PRESS RELEASE

Standard Newspaper article of September 13, 2018 captioned “ANGRY PILGRIMS DEMAND REFUNDS FROM HAJJ OPERATOR,” alluding to supposed unhappy customers of our agency, Alpha Travel, complaining about not being transported via airplane for the Dakar to Banjul leg of their return from Hajj has been brought to our attention.  The clients were transported by air-conditioned buses, the trip took 5-6 hours from Dakar to Banjul.

Alpha Travel wishes to express profound regret and apology caused by this mishap.  Measures were put in place to avoid such a situation but because of circumstances beyond our control, we ended up being short on delivery.  We take full responsibility for the inconvenience caused – We are sorry.

This agency prides itself on its customer service, affordable prices, and quality of delivery – best routes, etc.  Our Hajj package was the cheapest – charging from D24,000 to D42,000 lower than any other agency.  In Mecca, our hotels were closer to the Haram than any other agency, and in Medina, just a walking distance from the religious sites.

Throughout the course of the Hajj process, Alpha Travel had agents on the ground whose job was to answer questions, guide pilgrims, and address any concerns.  The agency fully engaged the customers on all issues including the lack of air transport for the Dakar to Banjul leg for the preferred dates.  Considering the not-so-good choices the agency was confronted with, the only option available was to transport the pilgrims via buses to their final destination with all their belongings intact.

This is a teachable moment for Alpha, and all processes are being fully re-evaluated to avoid a repeat of such case.  Negotiations are already being undertaken with airlines to concretize travel arrangements, staff training is being planned to build on improved services, we will soon engage the Hajj Committee in The Gambia with a view to stay ahead of the curve, and a process is in place to update our technology for quality control.  In Sha Allah, all can be rest assured next year’s Hajj will be different in this regard.  Again – our sincere apologies to all.

Over the past few weeks and months Pres. Barrow made several statements that directly point to dictatorial tendencies and inclination towards corruption that are utterly unbecoming of a president who is immediately following one of the most corrupt and autocratic misleaders ever seen in Africa. Therefore, these statements by Barrow raise concern as to his quality of leadership and the future of the Gambia. Hence it is necessary that Gambians are alerted to these unfortunate statements so that we do not become complacent again while a budding dictatorship is brewing under our feet.

Few months ago, in Turkey, Barrow condemned citizens who criticised his government as insincere and attention seekers. Few weeks later he directly attacked the person of Dr. Ismaila Ceesay by falsely asking where the man was during the days of APRC Dictatorship. Not long ago he also threatened that he is ready for anyone who would cross his line. Last week he told GRTS that his Government’s spending of over 300 million dalasi on travels was insignificant because other countries spend more. This week he went further to say that striking teachers are testing the waters and going too far in abusing democracy and that his government will not tolerate such strikes.

These statements are indeed tyrannical, condescending and purposely geared towards perpetuating corruption and bad governance in our country that no citizen must allow. Barrow must accept, as a president who had sworn to defend the Constitution of the Gambia, that all citizens have fundamental rights and freedoms as stipulated in Chapter 4 for which his Government, under Section 17 is bound to respect, protect and fulfil those rights. Hence it is utterly unacceptable that Pres. Barrow would condemn any citizen for merely exercising those rights as stated in our Constitution.

Barrow can only disagree with the lawful opinion or actions of citizens, but he cannot deny citizens from expressing their lawful opinions and performing their lawful actions. Every Gambian has a right to strike in line with the Constitution and Barrow cannot take that right away. Whether a citizen was vocal against Jammeh or not cannot be used as the yardstick today to determine who should criticise Barrow or not. Hence Barrow’s attacks on citizens must be exposed and condemned for what it is, Dictatorial.

Barrow and his Government have consistently lamented that they inherited a tattered economy and an empty coffer. For that matter he has been going around the world to seek help. Therefore, it is utterly wrong and immoral for that same government to be seen spending millions of dollars on travels alone. If China or UK or Ghana can afford millions of dollars for travels that does not mean the Gambia can and should also spend even thousands of dollars. The Gambia is Gambia. Ghana is Ghana just like every other country is unique. Therefore, we cannot equate ourselves with any other country especially when it comes to bad practices such as wasteful spending.

If indeed it is true that the Jammeh regime was corrupt, wasteful and autocratic as claimed by Barrow and his Government, then what we do not expect Barrow to do is to be also corrupt, wasteful and autocratic. Our expectation is that this Government should be open, honest and democratic as well as become efficient, responsive and accountable to Gambian citizens. This is the only path we expect this Government to follow. But it appears Barrow is deliberately closing his eyes to blatant inefficiency, corruption and abuse in his own Government only to now face citizens with venomous attacks.

Let Pres. Barrow realise that this Gambia never belonged to Dawda Jawara and Yaya Jammeh alone and surely this Gambia does not belong to Adama Barrow alone. Let Barrow realise that he was elected on the basis of our Constitution which states in Section 1 that the Sovereignty of the Gambia resides in the people of the Gambia. This section went further to state that the Government derives its authority and legitimacy from the people of the Gambia and that the Government performs it functions only on behalf of and for the welfare of Gambians. Hence Pres. Barrow must be told that he must humble himself and submit himself to the sovereign will of Gambians.

Gambians have a right to criticise him in the most severe and unpleasant way they think fit and he is bound to accept those criticisms by responding to the issues and not threatening and attacking citizens. We want only true democracy in the Gambia. We do not want a kind of democracy such as in many other African countries where citizens enjoy all civil liberties yet live in poverty and deprivation thanks to corrupt, inefficient and dishonest governments and leaders. Gambians must not only enjoy civil and political rights but that those rights and freedoms must also translate into social and economic benefits to enable citizens enjoy the highest standard of living. This is the only mission before Barrow that he must fulfil or betray.

The Government of Pres. Adama Barrow is annoyingly corrupt, inefficient and unresponsive. The facts on the ground attest to this sad and unfortunate reality. His Government is not being transparent to citizens on a number of fundamental issues and continues to ignore the genuine concerns of citizens. It is only when citizens cry out that his Government will come up with a crisis management response after the damage has already been done. The recent memo from the Minister of Finance on foreign travels is one example. The release of a paedophile was another.

Meantime, contrary to public outcry, the Government has gone ahead to sign a contract with a dubious foreign company that is under criminal investigation in their own country to produce our national ID cards. Both the President and his Minister of Justice continue to give the misleading narrative that just because Semlex had a contract with the former corrupt regime of Yaya Jammeh therefor this Government is bound to comply with that contract less they be accused of breach. Yet the Minster of Justice, as a lawyer knows that every contract has termination clauses that either party can invoke. Why didn’t they do that given the potential national security implications of giving national documents to a foreign company?

Gambians must stand up to demand transparency, accountability and responsive government now. After 50 years of nationhood the standard of living in this country is unbearable and unacceptable thanks to bad leadership since 1965. Therefore, we must not allow another government and president to emerge that seeks to throw the usual dust into our eyes while they bastardise our resources and undermine our lives and damage our future with prolonged poverty, deprivation and high cost of living.

We need a president who values and upholds the principles and standards of democracy and accountability and respects each and every Gambian. So far Barrow has drifted away from these principles and citizens must not condone that in anyway. The Gambia has no reason to be poor and underdeveloped. We are a highly endowed country with natural resources. We have a highly capable citizenry. Unfortunately, we have never had an effective government and an efficient leader who is democratic and accountable which is the very and only reason for our poverty and underdevelopment. We expected that Barrow would be that kind of a president but unfortunately this has not been the case so far.

Stand up for democracy and accountability!

For the Gambia Our Homeland.

Part 2: Separating the Office of the Attorney General & Minister of Justice, Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions independent Office:

Alagi Yorro Jallow

In our constitutional democracy and by the doctrine of the separation of powers, the independence of the judicial branch is sacrosanct and indispensable to the rule of law, democracy, and good governance. Since gaining independence in 1965, the Gambians have witnessed indisputable evidence of attempts to undermine and violate the principles of the separation of powers and the independence of the judicial branch.

The Gambia inherited its legal system from Westminster, which introduced a mechanism to avoid any conflict of interest because the attorney general is a political appointee, usually a member of the Cabinet/ Parliament, appointed by the Prime Minister to be part of the government. He/she acts as the chief legal adviser to the government. But a separate body that is operationally independent from the attorney general makes prosecution decisions. The attorney general does not influence these prosecution decisions other than in a very small number of offenses.

Separating the office of the Attorney General and the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions needs an urgent review regarding the prosecution practices in the Offices of the Attorney General to ensure that a conflict of interest can be avoided. This conflict is caused by the fusion of two roles into one office. More specifically, the Attorney General provides legal advice to the government and, at the same time, decides whether to prosecute a case or not.

I suggest and propose the CRC, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions be independent of the minister of justice. This office, which is supposed to be independent of the executive branch, investigates and prosecutes certain categories of cases and allegations of corruption and other criminal wrongdoing, including those involving alleged violations of the Public Procurement Act and cases implicating political officeholders and politicians.

The view that I will seek to advance is that of “formal independence” or the complete autonomy or separation from the Attorney General that appears to exist under the provisions of the new Constitution as the Attorney General retains responsibility over all prosecutions. However, “substantial independence” by way of impartiality and neutrality may yet be achieved through a firm political will, definite intentions, and resolved commitment by the government to allow the officeholder sufficient freedom to carry out his or her mandate with little to no outside interference.

I have reiterated my previous call for the government to decouple the Ministry of Justice and the Attorney General’s office from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions by saying that doing so is the first step to winning the fight against corruption.

Gambians deserve to have an office for an Independent Prosecutor. That is what we are talking about here: separating the two offices by law and adding this separation to the reforms in the new Constitution so that it happens.
Several Commonwealth countries separate these two roles. As in the United Kingdom, for example, the Australian Attorney General is a politician whose role is to advise the government. But prosecution is decided by the Director of Public Prosecutions who operates independently from the Attorney General and the political process.

For countries that seriously want to ensure that justice is done and is seen as having been done, the roles of the Attorney General and Public Prosecutor are separated. This is the direction that we should go to give credibility to prosecution decisions. If the Attorney General holds the power to decide on prosecutions, the problems faced by any Attorney General today will continue to be faced by all future attorney generals, regardless of how honest they are.
This situation is bad for both the Attorney General and the person in question. The Attorney General will face criticisms, even if he or she is acting professionally and honestly. In contrast, the person in question will continue to be doubted, even if there is truly no case against him or her.

A conflict could occur if the person being investigated is in the government. If the Attorney General is advising that person in government, many people will doubt his or her independence when deciding whether to prosecute that person.
To conclude, my respectful position is that complete independence is what Gambians require for the proposal of new provisions to the Constitution demonstrating strong political will that allows an office holder (DPP) sufficient liberty to work with little to no political or other interference.
The offices should function with sufficient latitude to prosecute members of the government—if they fall foul of the law. The success or failure of this proposal would go a long way towards resolving several issues: 1) whether to separate the office of the Attorney General from that of the Minister of Justice, 2) create an independent office for a Prosecutor General, or 3) grant the Attorney General independence from the executive branch and the President in exercising all prosecutorial powers.

It is my personal and firm belief that the new Gambia should introduce this proposal into the new Constitution and take away the criminal prosecution function of the attorney general’s office and vest it in the separate and independent office of a director of public prosecutions. Until we achieve this constitutional change, I certainly welcome the separation of the office of the director of public prosecutions with a specific mandate to work with the police and other statutory investigatory agencies and prosecute public sector corruption and crimes committed under our procurement laws.

All prosecutions would, of course, be in the name of the Republic of Gambia and handled by the director of public prosecutions, in accordance with the Constitution.

The Vice President of The Gambia and Party Leader of UDP, Ousainou Darboe has reportedly cried at the Party’s Central Committee meeting held on Saturday, at Banjul.

“Today, Ousainou Darboe cried at our central committee meeting,” Karamo Jadama, UDP Regional Chairman said.

Jadama told hundreds of party supporters that the insults and abuses within the party membership on the social media is giving their leader sleepless nights.

“Ousainou never cried for his own children or family members but it is always about UDP,” he added.

The revelations were made during the UDP rally marking the Denton Bridge ambush in remembrance of their fallen compatriots.

Speaking at the rally on Saturday evening, Ousainou Darboe, the country’s VP and UDP Party leader recalled the ambush at the Denton Bridge on the 22nd September in 1996. He mentioned the names of Kebuteh Jaffuneh, Pa Bajo, Yankuba Dibba and Amadou Sanneh amongst others who were seriously tortured by the APRC thugs.

“The APRC criminals ambushed our convoy with even ministers wearing military uniforms. That day it was only God who saved us,” Ousainou Darboe said.

He added: ” They wanted to kill all of us.”

Darboe said over 80 party supporters suffered from the incident some of whom were admitted at hospitals while others received treatments at his house. He calls for unity within the party.

“Today, there are people who want to destroy the UDP,” he said.

The message is a clear signal of internal power struggle within the party.

He called on the people of West Coast to stop betraying the party otherwise they would be ashamed when they meet Imam Alhagie Karamo Touray, Sarjo Kunjang Sanneh and Shingle Nyassi amongst others on the Day of Judgment.

“Some of the youths are going around the countryside telling people that they want to allocate salaries to the party regional chairmen but I was the one who refused,” Darboe told supporters.

“How can I say such a thing. That is not true” he refuted.

“Let them stop saying that I’m the one denying people from getting appointments”

The UDP Party leader said he knows about people going round giving D3000 Dalasi to Yai Compins to form a new party. He alleged that some of these people were former Ministers of the APRC Government.

Darboe took a swipe on those who called the Barrow Administration as a UDP Government.

“They said that the Vice President, Cabinet Ministers and Ambassadors are UDP which is why they called the Barrow Administration a UDP government,” he told supporters.

He advised his supporters to protect the integrity of the party and support the government’s agendas. He urged them to put on their party colours whenever they went to meet President Barrow.

President Barrow says his government will negotiate with The Gambia Teachers Union to reach a conclusion on the ongoing strike by a ‘section’ of Gambian teachers, dubbed, “Teachers For Change”

“Well, I think we cannot call it Gambian teachers but a section of Gambian teachers. We want to negotiate this [strike] through The Gambia Teachers’ Union, which is the body responsible for teachers,”

Barrow told journalists in an interview at the Banjul International Airport after arriving from the UN General Assembly in New York.

He added: “I want to send a message across; this new found democracy we have to be very careful because every group will just get up and say ‘we will strike’ and this improper and incorrect. It is putting pressure on The Gambia and we don’t want that to happen- we have to follow the due process.”
“Enough is enough”

“We have to negotiate with the GTU to reach a conclusion but nobody should just get up and strike.”

“We are going to take our stance. I think they are testing the waters and enough is enough.”

On the UN Summit, President decried the 73rd UNGA as a good one where the issue of Africa’s representation in UN Security Council was emphasized.

The teachers are demanding for a better pay and improved working conditions.

The Vice President Ousainou Darboe, in a meeting with the striking teachers was reported to have threatened that teachers who failed to return to schools by 28th September, would have their contracts terminated and be replaced by retired teachers. This is not the first time that teachers are embarking on such strikes.

Alagi Yorro Jallow

It’s with utter consternation that the Gambia government spent several million of local and foreign currencies on the President Adama Barrow’s trip to New York for the 73rd United Nations Annual General Assembly in September 2018. This one-off expenditure is an affront to Gambians and to taxpayers. It is unacceptable that President Barrow could go to New York and spend such huge amounts of money, dinning, shopping and having fun when most of our people live in extreme poverty. It is unacceptable that President Barrow spent such amounts of money on dining and shopping when our hospitals have no drugs and when our youths have no tuition fees to pay in schools and university. President Barrow had abused Gambians by being inconsiderate to the many challenges they were facing.

Gambians are shocked that these entourages that the President moves with are not only bloated but surprisingly, his supporters, family member are also being included on these not so worthwhile trips being done in the name of diplomacy. To, therefore, say that President Barrow is a spendthrift is not an understatement or an abuse. It is a fact and there are no apologies to say that Adama Barrow seems to have no agenda for the Gambian people.

The monies that Adama Barrow is wasting on these unproductive trips could be put to good use. We wonder why Adama Barrow cannot take a leaf from the Presidents of Senegal, Sierra- Leone, Liberia and Tanzania, who rarely fly out of their countries, and often, they usually travel with commercial flights not a chartered flight that cost millions of tax payers. If Adama Barrow really cares for his people, which we doubt he does, he should be reasonable in the decisions he makes. We pray to God, that the Almighty gives him wisdom not to be irrational. The persons handling the Presidency are questionable characters. These are characters who don’t understand statecraft. What can the likes of Musa Drammeh and Dou Sanno advise the President? In criticizing his UN 73RD General Assembly meetings Adama Barrow, it is naive that while Gambians are wallowing in poverty.

Gambians are therefore challenging President Barrow to inform the nation how much he has spent on his recent UN 73rd General Assembly and we urge the President to change for the better and put the Gambia as his number one agenda.
According to a whistleblower detailing part of the cash transactions made on President Barrow’s trip to the United Nations meetings, the whistle blower alleged that the treasury deposited several millions of local and foreign monies for various logistics, adding that some of it was spent on unexplained costs at New York hotel accommodations in Manhattan, limousine hires and dinners.

The whistleblower further opined that lot of expenditures were spent on shipping cargo for government officials and members of the president’s entourage by a shipping company of New York, a transport firm that is specialized in providing a range of moving services to the diplomatic Community, corporate entities, individuals and government employees. He further alleges that some amounts were spent on shopping in various department stores, including the International Jack’s place, phone accessory shop in New York and Innovation luggage store on Broadway, New York.

Arguably, it is inconceivable that President Adama Barrow travel with a private chartered jet with an estimated cost of $ 17,000 per hour, an entourage of unconfirmed fifty-three delegates to attend the 73rd United Nations General Assembly in New York, makes President Adama Barrow as one of the most flamboyant Presidents in Africa. The justification by State House that the presidential visits are meant at codifying the Gambia’s bilateral, multilateral and economic ties with various states, multinational corporations and transnational corporations. This is laughable. Most Gambians are shocked at the high cost of President Adama Barrow and his government’s foreign trips.

Alagi Yorro Jallow

Mamudu: President Barrow should be reminded, and his administration of the many frailties Gambians fought for in the past in a bid to ensure that the Gambia progress past the ugly chapters of yesteryears that brought us too much heartache, chaos and despair. Gambians cannot in good faith encourage the office of the First lady and her foundation, Fatoumatta Bah Barrow FaBB Foundation to go around the world pleading for aid for her foundation, especially when her husband, President Adama Barrow and his senior government officials have been reluctant to exhibit transparency and accountability regarding government expenditures and paying a deaf ear to numerous calls to declare their assets.

Mamudu: Wives of presidents should just stay home, bake cookies, have English tea in small cups and saucers with their friends, and get babies, or whatever it is that wives of rich men do. But coming to tell electorates about healthcare, women’s empowerment, youth development and environmental programs when their husbands are stealing from hardworking women and youth who pay taxes, is just unacceptable and annoying. Middle class elites and low class of men and women taxes pay for those exuberant and flamboyant ceremonies with the flowers, and fancy tents, and the security that follows First Ladies around making sure they are not poisoned and that they have a clean loo. So, let president’s ‘ wives go visit Sheryl Sandberg and lean into something.

Report suggest that the Fatoumatta Bah Barrow FaBB Foundation didn’t know how the ($ 750,000) 33 million Dalasis from a Chinese investor was deposited into the account of the FaBB Foundation. Reports advanced that the First Lady is one of two people who ostensibly signed for the money to be removed from her FaBB foundation account to charter a flight, which never happened.

Chairperson of the Foundation one Fatou Ceesay immediately claimed ignorance of who deposited the money and for what purpose the 33 million Dalasis ($750,000) was meant for. Further inquiries by the online press further revealed that when the monies were deposited at the Guaranty Bank, the amount was transferred to an account operated by White Airways, a Portuguese charter airline company but was returned soon thereafter to the Foundations account with the Guaranty Trust Bank in Banjul.

In the current budget, there is an uncommon appropriation of over 370,000 Dalasis for the First Lady’s office which has been approved by the ‘tyranny of numbers’ of the Tactical Alliance dominated National Assembly members. The voters feel that should be enough to undertake projects the First Lady holds to her heart in one budget year, especially for a government preaching a pro-poor agenda. While Gambians appreciate the First Lady’s desire to help those in need, the Gambia’s history and current predicament and reluctance toward transparency and accountability forces Gambians to demand thorough scrutiny.

Mamudu: The amount of ($750,000)33 million Dalasis is still unaccounted for, the electorates are asking, where’s the money? Who transferred and for what purpose? The case of a mysterious bank transaction amounting to ($ 750,000) 33 million Dalasis that originated from Hong Kong through the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Chinese to Guaranty Trust Bank, London Branch to Novo Banko in Lisbon before being deposited into the account of the First Lady’s Fatoumata Bah Barrow’s Foundation (FaBB) at the Guaranty Trust Bank in Banjul. This transaction has since raised more questions than the officials of the Foundations can provide answers to an increasingly frustrated public that should be a cause for concern, not only to Gambia’s First Lady and officials of the FaBB but to the Barrow government.

Mamudu: This is where our problem lies in the Gambia’s current First Lady’s Foundation, the first in a long time, trying to start a foundation after the election of her husband as President. It becomes very rare for leaders and their families to start up foundations while in office for the obvious reasons that it draws unnecessary attention and scrutiny. Closer to home, our neighbors Senegal is a clear example of how ruling families can easily run into trouble – even if on the surface they aim to do well under the guise of private foundations. This has been a trend for decades. Leaders and rulers have found themselves running into trouble either while in office or after they leave. Businesses looking to gain access to the Presidency use family’s crony business activities and family foundations to cut bureaucratic red tapes.

Evidence has shown that many of those who played by those rules of bribery, corruption and racketeering returned the favor with kickbacks and tribute payments, under the guise of charitable donations to foundations overseen by family. The foundations were in effect, a personal piggy bank for presidents and donating millions to them, making the scheme a major part of the cost of doing business in the country. It is no secret that the Gambian people have been bombarded with allegations and reports that Yahya Jammeh led government was siphoning funds through the Jammeh Foundation.

Reference is invited from the article published on the Freedom Newspaper dated September 27, 2018, as per the above subject matter. The aforesaid immortality article of accusation is a hateful fabrication of huge lies and dislike at the highest level on top of Mountain Everest, mathematically calculated wrongly with the intention of ruining and undermining the status of David Kujabi, are we in the area of character assassination?

The aforesaid evil, wicked article, was a malicious mixture of offensive mammoth lies, hatred, deep-rooted academic and intellectual jealousy, designed and projected to portray David in a bad light, and to nastily wipe out the dignity and impeccable honour he is known for as a Police officer. In fact, the author has the audacity to add hatred on our noble, splendid Police Institution.

Dalasi Keme should note that David is exercising his constitutional rights  “right of freedom of speech and expression” and  “right of academic freedom”, which are expressly guaranteed by Section 25 (1)(A) and Section 25(1)(B) respectively, of The Gambia’s 1997 Constitution.

The author name Dalasi Keme, hypocritically hiding behind the keyboard has the guts to spew garbage on an honourable and finest Police officer of our time. I will advise the author of such an evil article to utilize the opportunity well as such will not take him/her any were.

‘’I am watching and monitoring and I intend to continue to contribute henceforth, because some of us cannot remain silent watchers. Apologies, but I can’t be bothered to use my real name, a protection social media also provides’’ Said, Dalasi Keme.

Surprisingly, enough Dalasi Keme has the backbone, and the moral fibre to accuse David as a disgruntled officer. This saw how academically raw, crude and evil he/she is since he/she is hiding behind a fake name.

I refer Dalasi Keme to the 1997 constitution to familiarize himself/ herself on Section 24(3) A of the 1997 constitution (Presumption of innocence). Furthermore, David is serving this country of ours with sincerity, honesty, integrity, passion and courage.

I think it is high time we help the government with how government’s function. Our collective responsibilities should be how to bring back the lost glory of the country for the past wasted 53 years of so-called independence. Fact, no one but us can make our country a better place for us and generation unborn. Let’s try to put The Gambia first before anything else. (Badjie, 2017)

Saidina Alieu Jarjou

Political Activist

I have never been a teacher so I sit on a neutral position and critically looking at the situation and assessing the claims of both government and the protesting party. I have contentiously concluded that their claims are legitimate and worthy of protest.

The improvement of their service conditions and better remuneration is a legitimate claim. I have heard many criticise these fellows for neglecting their duties and causing and crisis in the education sector, but I bet those people complaining would defer in opinion if they feel what these folks go through in doing this noble work.

Imagine working in a very remote village, in very harsh weather, probably a village without electricity or running water and no shop to buy even the most basic supplies. Imagine being in this condition for four or five months without being paid a salary.  If those people that have to go through all these vices and willing go and teach our brothers and sisters in those classrooms have to be appreciated and rewarded.

In conclusion, the importance of the trained and motivated teacher cannot be overestimated in the socio economic development of this country, it is crystal clear that the role of teachers is very vital in improving human capital and consequently has a positive impact on national development and prosperity. The success of a nation depends on the success of the education system while the success of education system depends on the quality of teachers .So I call on the authorities concerned to re consider its stance on the demands of these teachers and refrain from the threats and intimidation and seriously engage them to come to a compromise in the shortest possible time.

Tijan Bah

Political science student

University of The Gambia

I write in solidarity with the teachers for change as per their request for a better education sector. Our teachers were the educators who give us knowledge of the world around us and changes it into something for a better society we all want to live in. Still advances us a viewpoint of looking at life and helps us build opinions and have points of view on things in life and the surrounding.

The last time I checked education is widely regarded as essential to economic growth, national development and overall prosperity. In The Gambia, education is valued very highly and theoretically given a high priority. Strangely enough, however, the teachers responsible for educating Gambia’s children are not valued that highly as expected compared to other jobs. Considering the rapid increase in goods and services, you would think that teachers would be among the highest paid professionals. Yet teachers are compensated unreasonably to their advanced education levels and are disrespected by many people.

If the salary for teachers were higher, then more people would want to join the profession. With more competition for teaching, the best people would be the ones who are ultimately to be hired. With better teachers at schools, more students would hopefully connect with what they are learning and want to go on to a higher education. With more education, graduates from the University of The Gambia would be better prepared to go out as far beyond Bollibanna.

I remember when my teacher once asked me what I want to be in the future. I replied Teacher, he shouted at me “not to pray for that”. And informed me that teachers are the least paid in which they struggle with their salaries to make a leaving as they normally rely on bank overdraft. After a lot of thought, it’s obvious to me that my education would be much better if my teachers felt valued. It seems as though many teachers are asked to do more every year for the same salary or sometimes with a pay cut.

Many teachers have not been noiseless about their reasons for abandoning the profession, low morale and low pay. Yet the state’s response has not been enough to end the ongoing crisis of teachers in schools. The job of recruiting and retaining qualified teachers especially in the rural areas becomes more difficult without wiggle room for bonuses and high pay.

Motivated teachers can lead to increased productivity and allow a school to achieve higher levels of output. It is high time for the Barrow led administration to consider the demands of the teachers. Since the majority of teachers quit the teaching field unwilling because of the harsh and stressful conditions.

Saidina Alieu Jarjou

Political Activist

BANJUL—-The Immigration Department has denied raising the new national identity ID Card fees to D450 Dalasi.

The Gambia Government has recently contracted Semlex, a Belgian Company to issue the national identity ID Cards amid controversy surrounding the company’s integrity and high prices set for the national document. The Company has been involved in several corruption allegations that injects fear in many Gambians as to whether the country’s national data is safe with them.

ASP Mamanding S Dibba, Immigration Spokesperson told The Fatu Network that the country’s Immigration Department has not fixed the fees for the new ID Cards.

“Iam not in a position to tell who fixed the fees to D450 Dalasi,” he added.

Spokesperson Dibba further said that the department was only responsible for implementing the programmes assigned to them.

The Interior Minister and Immigration Director General were on Tuesday, summoned by the National Assembly Select Committee on Security Matters to look into the integrity of the contract, the alleged corruption associated with it and the security of the national document in their hands. It was a close door meeting that lasted for several hours.

Assan Tangara, Permanent Secretary at Interior Ministry told The Fatu Network that he cannot say who fixed the new ID Card fees.

“I don’t have answers to your questions at the moment,” PS Tangara told The Fatu Network.

The Interior PS referred this reporter to the Immigration Spokesperson, saying the questions raised are technical matters.

Many concerned Gambians home and abroad are calling on citizens to boycott the ID Cards from Semlex Company.

“Given that the government of The Gambia recently declared that there will be food shortage this year due to poor rains…it is absolutely insensitive to tell citizens to spend D450 Dalasi to acquire an ID Card,” Tha Scribbler, a concern Gambian wrote.

Madi Jobarteh, a renowned human rights activist wrote on his Facebook page:

“Bear in mind that ID cards are renewed every 5 years. This means for the duration of our entire lives we will all comeback again every 5 years to pay D450 Dalasi for this document.”

Jobarteh predicted the possibility of doubling the ID Card prices in 10 years to D900 Dalasi.

The ID Card fees initially was D250 Dalasi until it was recently increased to D450 Dalasi. Apart from the 200℅ increment, it is also believed that there are companies in the country that can do the job at low cost.

Meanwhile, the issuing of ID Cards is slated for the 1st October, 2018.

State House, Banjul, 27^thSeptember 2018

The Office of the President is pleased to announce that the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will visit The Gambia on the 31^stOctober 2018.

This will be The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall’s first visit to The Gambia. The visit will celebrate The Gambia’s re-entry into the Commonwealth in February this year as well as highlight the warm and dynamic relationship between The Gambia and the United Kingdom.

The President of The Gambia, His Excellency Mr. Adama Barrow, will welcome their Royal Highnesses to the country at a ceremony in McCarthy Square in the capital city of Banjul.

Key events in the programme will include a visit to the MRC Unit The Gambia (at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine), to recognise its pioneering research into the diseases and public health challenges affecting millions of people across Africa. The visit by The Prince of Wales will highlight the key role the unit plays in the global fight to eliminate malaria.   The Prince of Wales will also visit the Gambian Armed Forces Training Centre, from where troops are trained for their role with the United Nations – African Union Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID).

The Duchess of Cornwall’s programme will include a visit to a school to meet young people aspiring to enter The Queen’s Commonwealth Essay Competition, which is the world’s oldest schools’ international writing competition, managed by The Royal Commonwealth Society since 1883.

The visit to The Gambia will end with a State Dinner before Their Royal Highnesses depart for Ghana and Nigeria.

By Omar Jarju

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

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

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

The exact cause of death is not yet known.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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