While many people in the country are currently embroiled in the debate of ‘the brown envelopes’ from the Presidency, or the issue of succession in the United Democratic Party (UDP) – which are both important of course – I wish to write on another matter of gigantic importance. This is an issue about which every Gambian should be concerned because it has to do with the type of government we will have in the country in the future.

Sometime last week, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) sent out a letter to all registered political parties in The Gambia reminding them of their constitutional obligation to hold biennial congresses. The said letter informed that since the Act was passed and made it binding on political parties, it has observed that some parties in the country had not complied with that law.

Thus, the IEC gave an ultimatum that if any party does not hold said congress until the 31^stof December 2018, it will run the risk of being deregistered as a political party in the country. This is a matter of grave importance as it is the political parties that give us the President, the Members of Parliament and the Councilors who will run the affairs of the nation. The truth is that, any party that is not democratic while in the opposition cannot be expected to be democratic when they come to power.

The political parties must conduct congresses to discuss issue of importance in the country. It is in these congresses that they should hold democratic elections to choose the leadership to have democratic structures which will transform itself into a government if, and when they are elected into office.

These parties should have democratic structures and principles. For instance, there should be term limits in the parties to ensure that they don’t have the same person serving as Secretary General for eternity. This, if it happens, will enable other members of the party to run for office so that it does not have to be the same person running for the presidency all the time. It will make sure that the party conducts primaries to choose the best, most suitable or qualified person as a candidate.

Besides, our opposition parties, if they conduct primaries and put in place all the democratic institutions, should set up shadow governments in preparation for the day they will be given the mandate to govern by the electorate. In this manner, they will have plans and policies on all areas of importance in the country. For instance, they should have a shadow minister of Education, Health, Agriculture and all other positions which have to do with the progress of the country. They do not have to wait until they are elected to start rushing to prepare for these eventualities. That is what makes a government reactionary because they did not have any plans before taking office.

In the same vein, I wish to suggest that laws regulating party funding be put in place to ensure that all parties are transparent and democratic in all their activities even before they come to office. If a party is not transparent and democratic while in the opposition, we cannot expect it to become a model of democracy when elected to run the country. Thus, all these have to be learnt at party level so that we will always have experienced and well-trained people to take over from whichever party is ruling.

These structures in a party give the members an opportunity to learn leadership and be prepared in the principles of governance in readiness for office. With that in place, any member of a party who is serious and takes part in all party activities will understand the running of party and country.

When parties put accountability measures in place and use them in their own party, it will give all its members the required knowledge to hold elected officials in check and make sure that they do not go beyond their mandate This is how we will have a transparent and responsible government in our country.

Tha Scribbler Bah

A Concerned Citizen

According to reliable sources, intensed efforts mounted by some members of the national assembly are currently underway as we speak to investigate the SEMLEX contract, the Fatoumata Bah Barrow Foundation (FABB) and the 57 pick ups donated by an anonymous philantropist amongs others.

Below we produced the document bearing names of all the parlimentarians who are all given the opportunity to sign to take on this issue..Meanwhile, only fiften parliamentarians are needed to sign to start the parliamentary process.

…………………………………………………………

The members of the National Assembly who have signed below bring forth a motion pursuant to the provisions of the Section 109 (2)(b) of the Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia, 1997 for the following:

1. That a Committee of the National Assembly be established to investigate the following issues of public importance:

1. The circumstances leading to the award and the implementation of a contract for the production of ID cards, Driving Licence, Visa stickers and residential permit to Semlex Europe SA;

544. The purported donation of the sum of US$752,544.42 to the Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow Foundation by a company placing a bid for a contract in The Gambia. The Fatoumatta Bah-Barrow Foundation having been set up by the First Lady of The Gambia is subject to the purview of the National Assembly.

• The donation of 57 vehicles by an anonymous donor to the members of the National Assembly.

1. The granting by the Government of The Gambia through the Commissioner General of Customs to Fouta Enterprises of a bonded warehouse for the importation of basic commodities and the occupation by the said Fouta Enterprise of a bonded warehouse situate at Kanifing Industrial Estate, which warehouse has been sold by the Assets Management and Recovery Corporation (AMRC) to a third party and further which warehouse is the subject of an investigation by the Janneh Commission.

2. The investigations into the above issues are necessary for the following reasons:

1. There is clear evidence that Semlex SA is the subject matter of an investigation by the Belgian authorities for money laundering. Further there are several allegations against Semlex Europe SA by other countries with whom it entered into contracts for the production of biometric national documents. Notable amongst the allegations against Semlex Europe SA, the allegation from the Comoros that foreign citizens deemed security threats were being issued with Comoros passports.  There are also other allegation of corruption particularly with respect to its dealings in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Mozambique.  By the award of the contract, Semlex Europe SA will have access to the biometric data of Gambian citizens.  It is therefore of utmost public importance that this Assembly carry out investigations into the award of the contract and to ensure that the data if its citizens will not be used for illicit purposes.

544. Sometime in 2017, there was an inflow of the sum of US$752,544.42 from TBEA (Hong Kong) Co. Limited, Industrial Commercial Bank of China (Asia) Limited to the Fatoumatta Bah Barrow Foundation’s account held with the Guaranty Trust Bank Gambia Limited. The source and purpose of these funds remain unexplained.  This is particularly having regard to the allegation that the funds were immediately transferred to another account.  The Fatoumatta Bah Barrow Foundation being a foundation set up by the First Lady of The Gambia should be transparent particularly in the light of the revelations made at the Jammeh Commission that the former President and First Lady used Foundations established in their names to raise funds which were used for their personal expenses.   It is important to investigate the source of these funds and further their purpose.  It is also important to establish that these funds were used for the purposes for which the foundation was established.  It should be noted that the Fatoumatta Bah Barrow Foundation is a non profit foundation whose funds should be applied solely for the objects set out in its Constitution.

• Sometime in August or September, 2017, the members of the National Assembly received a donation of 57 pick up vehicles.According to the Director of Press Amie Bojang Sissoho, the vehicles were donated by a Philanthropist supporter of His Excellency Adama Barrow, the President of the Republic of The Gambia. The source of the donation is to date unknown.  It is an offence under the provisions of section 22 of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2012 for any public officer to obtain a gift or consideration as an inducement or reward.  Section 223 (4) of the Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia also provides that and personal gifts should be permitted under the code of conduct of public officials.  Clause 12 of the Code of conduct provides that a public official shall only accept any gift or donation from relatives and friends.  It is important that the members of the National Assembly to investigate the source of the gift to determine whether it falls within the exceptions provided for under the Code of Conduct.  To do otherwise would be to bring the Assembly and its members to reproach and would make it liable to allegations of corruption.

1. It has come to the attention of the members of this body that a business operated under the name Fouta Enterprises has become one of the largest importers of basic commodities in The Gambia. This business has been granted the right to use a bonded warehouse situate at the Kanifing Industrial Area.  This warehouse is the subject of an investigation by the Janneh Commission.  Further the warehouse had been sold by Assets Management and Recovery Corporation to a third party.  It is important to establish the basis upon which Fouta Enterprises was granted the right to occupy and use the bonded warehouse.  In the light of the pending food crisis in The Gambia, this Assembly must investigate all issues which could threaten the food security of our citizens.

3. Taking into consideration the urgency of the matters raised above, we call on Her Excellency the Speaker to call an Extra-Ordinary Session of the National Assembly for the above motion to be debated.

Dated the       day of October, 2018

The alleged corruption scandal allegedly revealed by the UDP MP Hon. Sanna Jawara of Upper Fulladu West is a serious cause for concern if it is true. The Gambia Alliance for National Unity (GANU) has learnt with shock, the alleged corrupt act of the current Administration and some National Assembly Members and we are genuinely concerned.

If the people we entrust with the responsibility of managing the affairs of our nation can be engaged in such corrupt practices, then we must not expect any significant progress in our nascent development and democratization process. This startling revelation is dangerously alarming and will put this government’s transparency, which is a cardinal hallmark of democracy into question. We wonder if the government is concerned about the welfare of Gambians. If this is true, it will therefore look like they are only interested in consolidating and devising strategies to remain in power.

If you have ever been in doubt as to whether this government is sincere about the welfare of Gambians, this alleged revelation should clear your doubts if found to be true, it would therefore mean that these people are clearly there for their own interests.

The GANU leadership is of the firm belief that entrusting a corrupt leadership with the task of remedying situation of a country on the verge of economic, social and institutional collapse, is a recipe for state failure.

There are a lot of allegations that this government is presiding over a falling living standard, high youth unemployment, broken health service, poor infrastructure, failed agricultural sector and a stunted economic growth. And now to cap it up, corruption at such high scale with ‘people’s representatives’ is a serious cause for concern.

It would then be obvious that the current government is losing grip and are short of ideas.

Recently, the country’s vice president Ousainou Darboe made a declaration that this year’s cropping season has failed and there will be no bumper harvest. He appealed to the international community to help the 1.7 million Gambians with food aid.

The teachers had organized several strikes since the beginning of this year, likewise the doctors and many other public institutions such as the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation. Their calls and demands are real and need urgent solutions.

Despite all these sufferings and concerns raised, coupled with the lack of steady electricity and water supply, lack of good road networks and infrastructure, and the myriads of other challenges, if the UDP-majority parliamentarians are allegedly conspiring with the current Administration in a form of bribe taking, to ensure that they help to entrench him in power, then that will be very unfortunate.

Recently, it has been rumored that the President hired a private jet which allegedly costs US$15,000 per hour, to attend the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly in New York; his wife, the First Lady’s implication in an alleged corruption scandal of D35M, allegedly transferred into her foundation’s account by a Chinese company called TBEA, are serious matters that need to be accounted for. Gambians need a clear explanation for transparency purpose.

What must be understood is that the current Administration should know that they are still in a transitional period and a lot is expected of them. So they must do their best to ensure that people’s hopes are not faded away. Therefore, we expect them to deliver to the expectation of Gambians and to honour the 3-year gentleman agreement with the Coalition members.

In the interest of the nation, we urge the government to clarify all these allegations. GANU will continue to hold government accountable on all issues of national interests.

The Gambia Center for Victims of Human Rights Violations (Victims Centre) and the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) have announced a cooperation agreement to establish the terms and conditions under which the Victims’ Center will engage with, support and be assisted by the TRRC as well as other coordination, communication and collaboration frameworks and mechanisms between the two institutions.

The agreement, in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), will be signed between the Victims’ Centre and the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission on Tuesday, the 9th of October 2018, at 12:00 noon, at the premises of the Victims’ Centre located in Senegambia, Kololi.

The Memorandum of Understanding formalizes the mutual interaction and strengthens the existing relationship between the TRRC and the Victims’ Center at the strategic and working level, focusing on the development of a victim centric approach to ensure that the dignity and honor of victims is always at the forefront of our work.

The TRRC was set up by an Act of The Gambia’s National Assembly in December 2017, to investigate and establish an impartial historical record of the nature, causes and extent of violations and abuses of human rights committed during the period July 1994 to January 2017, to consider the granting of reparations to victims and for connected matters, and to help prevent a recurrence of human rights violations and dictatorship in this country.

The mission of the Victims’ Centre is to be an advocacy platform for truth, justice, accountability, reconciliation and reparations and to promote human rights for all.

The TRRC and the Victims Centre have the shared objective of serving the public interest towards the slogan, ‘Never Again’. This MOU provides for continued strengthening of future cooperation between the two institutions in achieving common goals that will promote justice, peace and national unity.

Additionally, all victims of the 1994 coup d’état, both civilians and soldiers, are kindly invited to register their complaints at the Victims Centre.

Alagi Yorro Jallow

The great wit Oscar Wilde once said: “A cynic is a man who knows the price of everything, and the value of nothing.” Stephen Colbert addressed the notion with a fuller definition in a commencement address at Knox College: ” Cynicism masquerades as wisdom, but it is the farthest thing from it. Because cynics don’t learn anything. Because cynicism is a self-imposed blindness, a rejection of the world because we are afraid it will hurt us or disappoint us. Cynics always say no. But saying “yes” begins things. Saying “yes” is how things grow. Saying “yes” leads to knowledge.” I know which Gambia I would rather live in and I hope a less cynical Gambia can await us!

Mamudu: In our private moments what does President Adama Barrow think of Gambians? Are Gambians his lovers because we agree with Geoffrey Chaucer, known as the Father of English literature, who said love is blind? Or are we Adama Barrow’s fools because fools don’t see what their eyes see? Or are we both because, with enthusiasm, lovers do foolish things? President Barrow sleeps and snores, we hail him; he sits up, we applaud him. We salute him even as he croaks and wheezes. He chose his government’s key men from his ancestral homestead and his political roots, we made excuses for him. Those are the ones he could trust, we bellowed at wailers. We said the appointees were the very best at that point in the geography of our politics. Every democracy has its aristocrats; it is their time to eat, we said. Do we give up our dignity or uphold our dignity for a bowl of soup? If corruption and payola is encouraged between the executive and legislative accepting largesse like cash and vehicles for security of votes bring misery and threaten the very pillar of our nationhood and sustenance of our people not well-connected to government officials and politicians.

President Adama Barrow, Gambians supports the presidency as the symbol of national unity. However, we will not sit back and cheer when the very pillar of nationhood threatens its very sustenance.

Mamudu: According to the Facebook page of Hon. Sanna Jawara, UDP Member of the National Assembly for Upper Fulladu West received a call from Lamin Cham, one of President Barrow’s political operative and close confidante asked him to collect the first of a series of monthly stipends to NAMs of D10,000 from the president. In the words of Hon. Sanna Jawara, “I politely turn the offer down,” during our telephone conversation. He felt “dishonored and humiliated” realizing that “President Barrow has started paying some parliamentarians D10,000 each month…for what I don’t really want to know.”

Kudos to Hon. Sanna Jawara, for saying rejecting to bribery and corruption and by coming out in public to report to his constituents and the Gambian people, he has earned the respect of Gambians. Money cannot buy you everything and one thing it cannot buy you is HONOR which you must earn through hard work at tremendous sacrifice.

Mamudu: The president’s gift of vehicles to National Assembly members is the saddest thing on everyone’s lips and perplexed how the executive gives gift to legislative members without due process. This is not a mere banter; where is the morality and ethics Gambians expect from our political leaders. The independence of the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary is well enshrined in our Charter to promote checks and balances. It’s just that we only see checks being encased and we are left with the balance as always.

Mamudu: I have known and admired a well-respected brother who have integrity, man of dignity not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine, over the years, now a National Assembly member, a beneficiary of the President Adama Barrow’s largesse of cash and vehicles. This young man came from humble means, worked hard and won a seat. But even before Gambians get a chance to witness his character in the National Assembly, even before fellow National Assembly corrupt him, his great achievement has been all but wiped out by the president’s munificence.

The president has taken this man’s achievements and given him a bread and butter in exchange. Now this man who was known for his uncompromising stance against corruption, bribery and injustice will no longer stand on his own legacy. He is no longer his own man. All that, for cash and a car.

And the Gambian community has lost an opportunity to teach boys on becoming a man by standing on one’s own.
Mamudu: Working with one’s own intelligence and respect for the community. And I bet the boy child advocates haven’t noticed. My father warned me repeatedly about gifts. He told me they have soul power and they are given in exchange for something you have. At the time, I used to think he was talking about lust for money and sex. But now I understand it was about much more. It was about dignity, integrity and soul. And those are priceless.

This presidential cash and car gift story reminds me of what I told my students few year ago: “The people willing to give you smartphones, to give up your vote, know that however much they give you, your dignity, integrity and human birthright are much, much more valuable. That’s why they’re willing to part with so much. So, you too, should know how valuable your dignity is. Do not give up your dignity for (Tom Yum Kum) a bowl of soup.” Both girls and boys, in very specific ways. We cannot teach kids values if we do not evaluate and judge our politics by the same values. There’re no point teaching values as an individual parent if politics is going to contradict them.

The National Assembly Member for Upper Fulladu West, Sanna Jawara has registered his serious disappointment with president Adama Barrow. Below is what he posted on his Facebook Page on Saturday.

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I Never Felt So Dishonored and Disgraced!!

It still feels an enigma to know that President Adama Barrow has started paying some parliamentarians D10,000.00 each month in envelopes for what I don’t really want to know. It is either a true assessment of Dr. Ismaila Ceesay to argue that the President is clueless, or that the President is foolhardy to strike the biggest insult on our democracy. It is insane for any President to directly give money to any legislator, period!!!

State House, Banjul, 4^thOctober 2018

The African Union Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat has commended President Adama Barrow  for significantly consolidating the values of democracy, good governance, and peace and security in The Gambia. He said President Barrow is setting the country on the right path despite inheriting a difficult situation, stressing that he has succeeded in opening up the country’s democratic space.

‘’You have inherited a difficult situation but you have set the country on the right path and the right direction. We happy to learn that you are reforming the security sector.’’, he stated

His Excellency, Faki Mahamat made the comments when President Barrow received him in audience at the State House in Banjul.

Based on the foregoing, AU Chairperson said it is incumbent upon the Union to support and consolidate the gains in governance so far made by the Barrow government. He added that it is the duty of the African Union to meet the President and discuss important national issues with him in order to remedy the bottlenecks. He recollected that the same reason motivated them to send an African Mission Team in 2017 to support the country on its security sector reforms.

In welcoming the chairperson, His Excellency, President Adama Barrow expressed great delight and honour hosting him in the country, recollecting that their first meeting took place when he was only six months into his presidency. The president described the meeting as a great success and a personal motivation for him as a head of state. President Barrow emphasised the importance of peace and security in the development and progress of Africa, saying that he has a lot of confidence in the office of the AU Chairperson in attaining peace and security on the continent. He added that African integration can only be realised if peace, security, and stability prevail.

The president expressed satisfaction that the new wave of democracy in the country is widely embraced, which is why his government now focuses on governance and institutional reforms to ensure respect for the rule of law, independence of the judiciary, and the protection of fundamental human rights.

President Barrow also informed the Chairperson that his government has embarked on sectoral reforms, while urging AU, ECOWAS and other development partners to support his transitional programmes to attain reforms in key areas, such as, agriculture, security, the civil service, and health sector.  He said the security sector reforms include downsizing the security and to further build the capacity of security officials to be responsive to the need of the people.

He thanked AU for sending in experts to support the reform process, assuring him that the outcome would lay a strong foundation for a level playing ground for elections in 2021.

Speaking earlier, Foreign Affairs Minister, Honourable Mamadou Tangara expressed gratitude to the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson for being the first sitting chairperson to visit The Gambia.

Minister Tangara disclosed that the Chairperson has committed to advocating for the country’s development priorities. He commended the Chairperson and the Commission for his efforts to establish peace and stability on the continent, citing the recent peace-deal brokered in East Africa and the breakthrough in Darfur.

By Omar Jarju

The confederation of African football (CAF) has appointed Andy Quamie to coordinate the scorpion’s second leg of the double-header in Banjul against Togo on October 16^th 2018.

This move came on the heels of the recent overcrowding of the Gambia vs Algeria first leg AFCON 2019 qualifier at the Independence Stadium. The game was delayed over an hour amid worries over players’ safety after supporters forced their way in beyond the stadium’s capacity.

Meanwhile, Andy Quamie was elected at the just-ended 40^th CAF Ordinary General Assembly in Casablanca, Morocco. He is serving on the appeal board for four years, from February 2018 to February 2022.

In 2012, he was appointed as match commissioner for CAF. Since his appointment, he has commissioned several FIFA and CAF matches. He was recently appointed as deputy minister of the Ministry of Youth and Sports by President George Manneh Weah.

Does the Barrow Administration echoes the attitude of Musolini: “The crowd doesn’t have to know, all they have to do is believe and submit to being shaped”?

We cannot, of course, expect President Barrow to possess the wisdom of Lincoln or Nkrumah’s largeness of soul. However, when we think of why we’ve ousted autocratic regime, we begin by discerning what system our new government is presiding over.

A year and half after the precipitous oust of one of Africa’s remaining brutal and corrupt leaders, a clear replica of his governing style began to unfold in subtle and implacable ways.

Bad governance practices that has been a norm for considerably more than three decades in the Gambia, the system that was ultimately unacceptable degrees of inefficiency, blatant and partisanship. That system is swiftly becoming order of the day in the ‘New Gambia’.

Early 2017, the famous line of the Barrow Administration was; ‘we’ve inherited a depleted treasury’. This has been echoed in all corners of our great nation. The paradox is, this government turned out to be lavish.

In September 2018, Finance Minister Mambury Njie, told lawmakers that the government has spent D239, 923, 034. 4 on travels from January to July this year.

This reflects the heights of how Barrow government is misusing our sovereign national wealth.

By all indications, our change has continued to be merely a revolution from Jammeh’s administration and that’s it. I am inclined to believe that, all Gambians should by now completely know that the decisions we take will have continuance repercussion on the future generations. Should we hand our children the Gambia that is shaped by indecisive men? How is it that only the interest of the foreign investors and some elites matters to the government, interest of disgruntled and poor Gambians don’t!

The eight priorities highlighted in the National Development Plan has been neglected. High rate of unemployment, bad transportation system, poor educational system, injustice and lack of protection for the lives and properties of Gambian citizens continues to persist in the ‘New Gambia’.

Barrow government has blatantly declined to adhere to the basic principles of good governance; accountability and transparency. Thus, corruption is becoming the rule, and purity the exception. The government cannot defend it’s nation, if it’s not held accountable by its citizens and oversight institutions.

Every allegation of corruption in the Gambia, huge or small, should be investigated. It must be got rid of. For the sake of clarity, corruption is not only bribery. It is the abuse of one’s office, misuse of public property, nepotism, cronyism, patronage, failure to follow due process, the list goes on. With this bad governing style going on, citizens became pessimistic and our future looks bleak and hopeless.

It’s crucial to note that, good governance comes from freedom of communication. It comes from ending corruption. It comes from a populace that can go online and say, ‘This politician is corrupt, this administrator, or this public official is corrupt.’ This is what we’ve signed up for, not the contrary.
For the Gambia, ever true.

By, Buba S Njie
Political Science Student.

The President of The Gambia, President Barrow has called for support from the African Union and ECOWAS to keep the sub-region ECOMIG Forces until the end of the transition.

The forces comprising of soldiers from Senegal, Ghana and Nigeria were deployed to The Gambia after the 2016 Presidential Election, which saw the long time ruler Yahya Jammeh defeated.

Speaking at the State House in Banjul on Thursday afternoon during a meeting with African Union Chairperson, Moussa Faki Mahamat, Barrow said he was happy to receive the AU chair at his office. He recalled a meeting he had with Moussa Faki Mahamat in Addis Ababa where he was assured of the fullest support of the African Union.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, a Chadian arrived in the country on Wednesday for a day’s official visit.

Barrow used the meeting to renew his call for AU to support his government to bring about the needed change in the country. President Barrow emphasized the importance of peace and security for the attainment of any meaningful development and integration.

“Without peace and stability, the integration we are talking about cannot be achieved.”

For President Barrow, the time has come for Africa to integrate and for the West African nations; it has to start with ECOWAS if the countries are serious about coming together. He said Africa now has what it takes to succeed.

President Barrow added that his government will need support in maintaining the sub-regional forces until the end of the transition period which he says is in 2021. This he said, will help his government accomplish his security reform process.

He told the AU Chair that his government has also embarked on reforms in the judiciary and civil service and security.

“We need support in this transition period.”

Mahamat’s visit is part of his regular interactions with Heads of State and Governments of the AU member states.

Moussa Faki Mahamat commended Barrow for the ongoing reform proceses, while assuring of AU’s support to The Gambia in this transitional phase.

Commenting on the disputes in Cameroon, he says the ultimate objective of the AU is to see peaceful and stable continent. He called for dialogue in ending the dispute.

Mahamat, who was earlier in Senegal, will visit Guinea Bissau to show AU’s support and solidarity for their efforts to strengthen stability, as well as ensure the deepening of democracy and respect for human rights.

By Alagi Yorro Jallow

Do We Have a Nation?

It’s a phantom nation
A tragic experiment
Waiting to implode
Because of the quicksand
That’s it’s foundation
It’s not if….
But when it’ll implode
There’s no nation here!

As communities
We’re incompatible
WEAREONE slogan
Sounds hollow
Emphasis on tribe
Makes us unstable
Vociferous evil spirits on social media
Aggravate the bad scenario
There’s no nation here!

We slaughter each other
At the drop of a hat
Our national anthem
Is just a song
In most of our minds
But it’s a prayer
We absent mindedly chant
Without listening
To the magic words
There’s no nation here!

Where’s the God of all creation
In this ungodliness?
Where’s the shield of justice
In this unfairness?
Where’s the plenty within our borders
In this hunger?
Where’s the dwelling in unity
In this division?
This loveless existence?
This hatred?
There’s no nation here!

Leaders are such a scandal
To the utmost degree
They’re thrust to a carefree world
By their own inclination
They’re wicked without shame
They whore on
Without punishment
In the legislature
Virtue is despised
And all vice encouraged
A Sodom of a universe
With notorious corruption of manners
There’s no nation here!

We’re are a nation
Of hopeless fatalities
Our bonds are fragile
Premised on convenience
Devoid of basics
That make a people one
A nation jaded and divided
Than any time in recent memory
We’re a desperate conglomeration
Of people called tribes
Cohesion is a pipe dream
We’re forever uneasy folks
Lumped together!!!!
There’s no nation here

A nation of extraordinary inequalities
A nation of two economies
One for the few who’ve so much
In their tiny islands of prosperity
And the other for the many
Who’ve so little
In their vast ocean of poverty
A nation cut into two
The gleaming leafy neighborhoods on one hand
And the poverty-stricken slums and countryside villages on the other
There’s no nation here!

Two nations in one
Living side by side
Living separate lives
Born in different hospitals
Live in separate neighborhoods
Riding separate modes of transport
Drinking from separate water fountains
Attending separate schools
Simply apartheid in all but name
With the select few
Living in gated manicured mansions
With tables of plenty
And the majority
In the in famed shanties
Of low self-esteem
A world of inhuman poverty
There’s no nation here

State House, Banjul, 3^rdOctober2018

His Excellency, President Adama Barrow on Tuesday received in audience theChinese Ambassador to The Gambia, His Excellency, Zhang Jiming, who was at the presidency to bid farewell as he comes to the end of his diplomatic tour of duty in The Gambia.

Speaking to the State House press corps after the closed-door meeting, the Chinese diplomat said: “it is a sad moment with mixed feelings. I and President Barrow have reviewed what had happened in the past two years of our bilateral relations and we were satisfied with the achievements and progress of our levels of cooperation and relations”.

He lauded the support given by President Adama Barrow to the China-Gambia relations and assured him and the government of The Gambia that the Chinese side attaches great importance to the ties.

“The Chinese side is also very pleased with the progress in the past two years of the bilateral relationship. We are very confident, on the basis of the One-China principle and also on the basis of mutual respect, benefit, andequality, that our friendship will grow from strength to strength,” hecharged.

Ambassador Jiming said he is “so honored” to be the first Chinese diplomat to serve in The Gambia since the assumption of bilateral ties, adding that he had a momentoustwo and a half years in The Gambia.

“It is because both of us worked on the same goal that we are now where we are. The experience in the past two years gives me confidence, that our relationship has not only a tradition and historybut also a solid foundation,” he said, expressing hopes that his successor will build on this so that a  lot more can be achieved.