit the entire media fraternity in The Gambia, which is very unfair especially coming from a head of state,” Fatu Network Proprietor wrote.

She advised colleagues in the media fraternity to stay focus and not feel intimidated by unfair attempts meant to castigate journalist or tarnish their credibility.

“Is this the work of some sycophant advisers telling him about a bogus incident that never took place?” she quizzed.

Meanwhile, The Fatu Network Proprietor demanded clarification from President Barrow on the serious allegation made against journalists.