Change is here at last. Actually, what has really changed? The most noticeable is the freedom of speech and assembly. Goloh is also replaced by Barrow. So did the cabinet too. The rest is just as Goloh left it, the instructions, institutions and practices. I do not need to belabour myself to ascertain my claim. Amadou Colley, former Governor of Central Bank is a clear manifestation. He told the BBC when asked why he was relieved off his duty, “We received our letters today without giving us any reason for our sacking, only stating ‘Your services have been terminated with immediate effect'”. Very Jammeh like. Albeit no one is testing the validity of his relief, many disputed the procedure particularly of not informing him the reason of his dismissal.

As such, Eden Sharp, stated thus: “The idea of just telling someone, ‘you’ve been relieved of your duties’ without giving reasons like Yahya Jammeh used to do is wrong. Let the new government understand that we are no longer in a dictatorship and as such democratic practices must be made the order of the day. And let no one say it’s minor, a mountain is made up of small stones.” This autocratic practice is not the change we yarn for. Similarly, you change recycles old wines in new bottles in key government postings which has not helped to foster the desired change. Worst of all, some enablers of the dictatorship are still collecting fat paychecks on the sweat of the oppressed taxpayers. President Barrow, that is neither the change we fought for nor the one you promised us.

 
Corruption and blatant abdication of duty are still trendy under your leadership. What is even more disturbing is the criminals shamelessly mash it on their victims faces by bragging “Nothing will come out of it” as it they are the embodiment of omnipotent. The Bakau Police Station handling of Rambo Jatta’s assault on two vulnerable women is an ample example. The allegations levelled on the police is serious and unsettling. How do you expect civilian to respect and trust the police when they openly bin dispensation of duty for an old fashion TV set, Mr President? Here again I will reference Eden Sharp, “We tend to associate evil along the lines of some great chilling events, but no, evil prevails in our society through seemingly inconsequential events that slowly deaden our moral senses. The day we hold each other accountable for our various roles in allowing or helping injustice destroy our country is the day we will begin our journey proper towards a better Gambia for all of us.” The dude is on point Mr President. Hon Mai Ahmad Fatty has to appreciate mere rhetorics alone cannot drive the change he keeps drumming for the security concerns. He must set precedence with the Bakau Police Station officers from the Station Officer down to the constable that no Gambian is above the law. Moreover, all are equal and deserve equal opportunity to fair treatment.

 
If it is not NAWEC, it will be the Police or the Ferry. How long shall this go on Mr President? No one is saying don’t count your steps but sometimes urgency requires skipping the count and walking the walk. Some of these issues that we brush aside as insignificant come back to cause lasting damages to progress and your leadership competence.

 
Yes accountability, transparency and probity. Great pillars of good governance. We muster them a lot but hardly live them. Your declaration of assets. What is delaying it? Please don’t say you counting your steps first, Mr President? Lot of water is passing under the bridge and we looking the other side but whenever it floods, some heads will duck in the sand.

Sulayman Jeng
Birmingham, UK

Perception Is Important in Politics….

There is a lot of talk in town, and on social media on the issue of the distribution of key positions in your government. Some people are of the view that certain ethnic groups are being favoured while others are marginalized. I do not necessarily share this view because, for me, it’s more a question of demographics than intentional nepotism.

I have written before that those who have some idea of probability in math will know that because of our demography, it is likely that certain ethnic groups may appear to be the favoured ones when it comes to government employment, particularly in the key positions. This is actually not difficult to fathom; but, as you know our nation still has a long way to go in educating the majority of our populace, there is a large percentage of Gambians who are uneducated. These people depend on secondary opinions to form their view on our body polity.

The truth is that, in the Gambia, our demography is such that no single ethnic group can singly sway the direction of politics. We need each other, depend on each other, work with each other, and do everything together in order to achieve our goals. This was clearly demonstrated during the struggle to defenestrate the former president. We came together as Gambians, not on any lines of division, but Gambians and worked assiduously to claim our country back.

Now that that battle is over, and it is time to share the national cake, the ugly head of division has started raising its head in many forms. We see people raising concerns that their ethnic group is marginalized, others say that the replacing of some heads of parastatals is biased, others see that the rehiring of people illegally dismissed by the former government is biased, and all sorts of divisions. Some appear genuine, while many are simply perceived.

The truth is Mr President, we need to make it known to our people that being appointed to government position is not a means of making money or honour, or favour. Rather, the appointment is a call to serve your country and contribute your quota to national development. So long as we don’t see work as an opportunity to serve, rather than make money, our development will be smailslow.

Mr President… from henceforth, we must promote our commonalities rather than ficus on our differences. No nation can develop who sees its people as segments and groupings. That has to be imprinted in the Gambian psyche to ensure that our unity is maintained and preserved. In fact, the idea of counting the number of different ethnic groups in primary, junior and senior secondary schools has to stop. It might have had its uses but those are outdated and counterproductive. These only promote our differences rather than our similarities.

I think we need a communication roadmap which will look into these issues and then effective methods should be used to disseminate the views of the Government – which by the way should be equality before the law – to the people. This roadmap should produce a concept which is as inclusive as possible, not leaving out anyone or any group; rather, it should only show one nation, one people, and one Gambia. This should be sold to the Gambian people as a whole who should also take ownership of the concept. That is how we will be reunited!

Have a Good Day Mr President…

Tha Scribbler Bah

A Sovereign Citizen

Congratulations, Abdoulie Fatty! I have read with interest, which I always do when I read or hear your statements about the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat, your statement on The Standard issue of 10 May 2017. Your statements are always of interest to me because they are an important threat to national security and the peace of this country. Therefore, you should not always be left alone when you make these type of statements. In 2014, I admonished you through this same medium (The Standard) that you have to be careful but you have not taken heed. May be I should give you a stronger warning this time.

Mr. Fatty, the Holy Qur’an has commanded believers that they should always speak the right word/truth even if it is against themselves or their kith and kin. The Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), whose life is a perfect reflection of the Holy Qur’an, has also admonished believers that they should say the right word or keep quiet. As a Muslim that you claim and always try to portray, I expected that you would always obey and respect the Qur’anic commands and the Prophet’s (saw) instructions so that peace will always prevail. Unfortunately, you have not exhibited that. May be you have not come across the commandments on truthfulness both in the Qur’an and the Sunnah. If you do not, please try to read the Qur’an and the Ahadith and study the Sunnah carefully once again. But if you have read them and deliberately ignored them, then I sincerely urge you to engage in Istighfaar (seeking forgiveness from Allah).

According to The Standard, you said, “There is only two recognized religions in the Gambia, Islam and Christianity, and that if there is any other religion, it might have proclaimed itself.” I know for certain that the state does not recognize any religion as far as the Gambia is concerned. In fact, wherever a state attempts to recognize a religion and ban others, such a state would definitely overstep the boundaries and violate the fundamental human rights of the people living in that state. The state in that case also puts itself in the position of God. Abdoulie Fatty, which authority recognizes Islam and Christianity as the only “religions in the Gambia”? Let me tell you and you must get this fact straight that what is recognized in the Gambia is this, “Everyone shall have the right to freedom to practice any religion and to manifest such practice”, Section 25 (1) (c) of the Constitution of the Republic of the Gambia. What is the source of the so-called recognition that you mentioned? Do you have another constitution apart from the 1997 Constitution? I would not be surprised if you had one because you are a potential Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi of the Gambia. If you indeed are a custodian of Islam, then Islam would definitely be in a pitiable state because you have blatantly violated the Qur’anic injunction about saying the right thing. Let me tell you emphatically that Ahmadiyyat is Islam and this point will be elaborated later in this little piece of advice to you.

The other statement you made was “The Tallinding cemetery incident last week is not the first of its kind, and I believe it is high time the Supreme Islamic Council wrote a letter to the government to tell them they don’t recognize the Ahmadis as Muslims.” Why does the Supreme Islamic Council have to write a letter to the government to tell them that Ahmadis are not Muslims, when you have already said that Ahmadiyyat is not a recognized religion in the Gambia? If Ahmadis are not recognized, obviously the government should have already known, so why not save yourself the trouble of writing a letter?

You said that the Supreme Islamic Council should write a letter to the government to tell them that the Supreme Islamic Council (SIC) “don’t recognize the Ahmadis as Muslims”. Are you telling me that the right to define someone’s religion lies with another person? So SIC has the right to determine who is or is not a Muslim? Who has given you and the SIC that authority? Let me just give you a small lesson here. It is a basic lesson on Islam but you seem not to know it. It is only Allah Almighty and His Prophet Muhammad (saw) who have the authority to define Islam and to declare someone a Muslim. For this Islamic Studies 101 lesson, go with this message: the words and sayings of Muhammad Rasoolullaah (saw) have been compiled and saved in several books of Hadith, among which Sahih Bukhari is the most authentic. In this book it is stated that the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw) said that anyone who calls himself a Muslim, is a Muslim. Ahmadi Muslims, as you know very well, call themselves Muslims. In light of the judgment of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (saw), Ahmadis are therefore verified Muslims. I sincerely hope that your ego is not larger than the verdict of the Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad Rasoolullaah (saw). End of Islamic Studies 101 for today. If you need more lessons on basic Islamic Studies, I will be readily available to help you out. Let me now talk to you about the other issues.

Another point you have to understand about takfir (declaring others as disbelievers) is that it is a serious matter in Islam. Anybody or any organisation engaged in such activity definitely thinks that he is above the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad (saw). Or by any chance, do such people and individuals think they are the Lord of the Day of Judgment? Maybe they do. Because it is only Allah and His Messenger Muhammad (saw) who have the authority to define a Muslim. If anyone or any organization assumes the authority/power of Allah and His Messenger Muhammad (saw), then they have to consult a good psychiatrist because that person or organization seems to be bubbling with the unfulfilled desire of being recognized as God. This is a psychological issue and they definitely need help and I wish them a speedy recovery.

The other thing you have to know is that the SIC is an organization just like any other organization in this country. It has no right or mandate to say who is or is not a Muslim. I, Tahir Ahmad Touray, recognize it as an association the way I recognize some other non-governmental organisations. Period. It is not an organ of the government. It is not and you must get that. I think you are impersonating the State. Do not use the name of the State in your affairs. I know for certain that you were used by the government past regime. Were you paid for your services by the taxpayers money? You played a very significant role in the Jammeh regime.

You also said, “I am saying this because the Christians never encounter such problems with the Muslims in Tallinding with regard to burial rites because they have their own cemetery.” You further said, “to settle the matter the Ahmadis should look for their own cemetery as dictated by the Prophet with regards to people with different faith.” It appears you do not understand the basic lesson I taught you. Ahmadis are Muslims and that is why they have to be buried in the Muslim cemeteries. Christians, as you know, are a different religion. If you do not want to be buried in the same cemeteries with Ahmadis, why not look for your own instead of asking Ahmadis to look for their own? We as Ahmadis already have our own, and do you where they are?—Every Muslim cemetery in the Gambia is ours because we are Muslims.

You have tried to condemn violence and terror as reported by The Standard. You said that Islam’s name has been stained by a few extremists who have used the name of Islam to commit heinous crimes. Kunu kantalaa buka a yaa je! You are one of them. Tell me what makes you different from them. If you are not an extremist then there is no extremist in this world. Remember that in 1997 you justified the act of killing of innocent Ahmadis. In 2014, you said that Ahmadis should be banned in the Gambia. In 2015, the SIC, an association you belong to, said that an Ahmadi must be exhumed from a cemetery in Tallinding. And on 10 May 2017 The Standard reported as saying that Ahmadis should not be buried in the common Muslim cemeteries. What more do you need to be classified as an extremist?

Abdoulie Fatty, I know you have been trying since 1997 to gain popularity by labelling Ahmadis as non-Muslims. That is where your popularity lies. A cheap popularity! Why not look for a better vocation? Inciting fitna should not be a vocation of someone who considers himself a custodian of Islam. You have succeeded in orchestrating fitna by getting closer to the government during the last regime. You are trying to find a way to attach yourself to the present government so that you can continue your divisive vocation. I pray that Allah protect the Gambia from any fitna you are brewing. Aameen.

Mr. Fatty, I am advising you from the bottom of my heart. Do not let yourself be used by some powers in the name of Islam. That is a very serious crime. How much is your stipend this time? You remember the meetings that were held in different countries by the powers sometime in 1997? Well, your attack on the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at in June or July 1997 followed those secret meetings. It was in the last few decades, Abdoulie Fatty, that your ideology (Wahabbism) started growing very fast through the building of schools and mosques throughout the world from charities gathered from Saudi Arabia through the support of the Kingdom. Scholarships are also provided to thousands of students to study in Saudi Arabia where they are of course indoctrinated with Wahabbism so that when they go back to their countries they propound Saudi supremacy in Islamic affairs. Many Muslims have benefitted and are still benefitting from such scholarships and I believe many Gambians have benefitted and are still benefitting from such scholarships.

Mr. Fatty, you are treading a dangerous path: the path of ‘control through destabilization’. Through that game, vulnerable countries are selected by some powers. These vulnerable countries usually are countries that are politically fragile and have some economic challenges. The Gambia is very fragile because it has just emerged from a whirlpool of tyranny and of course has some economic challenges. Those who want it destabilized will pay whatever it takes to buy over a willing Mullah like yourself and the power whose political ideology you are selling have more than enough money to spend and spare in order to achieve their political ambitions. This is an age old agenda by the Power to achieve political hegemony over all Muslim countries, beginning obviously with those who are more desperate for money and can more conveniently be destabilized. The Gambia apparently is on the top of that list. Control through destabilization. Be careful Abdoulie Fatty! You know that whatever you are saying is for the fulfillment of the political ambitions of some Power.

I have more to say but I will stop here for now. Be very very careful. My ink is not yet dry and there is more to be known about you by the Gambian people.

Long live the progress, peace and prosperity of the Gambia.

Long live the Gambia.

Written by:

A Humble servant and lover of the Gambia

Tahir Ahmad Touray

Mr. President, it is more than 100 days since we, the sovereign citizens entrusted you with the mantle of leadership of our beloved country. Our expectations as a people and a country are high. We are with the hope that your leadership will bring us the most needed change we have been yearning for in decades. We are with the hope that, our education system, a rotten one for that matter, will be properly looked into to address our development needs as a people. We are with the hope that, our crippled economy will be brought into life through rapid promotion of both foreign and local investments couple with diversifying the sector to boost growth and productivity in order to meet the economic challenges of the 21st century and provide a good living for our people.

Mr. President, we are with the hope that, our deteriorating health care system will be fixed to significantly reduce deaths in both infant and maternal mortality, improve or increase our life expectancy rate and more importantly, build and sustain a healthy nation. We are with the hope that, our agricultural sector which has failed in the previous regime, considering the level of investment in the sector, yet yielded nothing but low productivity, poor management of projects and more disheartening, hunger among our people. We are with the hope that, our energy sector will equally be fixed to meet the demand of electricity supply across the country; in addition, providing clean drinking water to our people.

Mr. President, we are with the hope that, one of our most pressing issues, unemployment among our young people will be addressed so as to keep the human resource base of our country; indeed the most energetic ones and avoid brain drain which serves as a key challenge for our governments on the continent today. We are with the hope that, our workers will not be exploited to the profit need of the exploiters, rampant in both the public and private sectors, especially in the latter; but concomitantly and more importantly for that matter, we are with the hope that, our government will review the working conditions of Gambian workers and ensure that each and every worker lives a better life and die in dignity. We are with the hope that, our people living with disabilities will be fully integrated into society and be given the required training and position in life so as to become active players in national development endeavour.

Mr. President, we are with the hope that, our foreign policy will be directed towards countries that will first and foremost recognize and respect the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of our country and ensure that mutual interest is the ‘social contract’ or cornerstone of our relations. We are with the hope that, our various other sectors will undergo serious reforms to ensure that, over 50 years of underdevelopment in both human and other areas do not repeat itself. Mr. President, our country needs to move with minimum delay. We are very much cognizant of the fact that our transition has not been smooth and that the system inherited was a total bad one which we fully recognize and understand; but we must equally bear in mind that our development under no given circumstance can be adjourned. No one expects all these range of issues to be addressed anytime soon, but the surest way to address these challenges in short, medium and long-terms, is to have a proactive government with active citizens.

Today, no nation can be proud of its development gains without creating an aware citizenry through massive education which will inculcate the spirits of civic consciousness, patriotism, and service to the nation and humankind. No nation can equally be proud of its development gains, inclusively democracy, without building a robust and a sustainable economic base. It is for this reason that Afrifa Gitonga taught us that, ‘democracy works on full bellies and peaceful minds’.

In addition, no nation can be proud of its development gains without building the capacity of its people through training, the young ones for that matter, and additionally providing employment opportunities to in return boost the economy. No nation can as well be proud of its development gains without having a healthy population. Unfortunately Mr. President, Africa, especially the Gambia has a sick population.

From energy to Agriculture, trade and commerce etc, our government, the government you are leading must come up with a development blueprint that will guide its operation within the given mandate. This blueprint should serve as your action plan for the coming years in addressing these problems. In your statement on the 18th February, 2017, you briefly made mention of some of these sectors but did not tell us how you will fix them. Yes, we did not even expect you to tell us how to fix them in that statement, rather we expect these problems and their solutions to be documented in a clear blueprint in the form of an action plan that will guide our development under your leadership. Over 100 days in office without a development blueprint only sends a message of ‘no clear direction’. Aid in the forms of loans and grants are flowing from left right and center, but are their plans in place as to how these loans and grants will be utilized to address our problems? This is the fundamental question we are to ask ourselves? From 1994 to 2016, millions and billions of dollars and euros and pounds were pumped in. But with no clear direction, policy slippage and financial embezzlement brought us to this stage of underdevelopment. To avoid a replica of this, not only must the government under your leadership come up with a clear blueprint soonest, but a workable and an attainable (realistic one) to address the needs and aspirations of Gambians.

Yours in the service of the nation
Essa Njie

A sovereign and a concern Gambian citizen

A people’s leader. Actually isn’t the most educated, revered, charismatic or even powerful. He is often strikingly ordinary, compassionate and a complete embodiment of his societal customs, beliefs and values. In sum, his voice naturally resonates his people but still remains charmingly imperfect. Above all, he listens, learns and acts as dictated by popular demand. This perhaps explains what some social scientists meant by ” Leadership is an ongoing evolution in thought and progress not only a mere title or role. To be a great leader, you have to constantly adjust your ears and stay attuned to your people listening to carefully what they have to say”. Abdoulie Lowe buttressed, “A leader must have a vision, keep hope alive, inspire greatness, and create avenues that will bring the very best out of people”. Despite anything your sceptics hold against you, they cannot deny you are anything but a people’s leader who does not fall for anything but always “calculating his steps”.

 
I want to discus two points on the cabinet compact on delivering good governance, accountability and exemplary leadership to the people of the Gambia: inclusivity and detribalization. Inclusivity is best punctuated as a process of chancing every citizen to equally and fully participate in driving expected national development spurts. In sum, it discourages the snubbing of sceptics and opposition leaders and their supporters. We have seen some attempts to package some as anti-establishment. As such their persons and integrity were littered with disgraceful decors. Maybe many of us believe life is a bed of roses beneath with a river of milk and honey flows. Perhaps it explains why most lose their bearing when an unexpected huddles surfaces its ugly head. But soonest the dusk finds a resting corner, we say ah it was just a misunderstanding. What makes the misunderstanding even deadlier is the profanities and character denting which decorate our discourse dazzlingly. Without the ugly dazzling adds on, our discourse is educative, engaging and entertaining. Therefore, we must help the emotional ones to start using their heads first. We must build a civil and vibrant society which is tolerant and supportive as enshrined in our national anthem. Despite our different political alignments, we are a nation that is interwoven and related by either marriage or friendship. Thus, any owlish effort to segregate us on political dispensation will only backfire. “Politicians”, Foday Jawla observed, “only have permanent interest but not friends”. Despite his controversial takes on some issues of national importance, he is spot on here. Consequently, we must abdicate being one another’s keeper.

 
On detribalization, I charged, what is noble about tribe? I am proud to be tribe this, I will defend tribe that. To hell with tribal foolishness. If any tribe is that significant how come it doesn’t have its own country, passport, currency, tribal flag and anthem? Our personal being and life isn’t measured by the tribe one is born into but how significant your being and life have contributed to the development of society and human mind. What life you live and the legacy you leave behind matters more than whatever tribe you represented. Never has anyone been eulogised and celebrated for belonging to a tribe but what you have added or subtracted from society. A tribes worthiness and nobility is immaterial if all it gives back to society is hate, backwardness and waste of space. Any human being who isn’t a beast of burden that lives each day as it comes and on others does not hide behind tribe to punctuate his or her worthiness. He transcend beyond these insignificant and pernicious yardstick of success, development, consciousness and greatness. Can anyone name me a tribe whose members did not betray one another with backstabbing, theft, murder and screwing one another’s wife and husband?

 
Notwithstanding, our tribes have great worthiness in inculcating moral values and instilling sense of responsibility on its members such as initiation rites, respect for elders, jealously protecting family and marital institutions etc. When politicians began to use tribe for political gains, it became a dangerous tool of segregation. Our national anthem is explicit in its take on detribalization when it accentuates, “…all may live in unity, freedom and peace each day” and “…join our diverse people to prove man’s brotherhood”. It never cajole to “prove man’s tribalhood”. So luko fii jarr di daw baye danu?

Sulayman Jeng
Birmingham, UK

One would think that The Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital (EFSTH) being the main referral hospital of the country which receives critical patients from the other health facilities in the country and also being a place where Doctors and other health workers are expected to be trained on the best standards of patient care will be given due attention by any government that considers itself fit to preside over the affairs of the people.

 
Unfortunately for our country this has not been the case under the former government of Yahya Jammeh and so far nothing has changed under the new Coalition Government of Mr Adama Barrow either. Since the new government took over and the subsequent appointment of the health Minister the situation in EFSTH which was inherited from the former regime is getting worse by day without any effort been seen to done by the government to improve it. Almost two months after her appointment we are yet to know who our health minister is. She didn’t come even once to see how things are going on and to know the problems we are faced with daily in our work. It is said that knowing a problem is one step towards solving it.

 
The prevailing situation under our current Chief Medical Director Professor Khalil is deplorable to say the least. That man who is already senile needs to be allowed to go home and have a good rest and sleep before his final departure to the next world which all of us are awaiting instead of being tasked to head an important institution like a teaching hospital when our country and the hospital is not lacking young, intelligent, vibrant and patriotic professionals like Dr Samateh and Dr Roberts, just to name a few.

 
The unwise decision of making professor Khalil as the CMD of EFSTH was made during the time of Yahya Jammeh. I believed they settled on professor Khalil who was unable to even effectively manage a Unit of the hospital [The laboratory] because of the fact that none of our able professionals at the time were willing to accept an offer due to the irrational behavior of president Jammeh who is fun of firing people from their jobs for no good reason.

 
Thanks to professor Khalil and Yahya Jammeh the whole hospital [EFSTH] is in shambles. There is a shortage of almost everything ranging from bulbs for lighting the rooms, thread, oil and sewing needles, spare parts for very essential and expensive machines, Bed sheets for patients, absorbent gauze and other essential consumables. How can we continue to operate under this condition without the tools to do our work and yet expected to deliver quality services to our people? What kind of Doctors and health professionals do we expect to produce when they are learning and being trained in such an environment?

 
Whenever one makes a request to the hospital authorities, the CMD in particular for almost anything the only response is that there is no money; Full stop. He is not seen to be doing any effort after that.
The coalition Government of Mr Barrow needs to act fast now if they have any desire to redeem the situation in this very important national institution unless if they intend to have it closed.

From: A Concerned Staff

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