As our public system clamours for the redress of ancient wrongs perpetrated on our forefathers by foreigners from beyond the oceans, that same public system relentlessly utilises the political cudgel against its own people. On billboards strategically located in the greater Banjul area, there are advertisements on the colloquium on the Slave Trade, Slavery, and Colonialism: reparations, remembering the past, shaping the future.

In the week that witnessed the purported validation of a worthless document, the so-called National Human Rights Commission Bill 2016, a judicial officer was summarily fired without so much as an explanation from the implementing authority. His Worship Magistrate Muhammed Krubally (Krubally) of Bundung Magistrates’ Court can be humane and deferential to a fault, but he is a brilliant thinker wedded to fairness and consistent principles. He loves his work and was given to Latin maxims and long quotations from legal literature.

On the eve of his departure for the conference he was attending in Florida, he adjourned a case I had before him to 01 September 2016. He told us in court that he was going away for just a week and would be back by the weekend commencing 25 August. Now we know that is not to be, not immediately in any case! For a magistrate so intellectually and operationally competent, Krubally’s dismissal is a big loss to the country.

However dissected, Krubally’s dismissal, without explanation was perverse, utterly unjustified, and an assault on the principle of judicial independence as that doctrine is ordinarily understood in any country whose public life is grounded in democratic institutionalism under the rule of law.

At paragraph 6 of the preamble of the 1997 Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia (the Constitution) the claim is advanced that “the functions of the arms of government have been clearly defined, their independence amply secured with adequate checks and balances …”. At substantive sections of the Constitution, similar and more specific claims are made about the operational independence of the courts. These claims are false and utterly nonsensical, not only because of how the Executive routinely nullifies Constitutional protections, but more fundamentally because of the deep architectural flaws embedded in our supreme document.

Undoubtedly, the Constitution permits the legal mismanagement of Gambian public life. With its hollow protections, it would still be an instrument of violence, if only potentially, even in the most benign of hands. As they say, the courts are placed in between ‘the rock and hard place’. This is perilous for Gambian public life!

That great decisions worthy of celebration emanate from individual members of the bench from time to time is not in question. As an institution, the judiciary – and by extension the courts – is far from independent even in that sacrosanct domain of operational matters. To be efficacious, the rule of law must be systemic, not individual. In a largely arbitrary public terrain, judicial officers must be shielded from even the threat of Executive reprisals.

In a country where high flying intellectuals and economically successfully middle class individuals toy with the false and rubbish notion of total disinterest in seminal public questions – politics, in short – it is not a compelling contention to expect that judicial officers must consistently remain the foremost exemplars of rectitude as if they live outside the ambit of human frailties, failings and concerns. When tragedy strikes, the brave and consistent adherent to the rule of law would be left to his own devices, to pick up the pieces, so to say, and negotiate his way around the powerful landmines of Gambian public life. Major assaults on what remain of the very fragile systemic integrity of Gambian polity passed into the annals of our public intercourse as a matter of course. Witness Krubally! Another major judicial sacking has hit the legal rumour mills from 23 August. A developing story!

Clearly, the courts have an inbuilt checks and balances system via the general appellate mechanism. I reiterate that the courts are a judicial dancehall, not a playground for arbitrary Executive directives. If the State was aggrieved by a judicial decision rendered by Krubally, the lawful route of getting redress is to trigger the general accountability system of appeal by going to the High Court. The Executive probably feels too big for that cumbersome process it regards as the puny citizen’s avenue for resolving public disputes. This mentality is perilous for the overall polity, including for the Executive itself.

As a national document, it is disturbing that the Constitution embodies immense potential for violence against the citizen, and of stalemate and paralysis in governance. A crisis, any crisis is therefore only solvable via the agency of raw power, not through the more sublime avenues of political and legal negotiation in a public environment equally responsive to the legitimate needs of all its members.

Unquestionably, the Judiciary is a victim of the legal centralization of national power in the Executive. By section 141 (2)(c) of the Constitution, “a judge of a Superior Court … may have his or her appointment terminated by the President in consultation with the Judicial Service Commission” (JSC).

To appreciate the subtle if legal subjugation of the Judiciary, to the Executive, it is vital to disentangle the architecture of the management structure at the former. At section 138(1) of the Constitution, the President has the legal authority to appoint the Chief Justice “after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission”. Second only to the Chief Justice in the administrative hierarchy is the Judicial Secretary, “who shall be appointed by the President on the advice of the JSC” (section 143(3)).

What is the basic appointing criteria regarding Superior Court judges other than the Chief Justice? Committed to leaving nothing to chance, the Constitution provides an explicit answer. “All other judges of the Superior Courts except the judges of the Special Criminal Court shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the JSC” (section 138(2)).

Considering the ostensibly heavy consultation the President must engage in with the JSC in the appointing process of Superior Court Judges, and the Judicial Secretary, it is imperative that the composition of this central body on judicial appointment be properly scrutinised. In both appointments to, and removals from, the JSC, the President is the predominant player. “The members of the Commission, other than the members referred to in subsection (a) and (f), shall be appointed by the President in consultation with the Chief Justice and subject to confirmation by the National Assembly” (section 145(2)).

Continuing with 145(6), there is yet again a clear demonstration of the President’s stranglehold over the JSC. A member can be removed “for any other cause”! In reality, there is no ex officio member of the JSC considering that even the representative of the Bar must be nominated by the Attorney General, a Cabinet appointee who holds her position at the exclusive pleasure of the President.

As for the member of the JSC to be “nominated by the National Assembly”, the Speaker, a Presidential appointee who heads the Legislature, is duty-bound to facilitate that transaction. For any Party member of the National Assembly thinking of opposing the President’s choice for membership of the JSC, there is the threat of expulsion, and the small matter of 91(1)(d) of the Constitution to exercise a sobering restraint on any potential wild journey from sheepish compliance with “orders from above”, a euphemism for Presidential directives outside the ambit of lawful commands. As for JSC members coming under sub-sections (a), (b), (c), and (e), of section 145, the President has undiluted power over their fate.

No sensible system can so thoroughly subject the Judiciary to such total control!

Clearly, our Constitution woefully failed to separate public power. Its design is maximally flawed if only because meaningful authority is almost exclusively lodged in the Executive at the expense of the other two branches. I accept that even where public power is properly balanced by the Constitution, there can be no serious answer to the thesis that law cannot self-implement. For efficacy, it must rely on a political system underpinned by the rule of law, i.e., by the separation of public power in a manner calculated to safeguard individual liberty. According to James Madison, a leading proponent of American federalism, “the accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny”.

Even without its inbuilt distortions, and regardless of how beautifully crafted and balanced, a Constitution that will continue to be either differentially applied, or not applied at all, presents a profound challenge to national cohesion and survival in that it serves the interest of a fraction of the overall polity, in this case the Executive. “At the heart of any failed state is a constitution that is not performing – either because the balances its drafters struck between competing demands on the document were wrong, or because the machinery, will and resources to make it work are woefully inadequate” (The Gazette 2012).

With all its flaws, the Constitution remains the supreme law of The Gambia. Poignantly, it also speaks directly to Krubally’s issue. “In the exercise of their judicial functions, the courts, the judges and other holders of judicial office shall be independent and shall be subject only to this Constitution and the law and, except as provided in this Chapter, shall not be subject to the control or direction of any other person or authority” (section 120(3). Even on doctrinal considerations alone, the principle enunciated in section 120(3) is unassailable.

The dismissal of Krubally is completely unlawful. Although apparently speaking in the language of civil process, the Constitution grants express immunity to a magistrate acting judicially from all process, civil or criminal. “A judge or other person exercising power shall not be liable to any action or suit for any act or omission by him or her in good faith in the exercise of his or her judicial function” (section 123).

There is widespread public sympathy for Krubally but alongside this sympathy is palpable fear for position, for freedom, for life. In a way fear pervades all spheres of the fabric of Gambian public life, and fear is a legitimate and agonising human concern. At page 436 of his book, Dictator, Robert Harris renders timeless wisdom on the inevitable if paralysing ultimate reason for being fearful: At first I thought I would never recover from Cicero’s death. But time wipes out everything, even grief. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that grief is almost entirely a question of perspective. For the first few years I used to sigh and think, ‘Well, he would still be in his sixties now,’ and then a decade later, with surprise, ‘My goodness, he would be seventy five,’ but nowadays I think, ‘well, he would be long since dead in any case, so what does it matter how he died in comparison with how he lived?’.

Students both of history and contemporary affairs would have recognised the futility of managing a country’s public life by force and fear. It is like the proverbial collapsing of the support of the sky. Everyone suffers! And for those who are disinterested in politics, and are busy accumulating wealth and the purely epicurean pursuits of life, I counsel that you look around the world for your timeless lessons. Ask the formerly untouchable, and, or, indifferent, of Libya, of Iraq, of Syria, of Liberia, of Sierra Leone, others. Politics encompasses and reaches into every aspect of life.

However viewed, Krubally’s dismissal is an assault on his human rights and dignity, a perversion of the rule of law, an affront to the principle of judicial independence. If the Constitution is toothless, what about a so-called National Human Rights Commission!

I would rather worry about the sorry state of Gambian public life than waste time and resources on the non-urgent issues of the Slave Trade, Slavery, and Colonialism.

Of more immediate concern, Krubally is effectively stranded in the United States. Without help from Gambians in the Diaspora, he will soon be destitute in that great ocean of wealth. I know there are many generous Gambians in the Diaspora and I urge our able and dynamic online anchors to mobilise public support for this deserving candidate.

I condemn the unlawful dismissal of an exemplary judicial officer!

Lamin J. Darbo

After his party’s surprise landslide victory in the recent December polls – we sample the first 100 days of the Mama Kandeh-led government as excitement still grips Africa’s smallest state, The Gambia. In rapturous scenes not seen since the heydays of independence, Gambians are still embroiled in wild celebrations as the country finally turned a page after two decades of dictatorship. Across the capital, Banjul, cars roll displaying the country’s flag blazing out loud songs across independence drive right into Albert market, where women inadvertently break into songs of national pride banishing prejudice. Similar jubilatory scenes are witnessed in major towns and cities across the country from Serekunda, Brikama, Kaur right into Basse chanting slogans of ‘Down with the Dictator’.

On a crystal clear day amidst low-tide, tourists could be seen strolling nonchalantly indulging in retail-therapy and delights Banjul has to offer. Across the seafront as the town of Barra came into view brand new Chinese-made ferries hurried businesses and commuters alike; hence the once deserted seaport has sprung into life with large container ships criss-cross into the bay. In an effort to recapture and surpass her former glory, the country has embarked on a flurry of activities with extraordinary projects in a rush to transform the island nation into a residential paradise, a major financial hub, an agricultural forest, and a centre for academic excellence.

In his inaugural speech addressing the nation attended by a cross-section of the public, members of the Diplomatic Corp, Civil society groups, Foreign leaders, amongst others, the young statesman stressed that the dark days of the APRC regime are well and truly behind and that never again will Gambians be held hostage by an entrenched dictatorship. He further assured the country that the tide of brutal regimes all across Africa which had held the continent back are in tremendous decline and soon to be phased-out, and that legislation is doing the rounds in parliament enhancing human rights laws that protect all, and generations to come.

The president further challenged diaspora Gambians to return home and invest their resources and talent as the country began a dramatic ascent as a model for democracy and development excellence within the Sub-region. He further urged citizens of this blessed land to see one-another as one people united, taking ownership of the country. The Gambia, he continued, ‘’belongs to every citizen – black or white, rich and poor, and never again will tribalism play a part in our democratic dispensation or social lives for that matter.’’

PRISON REFORM: On his first day in office, President Kandeh has signed an executive order releasing all political detainees held at Mile Two from 1994 to date. The government, he said, is working to bulldoze the notorious jail and such detention facilities around the country, to be replaced with modern correctional facilities in LRD and NBD regions respectively. Pressed by human rights organisations such as DUGA and AMNESTY international, the government has agreed to establish JUVENILE and REHAB facilities catering to the young and those marginalised. In an audacious speech at the seat of Parliament, the President also declared the ‘’Abolition of Death Penalty’’, as unanimously approved in that chamber.

EDUCATION: With standard of education at an all-time low compounded by poor results exacerbated by moral & ethical bankruptcy, the Ministry of Education has ordered a top-down approach of the education system. It has introduced free early years nursery for every child. Grammar and literature modules are added to the school curriculum in countering the literacy gap. The Ministry is working with experts from the UK embedded around the country. Plans are also in place for the reintroduction of A’Level’s reverting to the old system when the Gambia excelled in academia. Liaising with the Interior ministry and UNICEF country office, the Education ministry has taken further steps in tackling teenage pregnancy, and child abuse. The President has also declared war on drugs and counterfeiting adhering to international standards. A bill has been tabled before Parliament forcing parents to educate their children to a minimum high school level tuition free. Discussions are at an advanced stage with GAMTEL in providing FREE Wifi internet access in all schools up and down the country.

HEALTH CARE: Tackling inequities in healthcare is one of the major challenges of our time. As such, aligning with the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ blueprint, the government is working in-partnership with the UN country office to design and build 5 brand new Hospitals spread across the country. A major referral hospital is earmarked for each of the five administrative regions, and never again will Gambians feel helpless, nor seek treatment abroad.

The president has further announced that primary healthcare facilities shall be provided locally in villages and towns so as to reduce waiting times and burden within the system. In an unprecedented move with telecoms providers, the country has adopted a three-code EMERGENCY Number for calling Ambulance or Police in situations of dire need.

DEMOCRACY + GOVERNANCE: With international observers and the media holding breathe as to the administration’s plans in regards to democracy, President Kandeh reaffirmed his party’s manifesto pledge to restore credible and accountable governance. He asserts that Parliament is on the verge of passing a signature legislation halting presidential life to maximum ‘TWO-TERMS’. No president will ever serve more than two terms provided he or she win re-election and this is SACROSANCT. The separation of powers was further enhanced with a strong parliament to impeach the executive in breaches of the constitution, and an independent judiciary staffed by GAMBIAN JUDGES appointed by an independent judicial panel on merit. Again, an Independent Civil service has been restored with neutrality at its heart serving the nation. The President cannot hire or fire any civil servant; nor does he have a say in the Army or Police.

THE ARMY AND POLICE: Since his election victory, no military personnel was seen on the streets, instead back to barracks. Major changes have taken place in areas of national security. The army has no right to arrest or interrogate anyone. That belong to the police, and no officer was to leave barracks with uniform. Their job is national defence, peacekeeping duties, and helping with natural disasters around the country. According to president Kandeh, internal security shall be run by the police from now on, sharing intelligence with neighbouring Senegal. Meanwhile, ‘’Cassamance rebels’’ fused into all levels of the security sector have been weeded out and handed to the Senegalese army. An adhoc UN panel of investigators was instituted over historical crimes committed by Yaya Jammeh and his Hench-men, most of whom are behind bars awaiting trial. In a press conference earlier, the minister of interior has urged all victims of the past twenty-two years especially rape victims to come forward seek redress, and that government is committed to compensate on the Ombudsman’s recommendations.

FOREIGN POLICY: In terms of Foreign Policy, the country has revamped its external agenda in an ethical diplomatic fashion based on national interest. The Gambia will be friendly to all nations, with Senegal our closest ally. A relationship of EQUALS based on respect and mutual interest. The President has intimated that no Gambian has claimed asylum, nor sojourn the back way route to Europe in the past 60 days from the numbers released by INTERPOL.

Meanwhile, Britain is considering visa-free travel for Gambian nationals as bilateral relations blossom. The country has further opened Embassies in Germany and Denmark to service Scandinavian countries, reciprocating diplomatic missions with Canada and New Zealand too. The progress continues in establishing credible governance flying the Gambian flag around the world representing the very best in us. The speech was well received in Dakar, with both the British and US ambassadors in the country endorsing a new dawn in Gambia’s relationship with the world.

OIL AND GAS: Although the price of crude oil has dropped significantly, drilling shall begin in earnest once the contracts are signed. The government has opened a special account at the central Bank of the Gambia for oil and gas revenues to be deposited. Pressed by Journalists on the secrecy of such accounts, President Kandeh maintained that parliament and the media will gain access to quarterly expenditure receipts so as to account for every butut spent. He also announced that the oil ministry has joint-partnership with a Qatari company in building a refinery plant upstream, easing supply worries for countries within the sub-region. The country’s GDP is also projected to surpass that of Liberia and Sierra Leone combined.

BUSINESS AND PRIVATE SECTOR: President Kandeh has assured the country that plans are in high gear for the Gambia to be food self-sufficient. Working with the UNDP and other development partners, certain communities in remote parts of the countryside may be relocated into brand new cities being built to secure further land for agricultural expansion. The country has intensified rice production, and a growing manufacturing sector seeking of being a mid-level exporter in the medium term. A cement and burnt brick factories respectively were commissioned last week, and the IMF has forecasted the country’s GDP to quadruple with employment numbers looking inspiring.

INFRASTRUCTURE: As foreign direct investment and infrastructural development accelerate the President has announced that Gambia Ports authority is to relocate from Banjul to Barra. He further stated that his government has secured investment and partnership from DANDONG, North-East CHINA to the tune of 50 million dollars. Barra is to be transformed into a Port-Hub as a leading sea-port freight serving Africa and world-wide. Analysts, including the Gambia Bureau of statistics anticipate the creation of ten thousand new jobs within the main port facility and sub-sectors to be developed in time. An ultra-modern highway linking Banjul to Kartong across from Denton bridge is taking shape, with Gambian and Chinese architects liaising with engineers for the proposed Banjul-Barra bridge.

As politicians within the ECOWAS bloc assemble on regional issues including monetary union – The World Bank and African Development bank have announced funding for a Train line linking Gambia and Senegal right into Bamako, MALI. Meanwhile, the ministry of infrastructure development has reached an agreement with a Chinese multi-national to construct a solar assembly plant in ESSAU. From 2018, the president has projected that all street-lights, traffic-lights, and real-estate developments to be fitted with solar-power reducing stress on the national supplier, NAWEC, and bills.

He further announced that plans are in the offing to construct a brand new capital between Gunjur and Sifoe, plus 5 new environmentally-friendly cities across the country ‘subject to parliamentary approval’. The country’s largest city, Serrekunda, will be knocked down and rebuilt with desirable homes of flowing rivers and recreational parks. Home owners in Banjul shall be compensated or provided with new housing, with Banjul transformed into an international paradise island. Reputable hotel brands are queuing up, and a financial sector to match. All banks in the country will be headquartered in the new financial district, as investors identify the country as a base spreading into the lucrative West-Africa market.

In recent days, the ministry of Informational and Technology has reached a deal with both GOOGLE and APPLE to build a TECHNOLOGY HUB; with YAHOO and other companies also seeking deals. The hub shall attract young entrepreneurs and graduates across West-Africa as the Mini-Silicon Valley to harness and harvest talent. The president has stressed that his government is onto an aggressive diplomatic push encouraging businesses to come an invest in destination Gambia with an educated-ready work-force to inherit. According to the Gambia Bureau of statistics, the country stands to register an unprecedented 10% GDP growth rates for the next 5 years, a figure confirmed by both the IMF and World Bank.

Disclaimer – Events depicted in this write-up are fictitious, although achievable with good leadership. A desire, yearning for a better Gambia we all so dearly love.

Mr Gibril Saine

University of Leeds (Sch. of Politics)

U.K.

Dear Editor,

The Ministry of Justice has now turned to be a Ministry of injustice. A group of individuals with the instruction of the Solicitor General and her boss have been responsible for procurement for the colloquium and decided to single source and totally excluding the procurement office. They later wanted the procurement officer to sign for their actions which are contrary to Gambia Public Procurement Authority rules and regulations.

 
When the pull and push became tough between the procurement officer and SG Sankareh, they decided to use their power and influence to blame the poor boy for reporting the problem to the media. My investigations gathered that in fact most of the people working at the Ministry of Justice got the news from your medium and views were exchanged among the staff. I understand that at the recent contract’s committee meeting people were shown a copy or copies of the story.

 
Mr. Ebou Mboob who was to sign for something he did not participate in was now singled out by the so-called powerful SG and AG to dance to his demonstration of principle and professionalism. He is still in detention while the group is making every possible effort to defend themselves. The big question that still remains unanswered is: was reporting the story to the media the main issue or the single sourcing?
It has also now emerged that the funds were provided by president Jammeh and that no one wants to be associated with the misappropriation of such funds. Mr. Mboob was also aware of this fact and would not want his name and signature to appear on the forms. Most of the staff at the Ministry are very unhappy with the state of affairs but no one wants to be seen sympathizing Mr. Mboob because such sympathy could be used against them.

 
The hullaballoo however would not abate until the young professional who has been victimized by persons more powerful than him is freed. If the authorities want to verify these claims, it’s simple. Monitor the payments or better still, question members of the contracts committee as to why they refuse to sign the payments.

 
I want to reassure the general public that such injustice will be defeated when the truth about the matter is appreciated by the authorities. This is a battle against injustice and fraudulent activity

After stunning revelations of Yahya Jammeh’s men exhuming the remains of Solo Sandeng, hurling obscenities at his lifeless body and feeding it to his crocodiles thinking that will hide his crime for good. Gambians yet again woke up to the heartaches of our wounds of grief giving us new unimaginable pain to bear because the voices of the dead begin to resonant again in our minds and in every true Gambian’s heart as the sounds of 4000lb of jaws crushes the bones of our brother. He has long fomented the notion of disappearing certain people he wished much of an ill will for good. Rarely has so much hate and vitriol been aimed at Gambian by someone who had proven to very deadly. Nevertheless, this is validation or a testament of a troubling trend because — the number of citizens who died mysteriously in the hands of the regime and disappeared this year alone is outpacing last year’s figure. The unusual character of Yahya Jammeh does not paused for a moment to override his evil thoughts to behave within acceptable bounds of humanity or let alone heed to the pleas of the mourning families.

 
The real peril here is — the military personnel are now confessing to witnessing such heinous crimes or conveying stories they heard from their colleagues. The problem here is Yaya Jammeh has successfully burnish their Insurmountable reputation as good for nothing except killing Gambians, empowering dictatorship during April 14th/16 events, a shameful display of mob anarchy every time they encounter Gambians, collecting salaries and going after our women. They should continue Speak up with courage, and share what you’ve seen to help expose Yaya Jammeh who speaks on both of his mouth whiles terrorizing Gambians. After 22 years of dictatorship, a man who can’t even marshal a hodgepodge of his thoughts into a coherent plan, can’t seem to stop contradicting himself on issuing proposals but always consistent in divisiveness, bigotry or hatred and making good on his promises of intimidation as a means of achieving he needs. Yahya Jammeh is certainly guilty of shrillness on many issues, exploits any misjudgments of Gambians about himself or any loopholes he sees fit to capitalize on punishing our citizens every time with chilling crimes to clip off Gambians from their countries affairs.

As Yahya Jammeh behavior grows ever more authoritarian by vigorously killing Gambians at will, he now conversely reverted to maligning citizens through tribalism with intolerable rhetoric as he continues his ruthless vengeful crackdowns purging not only opposition figures, but people from all works of life including civil servants, women, nursing mothers and military personnel’s. one noble figure demonstrated the critical importance of strong leadership in a time of crisis and demanded accountability from Gambia’s strong alien foe — Yahya Jammeh. This is none other than Ousainou Darboe and his executives who showed Gambians where Yaya Jammeh is vulnerable. Ousainou Darboe took on Yahya Jammeh by exuding remarkable dignity and humanity during one of the darkest hours in Gambia. He exposed the dictator and trashed the mercenary judges using his intellect whiles his group sang “For the Gambia” our homeland. He showed the nation that there is a level of intransigence that he won’t tolerate with a dictator thus making a difference in fighting to restoring peace and confidence to the Gambian population — shaken by an unspeakable tragedy by no other than Yahya Jammeh.

 
It was a telling move to Gambians to stick together as he pointed to us a path we should follow to end dictatorship. Throughout his career, he has demonstrated his commitment to that last point. Other opposition figures response has fallen far short of the leadership needed in such a volatile situation as. This has enormous implications for many Gambians who still believe in going to elections with the dictator despite the questions about the unpopular Yahya Jammeh’s honesty and trustworthiness after killing a man calling just for electoral reforms. Well, some Gambians are telling us this is the year that the impulse to vote against the “Dictator” is strongest as evident of our country now in ruins. When you read and listen to most of the commentary in our online newspapers, on the air and on social media sites, you might think the race is over for Yahya Jammeh. Well as of now, Gambians on the ground obviously regard this as their only available insurance of red card against runaway Dictatorship. We wish them much luck but we want to remind them also, the man owns the barrels with his counterfeit marbles. So make sure you hear the sound “Kanggggg” before you leave the polling booth otherwise the odds are your vote does not count!

By Habib ( A Concerned Gambian)

By: ALHASSAN DARBOE

He goes by the name His Excellency Sheikh Professor Dr. Alhaji, Nasirudeen,Babilimansa Yahya A.J.J Jammeh. As the tiny and oppressed nation of The Gambia goes, so goes the many titles of its’s tyrannical ruler. For a man whose names and many pompous titles are a personification of sainthood,wisdom,maturity thrust upon his fat and short frame, for one who had wisdom associated with him wearing all white ‘khaftan’ , for the leader who carries the last revelation of God on him, The Holy Koran, a sword and rosary beads, it is becoming increasingly very obvious that the Sheikh ,or shall I say the PROFESSOR , simply lacks the capacity,maturity,intelligence and right mental state to rule and move The Gambia, our homeland forward.

Without a shred doubt, I love Yahya Jammeh, albeit mostly for his theatricality and inability to grow. No; actually I like his foolishness.Haahahah. I have watched and observed with ever increasing incredulity the possibility that His Excellency Sheikh Professor Dr. Alhaji Yahya AJJ Jammeh may have a screw or two loose or at best maybe suffering from some form of mental disorder .After reading up on some cases of mental illness, I have come to the conclusion that our man at the helm maybe suffering from bipolar disorder or better still Obsessive compulsive narcissistic disorder. For so long I have written this and almost got it published but decided to sit on it and keep my ‘super Kanja’ mouth shut because speaking truth to power in The Gambia only gets you charged for treason and giving false information to the public, which is Jammeh’s favorite when he wants to send you to jail.

The other day I was talking to my mother and she warned me since its election time in The Gambia, I should keep my mouth (BAADAA) shut and not say anything about what’s going on in The Gambia because I don’t mind my business most of the time and I’m not the only educated Gambian in America who can write against the system. However, it is my business to speak truth to power since our HOLY MEN, I mean pastors and Imams have abdicated their role to fight for the wellbeing of the masses. Instead they preach about the next world, hell and sin in the mosques and churches while leaving the helpless masses to their own devices. Like a kid throwing a tantrum, the nightmare the rough kid from Kanilai is unleashing on Gambians is un-abating. An opposition youth leader is tortured to death and the entire executive of UDP who protested against his killing were arbitrarily tried and jailed by a Nigerian mercenary judge.

From whatever angle you look at events unfolding back home, you only come to the very stark reality that the political, judicial, economic and human rights mess back home will not get any better, anytime soon. All we have on the ground is state sponsored disappearances, Jugulars on rampage, sham trials, imprisonments, torture, unbearable sorrow, tears, blood and men killed and even in DEATH denied the dignity to be properly laid to rest by their families. The killing of Solo Sandeng promises to lead to the down fall of the man at the helm. The sycophantic followers and HOLY MEN at the hem are not telling the man at the helm the truth. Our so called HOLY MEN who should have been the voice of reason have lost their true role in society and have themselves become victims of a dictatorship. Instead of being advisers to a president losing his mind, they have become the advised. Instead of becoming mentors to the president they have themselves become mentees and reduced to running spiritual errands for a superstitious president.

We have a president living in denial. Instead of dealing with the corpse of an unburied protester, Solo Sandeng, he tried to deflect attention by embarking on a nationwide tour but the desire of Gambians to take back their country never ceased because the spirit of Solo Sandeng and the hostility of the dictator has not abated. Unnerved on his throne, Jammeh could not exorcise SOLO’s ghost. He said, “Avaunt and quit my sight SOLO. Let the earth hide thee, thy bone is marrowless and thy blood is cold.” yet the spirits of SOLO continues to hunt him.(Credit to Shakes Spear)

It is so hard to believe that Yahya Jammeh, the malnourished military kid who came to power promising to stamp out corruption, tribalism, parochialism, nepotism and waste in government spending is the very one leading it on a massive scale .His favorite charges against ministers of his government is abuse of office, economic crimes and misappropriation of public funds yet he is the chief mis-appropriator of public funds. Just imagine the number of ministers Jammeh hired and fired since 1994.Hardly does a week go by without Jammeh appointing, firing and rehiring ministers. What a waste of public funds!! This only happens in The Gambia and I recommend that Jammeh should be charged with abuse of office, economic crimes and misappropriation of public funds for failure to do his due diligence in hiring the right persons for ministerial positions or rather arbitrarily hiring and firing them thus wasting public funds of The Gambia.

Mr. President ,we Gambians at home and abroad and future generations deserve much more than a sword wielding president only known for disgracing us everywhere we go, because of his bizarre rantings at home and abroad, diplomatic blunders, murders. You owe the family of Solo Sandeng his dead body so they can give him a decent burial. You owe Ousainou Darboe and the rest of his comrades wrongfully jailed at mile 2 their freedom. You owe us maturity as our president your Excellency. You owe us wisdom and coherence Babilimansa .You owe us transformation and the change you have promised since you came to power over two decades ago.Mr. President please give up your idiotic ways, grow up and before I even forget, why not even think about not running for another term as promised. Believe me, I will love you for it.Ohh another thing before I forget again, since you are a man of tradition, don’t be mad at me for telling you the truth unlike the sycophants you are surrounded by, my last name is Darboe and I have the traditional license to say anything to you and you can’t do anything about it because tradition dictates that you don’t.

It is painfully evident that, the repeated harm and humiliation of Gambians at the hands of Yahya Jammeh is getting worst each time. Not so long ago, Ebrima Solo Sandeng was murdered in cold blood and yet again, Gambians are dissolved into tears and hanging our heads in shame when we learnt about the death of Solo kurumah — one of the jail UDP sympathizers under states custody. Yet again, we have witnessed one of a string of extraordinarily and increasingly brazen attacks on Gambians at state institutions such as hospitals, many of which bear the mark of regimes responsibility. The reality can’t be altered anymore because our country is in the hands of our adversary. As Pressure cranks up on Yahya Jammeh, he averted his anger against UDP by indiscriminately continuing to kill its supports, jailing its leaders and he is already setting a lousy example by schooling Gambians about what is to come next if he is allowed to lead Gambia again.

It’s innately unhuman to have a thirst of killing of your citizens, let alone cease your opponent’s dead bodies or deny people burial but— those are the things which thrills Yaya Jammeh to happiness. It’s hard to imagine when what Yahya Jammeh wants is impossible or things doesn’t palpitate to his likings, he tosses his tantrum on the defenseless Gambians by murdering them, thinking that will solve his problems. What is more strange about this man is — he extols killings, he is the archetype of tribalist and he grew significantly more intolerant of Gambia culture. He continues to exploit Gambians by selling them the theme “Development” in exchange for patriotism and legitimizing dictatorship. This is a stark sign of how flat-footed some Gambians are in buying in his theme and still trusting him despite his failed performance or not delivering on his promises.

it is worthwhile for Gambians to apply some common sense to abandon Yahya Jammeh but so far, fear and milquetoast response of world leaders has unable them to caught up with that trend. We have seen string of systemic targeting of renowned popular people at the very highest level in their party and little unknown in the opposition for sacrifice. Abandoning his party is treated as a crime and we have seen clear an example in the case of Tina Faal — whose bail was revoked by the regime without knowledge of the presiding magistrate or prosecutor. This leads to the conversation about the new Party GDC. I am sure they are working diligently to earn the freedom of their colleague behind the scene with the best way they thing possible. However, most Gambians are very concerned of another woman in the hands of the dictator. They want the leaders of GDC party to project confidence and competence in forcefully condemning Yaya Jammeh, communicate a clear compelling message to challenged Yaya Jammeh to end this business of arbitrary arrest of all citizens. The failure of communicating the message clearly is particularly galling to many Gambians because GDC still continues to campaign for elections despite Tina is in state custody.

With Ousainou Darboe and most of his party executives in Jail, some Gambian see the election route as means of taking on the dictatorship even though they know very well he will rig the elections. The urgency of ending dictatorship is making some Gambians willing to skip the screenings of the new candidates torridly and willing to do away their reservations of Mama Kandeh. Maybe this is why GDC arrival on the political scene have been welcomed with unanimous “thumbs up” and allowed to shoulder its way into the political scene without rigorous evaluations of their leader or stamp of approval of his policies. Some people asked questions about rushing towards someone we don’t know enough about and his ethical lapse of working with regime in tandem whiles in the parliament. Others say Mama Kandeh is willing to step up to draw the line against Yahya Jammeh for a good reason whiles people with academic abilities or charismatic personal characteristics are watching on sidelines.

What is clear to our nation and the world is— Yayha Jammeh isn’t looking for legitimacy through elections because predictably, his crimes already indicted him. Nevertheless, self-congratulatory tributes in the campaign trails, speaking in vague understatements often to hide unpleasant words such as a “Dictator”, or putting every statement for reconsideration and revision before it is uttered will not make him stop his violence or incomprehensible hatred of Gambians. What Gambians want to hear is —release all our political prisoners, release our fallen heroes’ dead bodies, release all our women in prison and the final red line drawn on dictatorship.

By Habib ( A Concerned Gambian)h

t is unconscionable, more dispiriting for the regime’s justice minister attempt to rewrite their despicable human rights abuses — which in fact continues on an alarming scale of unprecedented levels of serious violations and to this day, continues to send hundreds of thousands of Gambians fleeing their homeland. It’s hard to imagine the regime that confessed to murdering a man simply calling for electoral reform, calls women “Onions”, use rape as a tool, jailed baby Aisha -one-month old nursing infant, sentenced tortured women to 3 years in jail and now is expressing disingenuous calumnious deceptive statements about human rights for all Gambians. The same brutal regime that few months ago laudably pushed back on Banki Moon of UN calls for investigations to “get to hell” and refuses to listen to the voices of civil societies by thumping out their chest against respecting human rights. More significantly, they made good on their promise by backing their rhetoric with arrogance, hostility, and a steady stream of arrests of numerous political opponents just the last couple weeks.

Nevertheless, grave concerns remain because It’s difficult to fathom that, the same regime which openly campaigned against the EU 17 points human rights issues by holding steady propaganda demonstrations, parliamentary sessions to vote it down, can hardly contribute anything useful to Gambia except murder and mayhem. They have grown more intolerant and surprisingly, they are spewing propaganda by wearing a much friendlier face to fool the international community as if they have arrived at their destination. And yet, it is sad that those same international communities, UNDP — are not paying attention to circumstances inside the now “Islamic Republic of Gambia” self-declared by Yaya Jammeh himself, and might be lulled by the regimes bogus statements into more wishful thinking that human right reform is just around the corner. Gambians cannot be fool by APRC Regime attempts to mask the ongoing Human Rights abuses with empty sentiments, when so many innocent Gambians are languishing in jails and the largest opposition party executives are serving 3 years’ jail sentencing for requested their dead colleagues body handed to them, just to avoid targeted sanctions from the EU Parliament.

Indeed, the bully tactic of the regime even in talking about human rights certainly seems to indicate a lack of contrition because their misdeeds are punitive, and essentially re-abusing their victims by just watching them otter the word “Human Rights”. The ferocity of this regime is further validated — when confronted with their own record. They will dispatch ego-fueled heart harden people who do not make only outrageous comments, but peddle inaccuracies, self-aggrandizing nonsense, irrelevant talk, and revisiting details of already determine facts. The abuse of political prisoners is no secret and must end. Several eyewitnesses have made consistent revelations of inmates or people perceived as threats to the regime — gradually eliminated through deliberate poisoning, secret executions, torture, and rape.

We the Gambians hope — that gathering will highlight all the array of concrete examples of the APRC regime human rights violations and make an end to the very poisonous ideology that apparently rewards those who torture with confiscated homes and meat to feast on. This meeting is in fact a waste of time over revisiting details of already determine facts in which the recommendations made will not be implemented. The regime does not even have one eye opened to recognize their human rights abuses, let alone lend UNDP their deaf ear to hear anything. Similar initiatives by the UN rapporteurs in 2014 failed last time. Lastly, it is common knowledge and it is worth noting that the disregard of human life by the regime, also drives them in paying top dollars to criminals in helping them to eliminate diasporian whom they perceived as enemies abroad. What a shame!

By Habib ( A Concerned Gambian)