Distinction: As for the case of the hottest pepper tree, his mantle came to grip public imagination meeting a tragic death at the hands of trigger-happy APRC bandits disguised in uniform. On that fateful night, he became The Gambia’s ‘Ken Saro-Wiwa’ magnified to be the reference figure bridging consensus for an oppressed people. 

A dedicated family man, Solo Sandeng was a shining star and an icon against injustice. He embodies selfless act by sending a clear message to a criminal president dividing a nation on frivolous lines. On that very day, Sandeng and his group exhibit distinguish bravery marching against a paranoid dictator all alone in the dark contours of Jammeh’s killing generals. In his life and death, he carries with him a legacy eked in history, and a lesson to people everywhere.

And as we reflect on that troubled past with the future in mind, suddenly it occurred to me that there shall be no justice in the Gambia until and unless parliament demarcate a Presidential term limit, unchangeable, thus sacrosanct. In my opinion, anything less shall be a travesty and an insult to the memory of all those who sacrificed for a cause, a noble cause indeed, seeing to it that The Gambia is wrestled away from the clutches of tyranny.

A special thought cordially reserved for the memory of every Gambian who sacrificed themselves for us to enjoy the kind of freedoms taken for granted today. In moments of quiet contemplation, we extend profound gratitude and appreciations to the families of fallen comrades left behind. We should cherish their memories, and learn to rebuild our own gallant heroes too. In so doing, we will stamp a deserved legacy on true patriots, who, out of empathy and love-for-country embarked on correcting a major injustice.

Honourable Members of Parliament – It is against the backdrop of that tragedy & the events leading to our new-found freedoms that I ask you to consider the above motion:

In todays’ world, global citizens continue to deliberate over the true meaning of life and if wealth equates to happiness. We should remember that – Money and riches come and go, that freedom is priceless. After the Korean War of 1950’s, the ‘South’ suddenly rose from the ashes of that conflict to a highly developed country. Singapore with no natural resources defied the odds fast transformed to the very top as an economic miracle. So what is the excuse for Gambia’s new leaders? After 22 years of failures, the country is on a sound footing deeply secured in National Security terms.

Although patience is required, together, we will rebuild our country brick-by-brick from the bottom-up. I write grateful for the multilateral partnerships and arrangements with ECOWAS, AU, UN, EU, and the ICC, growing stronger by the day. A Foreign Ministry official told me the level of good-will from countries around the world looking to engage Gambia is humbling, not surprised, I said, going on to discuss contributions the diaspora is making in communities around the world.

All across Africa the era of coup d’etat is over, out of style consigned to the past. The digital age has taken over in an era of smartphones, social media & worldwide interconnections in a battle of ideas, prosperous livelihoods, infrastructural development and accountable leadership. In his inaugural address to Parliament, President Barrow reminded in strict terms that the days when the military represent the face of government is over. That is significant as the case in Senegal, Ghana or the United Kingdom.

The Gambia shall always be a police state with regards to internal security with the cops running the show. We, the public, task the Gambia Police Force to rise up to those challenges seeing to it that the rule of law prevails & normalised in new-Gambia.

If I had a say in, the institution of the army, and old-NIA will be disbanded – to start a recruitment drive afresh based on citizenship, loyalty to state, and ability. But since the status quo remains on recommendations of ECOMIG and army HQ, internal reform & restructure won the day. But I will say this – please arrest and weed out every single ‘Cassamance’ rebel fused into various layers of the security apparatus. And drop the fake-Generals, Majors and untrained-Colonels stamped-upon APRC loyalty badges.

Be warned, promotions in the Army and Police and every other public institution shall be exposed to public scrutiny and measurement in terms of merit, qualification, and all that. After decades of abysmal failures, the army has got to downsize to a smaller but effective well-trained force in logistics, engineers, doctors, architects and such modern military ways. After years of service, this allows for former service personnel to have ready-made careers in civilian employment. The emerging Armed-Forces need to recognise these trends and to be academically tailored in strategic and such affairs. In a collective regional accord for the maintenance of state sovereignty, let it be known a combination of ECOWAS and AU brutal force will defeat any group of soldiers ever attempt a coup & restore popular rule.

With the coalition-government going about plans drawing up a new constitution, the power of parliament has to be adequately reflected making sure appointments to key government posts and major executive decisions are subject to parliamentary scrutiny and approval. In true democratic fashion, the three arms of government must stand strong & independent of each other with clearly defined powers; and as institutions of oversight in a separation-of-powers and check-and-balances arrangement.

To his Family – The public have recognised the sacrifice and bravery Solo Sandeng took on that defining day. For, the gruesome crimes and depravity committed by the former regime remains fresh in our memory. No matter how long it takes, be rest assured Yahya Jammeh and his henchmen will face the long arm of the law, and to be hit with punitive strikes for every drop of blood. In his final interview, Mr Sandeng prophesized these words ‘’if by sacrificing myself the Gambia will be free, I will sacrifice.’’ A profound statement indeed, sending a declaration – NEVER AGAIN are we to allow any soldier, or government to trample or abuse constitutional rights because #GambiaHasDecided. As the country come to grips with its past in truth and reconciliation, we gather strength from the fountain of faith in that unique way of life #OneGambia #OnePeople, whilst singing tyranny against one, is an injustice against all of us.

Support #SoloSandengFoundation:  Give-Peace-a-Chance

By Gibril Saine

Twitter: @gibbysaine 

In a democracy, politicians do not necessarily say or do the rights things when there is no risk or benefit to what they say or do. In order words, if there is no cost to their popularity and political existence then they could easily fail to do the right thing or even misinform and mislead, as they liked. Politicians misbehave, either by lying or being corrupt in order to gain cheap popularity because they know there is no one to check them.

But when citizens are vigilant and prepared to hold politicians to account by either rewarding them for their good deeds or punishing them for their bad deeds, then this is time when politicians become honourable men and women and do the right. In the Gambia, the culture of holding politicians to account for what they do or say is almost non-existent hence it is common to hear and see our politicians spread misinformation, mislead, contradict or underperform or corrupt. In this New Gambia, we have to stop this and ensure that there is strong culture of accountability.

Therefore, since two weeks ago, it has been reported that Mama Kandeh of GDC said the Government of Adama Barrow has contracted loans only for the ministers to share those funds among themselves. This is a very serious allegation! Since he made this comment, Mama Kandeh himself has not come forward yet to present facts to back up his claim. On the other hand, Barrow has also not come out to refute these claims. What is clear however is that since January Barrow’s government has indeed contracted several loans and obtained as many grants of millions of dollars.

Secondly, rightly or wrongly there have also been reports on social media of some ministers buying multimillion dalasi homes, while others are said to have transported several people to Mecca for the Hajj. Therefore is Mama Kandeh telling the truth or he is not telling the truth?

First of all, the statements Mama Kandeh made are not illegal and therefore no one can take him to court for that. The police cannot question him for his political statements against his political adversaries. But the fact is that those statements must not be left unanswered. This is because those statements cut on both ways. On one hand they serve to raise the profile and image of Mama Kandeh, fairly or unfairly at the expense of the Government. Consequently, the statements generate public dissatisfaction in the Government, as some people may perceive Barrow as corrupt or inept. On the other hand too, the statements harm Mama Kandeh simply because of his failure to give evidence. Many would see him as a propagandist who only wants to damage his adversaries for his own political gains. Hence these statements, if left unanswered do not augur well for both Mama Kandeh and Adama Barrow.

Since no one can take Mama Kandeh to court for these very serious comments, yet there is a bigger court to which we must take both Mama Kandeh and Adama Barrow. That is the Court of the Gambian People, which sits in our homes, in the streets, at work places, in the markets, farms and indeed social media all across the Gambia and abroad.

Therefore, We the People of the Gambia as the judges must demand that Mama Kandeh provides evidence or he will pay dearly for these comments. Secondly, we must also demand that Barrow refute the claims in the interest of his own integrity and as a duty he owes to the people of the Gambia. His Government must not treat these statements of Mama Kandeh as foolish talk and therefore refuse to respond. No. Barrow must respond to them so as to recover the confidence and trust of Gambians incase anyone has lost some faith in his Government because of these serious allegations. Barrow’s response would therefore serve to strengthen his leadership by maintaining and expanding the faith of the people in him if he could convincingly refute these allegations.

As a Government, Barrow has a duty to clear any allegations that have been levied against his Government especially if such allegations come from a high profile opposition figure. That way he would have exposed the accuser and help Gambians to know who are the true and honest leaders of the people. It is for this same reason that Mama Kandeh must also give evidence so that he helps Gambians to know the character and kind of President and Government we have. Thus both of them will do great service to the Gambia if they speak up. In any case we must make sure that either Mama Kandeh or Adama Barrow, whoever is wrong to pay a severe price!

Our role as citizens is to ensure that the truth comes out for the health and strength of our country. Thus we must begin to engage in a social accountability process where we insist that politicians do not just release words into the air, but back their theories with hard evidence. If anyone fails to do that, Gambians would therefore know that such a politician is a dishonest joker who does not worth our votes and support.

I wish to therefore play my citizenship role by demanding that Mama Kandeh provides proof to the general public as to where, when and how the Government of Adama Barrow has diverted loans into personal pockets. At the same time, I demand that Adama Barrow respond to these serious allegations by accounting for all the loans and grants that his Government has received so far. Both men owe Gambians this responsibility.

We must not allow our leaders to act or fail to act as they like when the issues are indeed life and death matter for citizens. When loans are stolen that means mothers and children die at hospitals while electricity and water supply will not get to most of our communities. Corruption is a serious allegation and anyone who alleges must have strong evidence. The Government, against whom the allegation is made must also come out to clear its name.

Adama Barrow and Mama Kandeh, the ball is therefore your courts. Tell us the truth! If Adama Barrow and Mama Kandeh fail to respond, I suggest that Gambians stage a peaceful demonstration against both of them. We must not allow both Mama Kandeh and Adama Barrow to leave us in limbo, not knowing what is true or false about a matter that is of legitimate public interest.

We must not allow ever again empty talk by the opposition or failure of the Government to respond to opposition allegations. Our politicians must not have it both ways. Let us remember that Yaya Jammeh had made such empty talk that ‘his money’ was from “Allah’s Bank” and we did not we did not take him to the people’s court. We are now getting to know that he was in fact stealing our money. Let us not repeat that anymore.

Adama Barrow and Mama Kandeh: Set the truth free in order to free yourselves!

God Bless The Gambia.

It is heartening to learn that our Minister of the Interior, Mr Mai Ahmad Fatty with a high ranking delegation is currently  in Dakar, Senegal, discussing security cooperation. The world is going through very turbulent times and there are a series of security challenges facing people and governments around the world.

The security challenges are so complex and so varied that they require cooperation between different countries. If you observe you will see that even the advanced countries are seeking cooperation with smaller countries. The North Alliance Treaty Organization is a similar cooperation so that countries will help protect each other. Thus this is important.

The challenges range from criminality [armed robbery and others], the drug trade, terrorism and many other dangerous and destabilizing problems. The fact that Senegal and the Gambia share many things, like border, culture, language and a lot of other things makes it paramount that the two countries cooperate in the area of security.

It has been revealed that the minister is with the Inspector General of Police, the head of the Drug Law Enforcement Agency, and many other. This shows that your government is poised to solve the security issues of the nation. I hail you and your government for that sagacious move. I hope that follow ups will be conducted to ensure that whatever agreements are signed there are not only on paper.

Mr President, God knows we need to feel secure in our own country. Just yesterday,  I was informed of an attack on a friend of mine who was walking around the streets in Fagi Kunda and was attacked by robbers who threatened him and took away his mobile phone and the little money he had on him.

Mr President, the feeling of being completely secure and in peace is very essential to the development of our country. It is only when people are secure and are not afraid of being attacked by bandits that they can go about their daily business. This is absolutely essential. The recent attacks and incidents of armed robberies has instilled fear in so many people.

We need to equip our law enforcers, give them adequate professional training, adequate tools to fight criminals in our streets. They need enough vehicles, enough fuel and arms to patrol our streets. The sight of armed police officers alone can prevent criminals from carrying out their nefarious designs on ordinary citizens. As I suggested earlier, we need an expedited system of justice on crimes so that criminals will know that they cannot get away with crimes.

Perhaps this security summit in Dakar will come up with solutions to our numerous security issues.

Have a Good Day Mr President. …

Tha Scribbler Bah

A Concerned Citizened

The Gambia decided to change a government on December 1st 2016 and usher in a new government of which you are the Chief Executive Officer. This change was highly anticipated because it was long overdue. Many Gambians had very high expectations, not only from your government, but from the other public officials as well.

However, these expectations were almost dashed before we even hit the road. This is because it has dawned on many of us that ‘The Gambia has decided‘ but ‘most Gambians have not decided’. We hoped for a Gambia in which everyone will work earnestly for the furtherance of the cause of the concept of a ‘New Gambia of One Nation, One People and One Destiny’.

Unfortunately, many there are who remain stuck in the old way of doing things. The status quo remains in most of our public institutions. The security is nothing to write home about, the education system is in shambles, the Immigration Department has stopped issuing the national documents etc…

I traveled to the provinces on Thursday and what I saw broke my heart. The Gambia Ports Authority is the worst service provider at the moment [at least their ferry services department]. If there are no changes in the shortest possible time, many people will suffer a huge lose in their income. The ferry services is terrible. One can understand that nothing can be perfect but simple, timely, and accurate communication strategy with the passengers and users will go a long way towards easing their difficulties.

There was a scuffle and two drivers almost fought there because one of them came earlier than the other, yet, he saw him being allowed before he and others were allowed to go in with their vehicles. He accused the other driver of having bribed the guards. Thus a squabble ensued. This is a common sight at the ferry terminal. We know that there are people with priority crossing [for important and genuine reasons] but that was not the case in this instance.

Another interesting occurrence at the ferry terminal is that those who buy tickets and enter the waiting hall are always put at a disadvantage. The guards at the gate allow so many people to go through that they almost fill the ferry before those who are in the waiting hall are allowed to go out and board the ferry. Thus, they will not even have a place to sit. This promotes corruption and nepotism.

These types of behavior is totally unacceptable because it causes rancour amongst the people. The people of the North Bank Region lose a lot of valuable time crossing to and fro Banjul. This is the lifeline of their economy. So, the government has to ensure that the Gambia Ports Authority provides a fast, safe and reliable ferry service.

Remember, as I said in an earlier post, the New Gambia must be inclusive. No region should be marginalized or left behind.

We will swim or sink together!

Have a Good Day Mr President….

Tha Scribbler Bah

A Concerned Citizen