By Omar Wally

Ousainou Darboe, Secretary General of The United Democratic Party, has said that The United Democratic Pary (UDP) is a Gambian party built by Gambians. Darboe made the remarks Thursday, August 23 during an exclusive interview with The Fatu Network in observance of the party’s 22 years anniversary.

UDP was registered as a political party on August 23, 1996.

‘Even myself (Ousainou Darboe) if I decide to betray The UDP, even an albumen (egg white) will be more valuable than me in this country’

‘UDP is a Gambian party, that is why the party survived up to this time’ Darboe said.

Darboe added that ‘Eleven of our party executive were arrested and locked up, if that had happened to any party that will be the end of that party.

He called on Gambians to be united and to move the country forward.

The dust is yet to settled at the Social Security and Housing Finance Corporation as the standoff between the staff and Managing Director Muhammed Manjang seems far from over.
The Social Security board is said to have handed a three months suspension on a senior manager Modou Camara, the staffs’ representative at the Social Security Board level.

For six weeks now, staff of the Social Security have been at loggerheads with their boss, demanding for the removal of MD Manjang, who they alleged of corruption and neopotism.

Staff claim that Manjang is not leading the institution in the right direction after he approved a study package for a junior staff to study in Ghana costing the institution millions, a course they said is offered in the country.

in several media interviews, Muhammed Manjang described the allegations as unfounded.

Modou Camara has been the face of the staff in this saga. He led the recent sit down strike and the protest march to the presidency. He has been handed a three month suspension with salary by the board of social security.

Despite his suspension, Camara on Thursday reported to work even though he has been removed from the biometric system, therefore making it impossible for him to clock in and out.

United against Manjang, the staff say the suspension of Modou Camara as their representative at the Board level is unjusitifiable and demands the board to rescind the decision. According to them, the issue is not only about Camara but the entire staff.

The government says it has instituted an independent committee to look into the impasse at the social security with a view to resolve the matter as soon as possible.

In his recently held bi-annual meet the media, President Barrow says the committee was set up after there was a complain that part of the board were bias. The Secretary General Habib Drammeh, according to Barrow, was working to resolve the issue.

However, staff of the social security are not happy with the pace at which the government is reacting to the impasse. They urged the President to act immediately as they want justice.

MD Manjang could not be available for comment as he was said to be on a casual leave.

The Gambia Armed Forces has appointed Lieutenant Colonel Omar B Bojang as its Public Relations Officer. It could be recalled that Lieutenant Colonel OB Bojang has served in this appointment previously. He was first appointed as PRO to the Gambia Armed Forces in August 2008 to December 2012 and later from March 2017 to July 2017 where he was nominated to undergo his Senior Staff Course in Nigeria. Upon his returned he is again appointed as PRO.

Lieutenant Colonel Omar B Bojang was enlisted into the Gambia Armed Forces on the 4 February 2001 and commissioned into the officers’ corps on 3 July 2006. He has done series of courses both home and abroad and he has held various staff and command appointments in the Gambia Armed Forces commensurate to his rank. In a statement to the press he thanked Allah for all the blessings He has bestowed on him as an individual and the Gambia Armed Forces in general and the country as a whole. He also thanked the Chief of Defence Staff, Gambia Armed Forces Lieutenant General Masanneh Kinteh and the entire leadership of the armed forces for the trust and confidence reposed on him. He also thanked the press for their support to the GAF over the years. He urged the press to continue to support the GAF. He also called on the press to clarify anything through his office before reporting anything about the Gambia Armed Forces. He assured the press and the general public GAF’s unflinching support to development of The Gambia at all times. He furthered informs the press that GAF’s in its bid to make it more accessible and relevant in the 21 century has created a website where most of her activities will be featured. The website can be access on www.gaf.gm

Meanwhile the acting PRO Lieutenant Malick Sanyang has been appointed as the Deputy Public Relations Officer for the Gambia Armed Forces.

A President who is democratically elected to serve all Gambians shouldn’t use his good office and/or influence to promote any religion in the midst of others particularly in The Gambia – a community of different religious beliefs.

The President should know that he is no more a private citizen, which is why he should be extra careful in handling religious matters.

The building of the said 60 mosques he talked about during his meet-the-farmers tour and the donation of 11 million dalasis  to the Pilgrims in  Mecca  didn’t only indicate his misplaced priorities but a bias approach in treating the citizenry, whom through their taxes, fund his various travels and external relations of which the said donation is generated from.

The Barrow led administration has pressing issues to solve in making The Gambia the last place of hope on earth.

Furtheremore, the government should be knowledgeable of the fact that we didn’t elect a religious leader nor a mosque, church or shrine builder but a leader who will unify us and together push the national development agenda through socioeconomic and political advancement. Quite a few people of conscience both Muslims and non-Muslims alike disapproved his approach and as well demonstrated it on their various platforms of communication with some citing it as religious chauvinism with the divide and rule tactics slowly taking precedent in a country known to be one of the most tolerant nations on the globe.

Many Gambians, irrespective of their religious affiliation, have shown their distaste from the start without any visible sign of its ending despite the increasing cries against it.

However, we applauded the Barrow administration when they revoked the illegal declaration of The Gambia as an Islamic State by the former President, Jammeh but much effort is needed to ensure the existence of fair play as enshrined in our 1997 constitution .

Moreover, the national budget and any other source of public fund mobilized through the influence of the state shouldn’t be used for political patronage especially at the detriment of our dying agricultural, health and educational sectors.

We should understand that public servant and the President in particular should be accountable for any fund gathered by their offices by virtue of their positions as public servants if truly we’re serious about good governance and the democratization process of the so-called New Gambia.

In my humble opinion, I suggest that religious and faith matters should be left in the hands of religious leaders, who to my view have done tremendously “well” in leading their people over the years. The government only owe them the responsibility of providing a conducive environment for them to function in a way that does not violate or threaten the rights of others. This I believe is imperative in consolidating our co-existence which can be a unique model worthy of global emulation.

The Gambia belongs to The Gambians both those home and abroad, irrespective of our socio-linguistic or religious extraction and can only be developed through putting first things first and dedication to national duty and dialogue on things that matters.

Name John Mendy
Bsc (distinction) Political Science
Studying: Masters International Relations and Diplomacy
President of GAM FEDD
Secretary General: Banjul Open Debate

“President George Weah went back to school.
George Weah went back to books,
George Weah went back to learning”.

Alagi Yorro Jallow

“Ignorance is not bliss. Ignorance is tragedy. Ignorance is devastation. Ignorance creates lack. Ignorance creates disease. Ignorance will shorten your life. Ignorance will empty your life and leave you with the husks, nothing to account for.”
— Jim Rohn

 My favorite author when discussing the hopelessness of the Gambia is the Ghanaian writer, Ayi Kwei Armah. He warns the black man’s “spring water” against flowing desert wards. The consequence of doing so, he says, is extinction. In the Gambia, we run a system that kills academic excellence; a system that proudly reserves front row seats for failure. It is a system that ignores what you know and rewards where you come from. The Gambia cannot piss on intellectualism and romanticize ignorance. We cannot now be allowed to start beautification, and theorizing ignorance over intellectualism and knowledge, this can’t be a viable condition of our people.

Fear and ignorance should be the end of so many in this country. Does one laugh or spit in disgust at this stupidity, now a daily occurrence. Or find that difficult undeserved place of compassion. That ignorance virus is potent. Some have openly invoked them as their inspiration when they get this rabid. A re-infection of sorts, reawakening a dormant prejudice that had been tamed over the years by the more-perfect union of Gambians that defeated darkness. Now this virus is eating up a storm in their minds all over again, acting irrationally in public and against their own best interests. It’s like watching a flesh-eating bacterium up-close consuming its victims one at a time daily.

Professor Niyi Osundare and another scholar A. Pius at Carleton university once published two sarcastic essays on the uses of ignorance and intellectualism. It may be time for both scholars to dust up their essays again for folks in the Gambia arguing and romanticizing of ignorance as the most strategic pathway to politics and disconnect intellectualism as an alienated beast that has and should have nothing to do with the life of the people-especially in the grassroots and in our villages.

We cannot have a long disquisition or discourse on this dangerous argument of those romanticizing ignorance and questioning the place or role of learning in the body politic and the politics. We should not have to make the obvious case that such arguments – which we hear daily these days – are a double tragedy because they come from the presupposition that our people are not producers of knowledge and intellectuals.

The poet disparaged the political leaders of the Gambia, whom, he said, had messed up the country. “The Gambia that created the Professor Lamin Sanneh, Dr. Jeggan Senghor, Dr. Karamo Sonko, Dr. Fatima Sigga Jagne, Dr. Lenrie Peters, Ebou Dibba and the Dr. Tijan Sallah’s have been “dishonored”. Look at what they have produced! Even with their electric literature, look at what they are producing! It is not a generational problem it is a political problem.

“It is not that Gambian scholars and writers are not distinguished; they are underdeveloped. This country is dying. Patients are dying in the hospitals. Schools are teaching children to be redundant. Ignorance is a curable disease; it must be cured. You can’t be a good leader if you don’t read. Illiteracy is killing the Gambia,” he lamented.

The argument in support of ignorance is simple. It erroneously divorces practice from knowledge. Such narratives conclude President George Weah then dragooned into the argument as the icing on the cake.

The only thing those to add are some significant details with those playing make-up artists for ignorance conveniently leave out in the narrative of George Weah. When he first ran for office, he was a near illiterate and could barely string two coherent sentences together. He was not well read. He was derided as ignorant.

“George Weah went back to school.
George Weah went back to books.
George Weah went back to learning”.

He enrolled for degrees and began to voraciously broaden his knowledge base. He hired personal professors who began to instruct him on wide ranging issues in the global knowledge economy. He read voraciously across various fields and disciplines in the social sciences and humanities. One Liberian Professor recently revealed that he was drawing up a monthly reading list for Mr. Weah at some point.

When President George Weah was at the Elysee on his first official trip to France. Go and watch his speeches – especially his unwritten speeches. Evidence of reading. Evidence of learning. Do not allow our emergency romanticizers of ignorance to persuade you that ignorance is what led Weah to the presidency because, in their logic, had he invested in intellectualism, he would have been alienated and disconnected from the people and would have become incompetent in grassroots strategy by “blowing too much grammar”.

Knowledge and politics, grassroots politics, are not mutually exclusive. That they became mutually exclusive in the Gambia is a function of four decades of systemic impoverishment of our people, turning them to the primal instinct of food. Those responsible for this situation cannot turn around and start hawking ignorance as the open sesame to the future of the Gambia.

Through their clever but mischievous separation of knowledge and practice, they romanticize lack of illumination and poverty as the singular condition upon which our people can and should be engaged – the people don’t understand grammar! This is the poverty they induced! Poverty is not romantic. I repeat: poverty is not romantic!

Evidenced has discovered there have been nine United States presidents without college degrees, who never attended college or completed a degree. So how did they make it to the White House? Two things—literacy, knowledge, intellectualism and a healthy dose of curiosity.

Each one of these presidents knew their education had been limited—some of them with as little of one year of formal schooling! Each of them made the decision to own their education and take it beyond the classroom. They filled their libraries with great books. When they wanted to know something, they would go to an expert source. They knew an education could be gained without years in school. They studied law without going to law school. They had tutors and mentors—men that they trusted for information. In time, they became the experts.

The Gambia should not harbor spaces of ignorance and hostility to anti-intellectuals. We must reserve spaces of sophisticated indigenous knowledges and philosophy. The merchants of poverty in the leadership performed the social engineering that drove knowledge away and replaced it with food and unthinking.

Ten (10) days seems too short for those in the rural parts of The Gambia and in the diaspora to submit objections to the nominated Commissioners of The Gambia’s TRRC to the Justice Ministry in Banjul

Dr. Omar Janneh (PhD)

Any process, such as the TRRC, that is set up to establish the truth, must be seen to be done in an open, efficient and transparent manner- as much as possible. If the Executive is committed to the highest standards of governance of the TRRC, I think it would be helpful to give the public sufficient time to: (1) do background checks on the nominated Commissioners and (2) make their submission of objections to the Justice Ministry in an open, efficient and transparent manner. I think ten daysis insufficient time to allow the public, especially those in rural Gambia and the Diaspora, to do that. Could the Executive please consider making it three weeks, with September 10, 2018 being the deadline? It has to be said that asking the public to send their (individual) objection(s) to the nominations to the Justice Ministry, via surface mail (as announced) and within such a short period of time, seem clumsy, disorganised and grossly inefficient. I hope the Executive remember that the whole of The Gambia does not live on Marina Parade or in the Greater Banjul Area and that their views matter too.

While it is very much appreciated to allow us to object to the nominations, I do not think that we can trust the Executive in regards to telling us the true number of objections received if we submit our objections in the manner they have announced/proposed. It is not yet clear what the Executive intends to do with the objections received because they have not told us anything about the process. Would it not be useful to tell the public a bit more about the objection process so that we can be better informed? Or have I/we missed something? Further, would it not be useful for the public to know that the receipt of a certain number of objections would trigger the Executive to review the name(s) of the individual(s) the public raised objections to and seek the necessary corrective measures? Perhaps that may tell us if we are being listened to. If the Executive has not already made up its mind on the nominations, it would be better if the public were guided as to how to submit their objections to the nominations in a transparent and efficient manner. I think this is the responsibility of any functioning government.

I think the public deserves to be sensitised and guided as to how to make (paper) objections, with the process facilitated by government. For example, would it not be useful to nominate Responsible Individuals who could receive and submit, in a batch, the paper objections from the public? The reason for this is that such a process would allow the public to know the number of objections received and submitted in an open, efficient and transparent manner. How about giving the public the email address of the Justice Ministry dedicated to such an effort which some members of the public (e.g., those in the Diaspora and in the country) could use to submit their objections? In addition, how about submitting the objections online using the TRRC’s website?

And as we are on the issue of objections to appointments in the TRRC, a good number of fair-minded individuals, including others who may well appear before the TRRC, remain concerned that the Executive Secretary and the Director of Research and Investigations are conflicted (TRRC Act, 2017; section 17(1-4). It is crucial that these voices are listened to so that we can avoid the TRRC becoming an exercise in futility. Why is it that the public is not formally given the chance to submit their objections to those appointments as well? What is the rationale for selectively allowing the public to make objections to some key appointments in the TRRC, but not others?

Below is a draft proposal for making (paper) objections to the nominations which you may find useful.

All objections are to be submitted by 12.30pm of August 29, 2018 for onward submission by the Responsible Individualnamed below on August 30, 2018 to the Justice Ministry. But it is hoped that 3 weeks can be given for this exercise so that submissions can be made to the named person below by 12.30pm on September 7 for onward submission, in bulk, to the Justice Ministry on September 10, 2018.

Please submit your objection to the Responsible Individualnamed below:

Miss/Mrs/Ms/Mr/Dr/Prof/Other: …………………………..…………………………………………..

Ministry of Justice

Marina Parade

Banjul

The Gambia

Date:……………………………………

Dear Sir,

I/we write to express our objection to the appointment of the following person(s) as Commissioners of The Gambia’s TRRC because s/he is conflicted (TRRC Act, 2017; Section 17(1-4) and or unsuitable for appointment [TRRC Act, 2017; section 5(3)(a-c)]. The table below indicates why the named Commissioner(s) is conflicted and or unsuitable for appointment. Therefore, it is our strong view that s/he will be a biased Commissioner in the upcoming TRRC and his/her presence in the Team will compromise the credibility of the work of the Commission.

Dr. Ousman Gajigo

In a major development, President Barrow reshuffled his cabinet a little while ago. While there is a lot to be said about all the new and out-going ministers, I would like to focus on the Ministry of Finance. All ministries are important but this is arguably the most important one. It is particularly more so given the critical role of fiscal policy at this juncture in our economic development. For instance, the successful implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP), despite the importance of sector ministries, is also disproportionately under the Ministry of Finance.

This means that the individual appointed to head this ministry is absolutely important, as his decisions will have profound effects on our economic lives for years to come. The minister must be able to steer the government’s development program in a discipline and coordinated way. He must ensure that an effective team that is based on competency rather than tenure is in place. The NDP is after all just a mere document – any half-competent consultant can come up with one. What really matters is its implementation.

The effective implementation of the NDP would depend on whether the much-hyped pledges made by our development partners are actually disbursed. The disbursements of the pledges would ultimately depend on the implementation capacity at all ministries but more so at the Ministry of Finance. Without a capable minister, there will be no capable ministry. An incompetent minister in charge of a well-staffed ministry would be akin to throwing a wrench in an otherwise well-functioning machine.

It is sometimes challenging to assess the suitability of an individual for a post, especially when the individual’s public record is limited. In the case of Mambury Njie, this assessment is fortunately made easier since he is an individual with extensive public record, which can be compared with the requirements of the office he is recently appointed to.

Before going into Mambury’s track record, it is worth quickly looking at the point frequently raised by many individuals in his favor. This is the story that Mambury Njie advised Yahya Jammeh against the execution of 9 prisoners on death row in 2012. According to the story, Jammeh was so unhappy about this advice that he sacked Mambury. As everyone knows, the execution of those 9 individuals ended up taking place.

At first glance, this seems like a positive story. But on a closer examination, this story is more worrying than a being a mitigating factor for having faithfully served Jammeh in various cabinet positions. Bad as those executions were, they were not the only terrible deeds by Jammeh. Where was Mambury’s sage advice when the Jammeh regime executed 14 students? These students did not even have the benefit of being tried or convicted. Where was Mr. Njie’s counsel to Jammeh when the dictator was forcing scores of people to drink deadly contortions in his infamous hunt for witches? Where was Mr. Njie’s conscience when Jammeh was effectively sentencing people to their deaths by forcing them into bogus HIV treatments?

The story of Mambury advising Jammeh against executing the prisoners only looks positive when viewed in isolation. Assessed against the known realities of the Jammeh’s regime, it demonstrates not only a surprising level of naivety for someone who worked closely with a dictator for a long time but also a lack of judgement. An appropriate demonstration of judgement or fortitude would have been Mambury resigning in protest rather than being dismissed. One is left to wonder whether Mambury would have faithfully continued to serve Jammeh until the very end if he had been given the chance. The fact is that Mambury served at the highest levels of the Jammeh regime in multiple positions for a long time despite being aware (or should have been) of most of the important events that transpired. What this means is, by and large, Jammeh was satisfied with the role he tasked Mambury. In a nutshell, there is nothing positive about how Mambury served Jammeh or how his tenure ended. Jammeh sacked many close confidants after all. How and why those confidants were dismissed by the former dictator provides scant mitigating factor for their choice of abetting him.

At this point, some Mambury supporters would still claims that simply serving in government during under Jammeh should not be too damning. After all, many Gambians did. But there is an important distinction between high-level political appointments and other technical or bureaucratic posts. Serving in the cabinet is a choice that individuals make. Most cabinet positions are political appointments, while low and mid-level bureaucrats are civil servants whose positions are apolitical. Serving in cabinet requires a certain embrace and ownership of government policies and actions that does not extend to civil servants.

Delving deeper into actual track record, what can we say about Mambury accomplishments as a long-term cabinet member under Jammeh? Focusing on his role as a Minister of Finance, do we any information on actual accomplishments in pertinent areas such as public finance management, public expenditures, budget discipline, domestic resource mobilization or overall fiscal policy? Were there any substantive and enduring reforms he instituted during his cabinet and diplomatic posts? Judging by available record, financial mismanagement, excessive expenditures and pilfering our national treasury by Jammeh continued apace. As a result, we accumulated unsustainable levels of debts, the effects of which we continue to suffer even today.

What about Mambury’s track record since being appointed the Managing Director of The Gambia National Petroleum Company (GNPC)? A major, unresolved controversial case happened under his tenure there of less than 1 year. GNPC purchased a piece of land in Banjul for 17 million dalasi. There are 2 major problems with this purchase. One was whether that piece of land was properly valuated to deserve such a price. The second was whether Mambury followed proper procedures in finalizing the transaction before informing the Board of GNPC. For such a major transaction, proper financial analysis should have been done to ensure that the expected financial returns in the future justify the cost today. There is no evidence that this was done or shared with the board of GNPC at the time of the land purchase. I leave it to the reader to determine if this case demonstrates sound judgement or the ability to effectively manage a public institution.

To recap, Mambury took no particularly courageous stance during the Jammeh regime. His actual track record as a cabinet minister under Jammeh showed no accomplishments as far as I am aware. And a major scandal has marred his short tenure at the Managing Director of the GNPC.

So, given the importance of the Ministry of Finance, and the challenges we face, is Mambury Njie the best individual for this key ministerial post? Would Mambury Njie be a steward of sound economic management, including the re-allocation of budgets which will result in both winners and losers? Can Mambury be counted upon to make tough decisions and provide sound advice to the president even if it is politically unpopular? Would Mambury be able to oversee the staffing of key technical posts in the ministry with competent people?

The answers to these questions will have profound implications for our development for years to come. Most urgently, the NDP could easily go the way of the Programme for Accelerated Growth and Employment (PAGE), the failed predecessor of the NDP. As mentioned earlier, a lot of our development partners have made pledges to help us finance the NDP. But these are mere pledges, not commitments set in stone. For the pledges to materialize, sound economic management and prudent fiscal policy are absolutely necessary. It requires a ministry of finance that has competency at the very top.

In principle, there is nothing wrong with recycling ministers from previous governments. For one, they would come with some experience. And there were in fact some individuals who served at the top of the Jammeh regime that are not only competent but had actual accomplishments to their names. However, bringing back individuals for the simple reason that they have experience in specific ministries is worse than appointing inexperienced officials. Mere experience in the absence of demonstrated capacity or actual accomplishments should disqualify candidates. If development is the goal, individuals’ capacity and actual history of accomplishment should be the most important factor.

It is high time that the country appreciates the issue of capacity in a serious way. This means having the best individuals in important positions. This also requires having minimum standards of qualification. Comparisons such as whether this new minister is better than the previous one does not help matters when both ministers may not meet minimum standards. Without setting minimum criteria to be met, capacity issues will hobble our development challenges.  And it must be emphasized that capacity is not the same as experience. While it is impossible to fill every position with highly qualified candidates given our poor country status, we can do much better than we are currently doing.

Brief Bio: Ousman Gajigo is a development economist by training. He has held positions with the African Development Bank, the UN, the World Bank and Columbia University. He holds a PhD from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, USA. He is currently an international consultant and also runs a farm in The Gambia.

Alagi Yorro Jallow

Why would a lamb find himself in the wolf land of politics and politicking? The Washington Post of 30, May 2014 described being a presidential spokesman as “the ultimate burnout job”. The job of government journalist or press secretary really is about plights and pains. It is not a job for the meek. It is a permanent, constant contention with spins, contra-spins and anti-spins. It is a pain no one wants to suffer twice.

Ari Fleischer, US President George W. Bush’s first press secretary, captured the pains of the job very accurately: “The grueling part isn’t just the hours, which are bad, it’s that your mind never gets a rest. You’re always war gaming. It’s constant intellectual chess. You’re thinking of the next question that the press is going to ask, and that leads to the next question and the next question et cetera, et cetera.” Indeed, in US history, two press secretaries died on the job – both of heart attack, one right on his desk.

I do not know how many persons in government today wish to be exposed to the unfriendly, harsh realities of a media that does not take prisoners. When you work in government, all eyes, seen and unseen, are watching you. You must therefore choose what to say and what to write.
Defending any government anywhere is one of the most difficult jobs. You write and cancel words and write again. You query your every sentence and give answers to every unasked question before you push the information out.

It becomes particularly tricky and risky when the social media is the preferred channel. The social media is an agent of change. It is democracy bearing another name. That, ironically, makes it a forest of doves, lions, snakes and scorpions. The doves are very few and they do not stick out their fragile necks in defense of persons marked for online demolition. On the social media, warriors have no place in their heart to think of taking prisoners.

Experience in politics and government teaches better than the best teacher. For the journalist in government, every experience, no matter how unpleasant, enriches one’s appreciation of that thing called power and its demands. And it is not as if the system itself is appreciative of valiant efforts. It has a way of throwing the unwary to the dogs. It is the very home of treachery. But then, you become a better journalist only after going through the university of government appointment, especially if you are wise.

Speaking for a president or a politician can be very enabling. It empowers and makes the unknown renowned. You do not leave the job and need any introduction anywhere again. You are either popular or notorious or a miserable mix of both. A White House press secretary said it was the best job he ever had, “and the best job that the people who are there now will ever have. If you like politics and policy and the news media and how they interact, you’ll have the most impact you’ll ever have in your career. You get this incredible view of history being made. And when the leader of the free world turns to you in a meeting and asks you, ‘What do you think?’ that’s pretty exciting.” Around here in the Gambia, you share the limelight with the big boss to the envy of powerful people around him. That is why a press secretary is as blessed (and endangered) as the boss. You announce appointments, sign sack statements, spinning and gaslighting. Your name is a household item and on the lips of every kid who watches television and listens to radio. But the glitz ends right there. If you are the unwary, unlucky type, you soon get knifed by power and powerful interests. When Ronald Reagan was shot, his press secretary got hit with him. He barely lived to tell the story. When that happens, you walk down the dusty road lonely, alone.
Journalists working for State House rarely show their frustrations with their colleagues’ operations. But they are government people hired to “manage” the media and spin. So how do they do that when they are blinded for months? Does the perception in there suggest that these two gentlemen are just like the journalist out there who cannot be wholly trusted with information? No government anywhere likes the press. But the job of the press, really, is to make governments uncomfortable. It is when the press and the government fail to share the same bed that the people can safely say goodnight and sleep.

Otherwise, the morning could see the people asking where their freedom is. President Richard Nixon was one of the most unfortunate with the media among US presidents. He routinely blamed the woes of his government on a media which he accused of “distorted, even disloyal reporting.” From asking his media handlers to “build a mythology” around his person, a mismanaged, defeated Nixon had to say in exasperation:

“Our worst enemies seem to be the press.” He was too conceited to know that he was his own worst enemy. The media merely assisted him. The man ended up a classroom example of a president firmly held accountable by a determined media.

A spokesperson’s problem does not start and end with the questions his colleagues ask him. In the Gambia, that is just a little jab in the head. Your major headache could really be the boss and the company he keeps. If the boss is good, he could be unfortunate to have hawks as friends. The mouthpiece is a dignified night soil man who clears the mess before the day breaks.

When you do such for the system, fairness demands appreciation. But does it come at all? It depends on who the boss talks with. Manipulative friends around the boss kill the spokesperson’s spirit. These are men and women who know the media job more than anyone else. These ones pick holes regularly in the media engagements of their friend. They feed him regularly with what his press secretary did not do and what he over-did. It takes the lion hearted to keep going when these know-all behemoths bring their dirt. Now, how much of this has been lot? Joe Lockhart, another White House spokesman, once said that he knew he was doing his job well when everyone was mad at him.

“You walk into the briefing room and the reporters yell at you because you haven’t given them enough. And you walk into the next room and (government officials) are screaming at you for telling the press too much. That’s when you know you’ve hit the sweet spot.” Not everyone feels so. Many would wonder why take this thankless job in the first place.

Greater people in history experienced it. It made them better and immortal. Abraham Lincoln gave democracy its modern definition. He never had it easy with the media and media manipulators, the “dominant coalition.” But he didn’t shut himself in. On one occasion, he said after reading a series of attacks in some newspapers he asked himself:

“Abraham Lincoln, are you a man or a dog?” It was that bad, but his noble spirit took over and elevated him to a better leader.

The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad of the Republic of The Gambia, Dr Mamadou Tangara, Friday August 17th, 2018 received the Ambassador of the European Union Delegation to The Gambia, His Excellency, Attila Lajos at his office in Banjul.

The EU top Diplomat paid a courtesy call on Dr Tangara to congratulate him on his appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad. Minister Tangara welcomed Ambassador Lajos and assured him of his resolve and commitment to deepen ties of cooperation between The Gambia and the European Union.

For his part, the EU Ambassador said the EU would continue supporting The Gambia’s democratic transition process and the attainment of the objectives of the National Development Plan (NDP) and realisation of the pledge made at the Donor Conference in Brussels on May 22nd 2018. He also assured  EU’s support to the promotion and protection of democracy and the rule of law in The Gambia.

Issued by: Communication Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad

Alagi Yorro Jallow

In the Gambia, some people are paid handsomely to sit behind a keyboard and create alternative realities, against the better judgment of what we know and feel, and they have a mandate to consistently beat these improvised realities into our brains. You really must believe this. Gaslighting:

 Gaslighting is a narcissistic personality. Only their facts are true. They insist in repeating and drilling you until you begin to doubt yourself or your own truths. It can be a type of brainwashing.

Even the brightest, most self-aware people can be sucked into gaslighting—it is that effective. It’s the “frog in the frying pan” analogy: The heat is turned up slowly, so the frog never realizes what’s happening to it. The more you are aware of these techniques, the quicker you can identify them and avoid falling into the gas lighter’s trap.

A colleague of mine tells me it’s a well-known mind-control mechanism in psychology called “Gaslighting.” I went to check this concept up on “The Random House Dictionary of the English Language, College Edition” and was shocked at the definition. It fits our present reality as snugly as a body bag would fit a dead body.

When you have read up the concept of “gaslighting”, you would have then known that form of mind control or psychological manipulation which, according to Random House: “seeks to sow seeds of doubt in a targeted group, making them question their own memory, perception and sanity. Using persistent denial, misdirection, contradiction and lying, it attempts to destabilize the target and delegitimize the target’s belief.” This is what is being currently practiced on Gambians by President Barrow and his Tactical Alliance government, and it is largely succeeding. A faceless philanthropist last year donated 57 vehicles to the National Assembly members through President Barrow. Today another faceless Arab philanthropist donate Hajj package worth of 11 million dalasis to President Barrow. Where is the accountability and transparency? Gaslighting!!

Gaslighting is a tactic in which a person or entity, to gain more power, makes a victim question their reality. It works much better than you may think. Anyone is susceptible to gaslighting, and it is a common technique of managers, abusers, dictators, narcissists, and control freaks. It is done slowly, so you don’t even realize it is happening.
People who gaslight typically use the following techniques: They tell blatant lies; they deny they ever said something, even though you have proof; they use what is near and dear to you as ammunition; they wear you down over time; their actions do not match their words; they throw in positive reinforcement to confuse you; they know confusion weakens people; they project; they try to align people against you; They tell you or others that you are crazy; they tell you everyone else is a liar.
This is one of the insidious things about gaslighting—it is done gradually, over time. A lie here, a lie there, a snide comment every so often…and then it starts ramping up.

So, even as you are reeling from the sharp pains of the pernicious and fresh injuries you have just been inflicted political leaders, even as you watch your gaping sores bleed, as you try to bury your dead; with a wry smile on their faces, but without a conscience, they stroke your hair and telepathically whisper soothing words of blackmail, straight from their laptops, into the ears of your brain. In the stillness of that moment, they tell you:

“Those are no wounds, my friend! Those are the therapeutic incisions of this administration to heal the wounds of past administrations!! You should be grateful for it. Thank Adama for it. You hate Adama if you begrudge him your gratitude!!”

Or they say:

“This is no blood my friend, you would be foolish to believe this to be blood. You must hate Adama to believe you are bleeding. You are not bleeding. These are mere menstrual blood which confirms that this administration is ovulating. We are fertile. It confirms we are seminal. We are about to birth development, hence the blood…it’s not bloods from injury. It is blood that precedes development.”

There is no end to the nonsense we hear daily, spewed out as excuses or alternatives to the actual realities we feel. These insidious characters, who repeat falsehood on a minute-by-minute basis, just to sway public opinion or emotionally blackmail the populace into accepting the corpse-laden mediocrity called “change”, they are the real enemies of the Gambia.

These fellows remind me of Adolf Hitler’s recipe for effectively disseminating propaganda. Hitler, when asked how he was so successful in his Aryan supremacy and anti-Semitic propaganda, gave a simple recipe on the matter as follows:

a. Keep it simple;

b. repeats it often; and

c. let it burn.

This is what these people are doing to us. They are paid to repeat these lies ever so often and create and disseminate a reality alternative to and different from what we experience daily, that even the strongest of resolves will collapse or buckle under the weight of repetition, with time. You just find yourself accepting the lie, which you know to be a lie, after several repetitions.

So:

But wait a second,

Have you been told that people who are complaining about hardship in government are those that stole from previous administrations? But you do know it’s a lie, don’t you? There are countries that are prospering and their citizens living well, without corruption. This is the sort of country Adama and his ex-coalition partners promised. Hardship in times of plenty is never a result of lack of corruption. It’s the result of abysmal economic management and policies. But this government will never admit this. Somehow, they are now only content that things are tough. To them, it shows the country is rid of corruption. What madness!!

Have you heard that people hate Adama Barrow because they can no longer steal from public funds, as though we are all in government employment or feed from government? In their eyes, the Gambia has never had a private sector. Everybody fed from government. Of the 1.9 million of us, none has eaten anything that did not come from government. And nothing legitimate came from government. No legitimate business was ever done with or by government. Everything was stolen. So, the tougher the hardship, the better the economic outlook is for the Gambia. What sadism!!

Have you heard that this administration is still better than the previous ones because the death tolls don’t match? This may sound ridiculous, but you will believe if repeated often enough.

It’s a crazy country we live in, but it’s never been this bad. You need to have a very strong mental attitude to contend with the unremitting wave of propaganda of this administration. It’s a blitzkrieg.

To take away gaslighting and propaganda from this government, is to unravel this government completely. It is to find that it is very hollow, like a doughnut. But in most cases, once the veil is removed, you’ll also find an unconscionable fellow, seated behind a computer, spewing out carefully crafted alternative realities, to improve the political capital of a government that perhaps knows a little about good governance, but has no true affiliation to it.

It is against this backdrop that I still maintain that these are not the best of times to be Gambian. By degrees, it is becoming very scandalous to rise and be counted among the lot.

By Omar Wally

In exercise of his constitutional powers President Adama Barrow, today granted pardon to seven convicted prisoners.

Those granted Amensty are, Sulayman Bah, Alieu Njie, Fallou Ceesay, Gibril Faal, Matarr Touray, Matarr Sowe and one Steve a Norwegian national.

They were convicted of several offenses.

“Rebrandingis a marketing strategyin which a new name, term, symbol, design, or combination thereof is created for an established brandwith the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors, competitors, and other stakeholders.”

Two days ago, the Gambia government announced on the state broadcaster(GRTS) that President Adama Barrow had donated Eleven Million, Two Hundred and Fifty ThousandDalasis (D11,250,000 or $245,000)to Muslims performing the pilgrimage to Mecca. This announcement came barely 2 weeks after videos showing the deplorable state of our hospitals – no blood bags at the hospitals, nurses issued 3 pairs of gloves to use for an entire shift, no x-ray machines etc emerged. The response from Gambians was widespread outrage. The government took issue with the outrage. They claimed GRTS wrongly reported the story and promised to clarify. Up stepped Ebrima Sankareh, Gambia’s new government spokesperson. His job was to rebrandthe story to make it more palatable to the world.
The government’s statementreinforces something we’ve noticed in all of President Barrow’s speeches – that while their actions show that they they’re doing everything they can to be exactly like Dictator Jammeh, they’re also extremely focused on convincing Gambians that they’re different from him. To anyone paying attention, it seems like Barrow and Jammeh share more than a birth year.

Personally, I’m not a fan of comparing anything to Jammeh. I think we should set the bar higher and not use such a horrible person/system as our yardstick. However, since this branding seems to be more important to the current administration than working on actual change, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate some of our marketing/brandingexpertsthat have emerged since we entered this illusion we call New Gambia.

First up for congratulations is  Ebrima G. Scaramucci…i mean, Sankareh aka “The Mooch”. After much thinking and deliberation, the best argument the government spokesperson could come up with was this cock and bull fairytale, basically arguing that the cash was donated by “An Anonymous Donor”, and not by President Barrow. I congratulate The Gambian “Mooch” for lasting longer in his job than US President Trump’s former White House Communications Director. Since his appointment, this is Sankareh’s third statement and his third consecutive screw up! He deserves congratulations for lasting longer than the 11 days the real Mooch lasted at the White House. With a 100% record of screw-ups, this man should thank his lucky stars that Barrow can’t read (yes, I went there) or he would have been fired after the first statement he issued.

The man went to great lengths to spin this long-winded tale about how the D11 M was from an “Anonymous Donor” instead of President Barrow … as if that matters. Allow me to digress a bit here. The fact that this is the best story they could come up with is evidence of how clueless these people are. It does not matter whether the money is from Allah’s Bank, Anonymous Donor or whether it’s Manna From Heaven. The President, a public official, accepting gifts from Anonymous Donors is CORRUPTION, a problem. Failure to disclose the source of the funds is a problem. Giving such a huge amount to pilgrims while ignoring important national priorities like the deplorable conditions at our hospitals and failing schools is a problem. The image of the President favoring one religion while paying no attention to all other religions and groups is a problem. The President and his team not even recognizing what the problem is, is a problem. The President and his team coming up with this ridiculous, unconvincing lie that is an insult to the intelligence of Gambians is a problem.

Next, I would like to congratulate “Allah” for rebranding his bank from “Allah’s Bank” to “Anonymous Donor.” He “chose” Jammeh to lead, gave him a mission of “we have a job to finish” and gave him a blank check to use as he pleases. Now he has “chosen” Moses Barrow to be our savior, gave him the same mandate of “we have a job to finish”, and gave him a blank check and credit card to an “Anonymous Donor” to use as he pleases. Well, let me clarify that our “Chosen Ones” are allowed to use these unlimited funds, except on important national priorities like health care, education, water and electricity, debt financing etc. Gifts, mosques, cars, parties and other misplaced priorities are of course totally cool.

My final congratulations go out to our esteemed Vice President, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe. Someone get the Honorable a “musoor” and “kaala”(head tie and scarf), slap on some mascara/eye pencil, and get him to practice saying “indeed.” Oh, and don’t forget to feed him some “oggey” (porridge) to fatten those cheeks…and tadaa…. I challenge you to tell him apart from former VP Isatou Njie-Saidy! Anyone who (rightly) blamed former VP Njie Saidy for being an enabler/accomplice to Jammeh, but is unable to see or call out how complicit Darboe is to Barrow’s incompetence/mismanagement, needs to have their moral compass examined! The only difference is that Jammeh never called Njie Saidy his mentor. Barrow tells us Darboe is his political father/mentor. We’re often reminded of how much Barrow respects Darboe, and Darboe was the first one to threaten to sue anyone calling for Barrow to honor the coalition agreement to serve only for 3 instead of 5 years. Add all that to the fact that Darboe is the Vice President of this administration and it’s impossible to excuse him from any and all statements and actions carried out by this government. “Indeed,” Lawyer Darboe is Adama Barrow’s rebranded Isatou Njie-Saidy.

And while we busy ourselves with partisan words, arguments, spinning and other distractions, International Donors and other development partners are watching our government’s actions on good governance. Perhaps our rebranding will work on them too.

The National Democratic Institute (NDI) recently conducted an independent public opinion research in The Gambia to explore attitudes pertaining to the constitutional reforms and the overall political and social landscape of the country. An initiative I deem laudable and must be encouraged as many public opinions regarding our political and societal dynamics and their implications to status qua are usually based on mere speculations, and studies like these would enable us better understand the determining factors that are at play in our democracy. The research involves a nationwide survey conducted on 1,033 participants in a face-to-face interview. The findings give me mixed feeling about our people’s level of consciousness (if I may borrow from Hon. Sallah) of critical issues that affects their lives.

The results showed a high optimism for the country, credit of which is given to president Barrow with a whooping 75% approval rating. Little of the reasoning behind this is ascribed to his accomplishments beyond the change he facilitated and the individual freedoms the people now enjoy. In my view it will be disingenuous for the president to accept this credit as all credit is to the Gambian people who made the change. It is also appropriate to caution our people the potential dangers to this because making something as precious as freedom attributable to someone else means automatically giving them the option of taking it back. The people fought to gain their freedom and must defend it at all cost.

My first impression about this research was that the methodology used was not the most appropriate. That an anonymous interview would be more effective than one-to-one interview in getting the most honest opinion from the participants. Our people over the years have been molded to not be able to speak truth to authorities and in this case may resort to saying what they think the interviewer would want them to say. Clearly there is evidences that suggests this, but also evidences of brutal honesty particularly from the jola tribe (not saying other tribes weren’t honest). The result showed 47% plurality stating that the cost of living is one of their top two concerns, followed by basic services (34%), health care (27%), and unemployment and tribalism – both at 20%. This is not consistent with the realities, as we know it, on the ground. The most striking is how only 20% are concerned about the issue of unemployment when Gambia is plagued with ~80% unemployment rate. True the financial assistance most receive from diaspora could influence this reasoning. The healthcare system’s too, the state of which shocked the country last week for its lack of blood bags, about 73% said its not a concern to them.

On the other hand, a lot of rest of the opinions are in conformity with honesty and make absolute sense to realities as we see it. These includes, but not limited to, the politics of tribal allegiance. Mandinkamembers have the highest favourable ratings toward Barrow and Darboe, Fula toward Kandeh, and Jolatoward Jammeh. 81% mandinka supports UDP, 64% jolas supports APRC, 40% fulas plus 28% wollofssupports GDC, with majority wolofs relatively promiscuous. Overall, political party favorable ratings show UDP having the highest favorable rating (53% favorable) followed by the Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) (36% favorable) and the APRC (26% favorable). Also, in agreement with these, 57% thinks there is tribalism in the country and is worsening, a sentiment majority of jolasshared. Majority of participants (68%) believes the country is going in the right direction and 22%, mostly Jolas says otherwise. Another interesting revelation is majority of Jolas supports other models of government while all other tribes supports a democratic model. Our government should to more in the spirit of nation reconciliation and inclusivity to reassure this segment of population in whom am sensing some sort of insecurity.

I am however very impressed about the level of sophistication of the judgment of participants on some key sensitive issues relating to Jammeh and the new constitution. Majority believes Barrow’s biggest challenge will be addressing Jammeh’s atrocities and strongly supports getting jammeh tried in international courts than his extradition amid fear could inflame the already existing tribal tension in the country. While majority claimed they’ve heard very little about the new constitution, majority (85%) supports introduction of a two presidential term limits. The study also revealed majority (76%) gets news from local radio stations, followed by (49%) Television, then (28%) social media. Thus, the constitutional review committee should reach out more in their sensitisation programs using these mediums effectively.

The researchers made the following recommendations – Tailoring the new constitution to top concerns expressed by the people in the reform process that will stabilize political and social landscape and facilitate economic growth; branding the new constitution such as “the people’s constitution” or “the freedom constitution”; President should communicate more and effectively; addressing Jammeh atrocities employing a neutral approach and devoid from the constitutional reforms; etc etc.

Mr Lamin Kaba Bajo has been re-elected President of The Gambia Football Federation (GFF) for the next four years.
He pulled 63 of the total votes while his opposition and former referee Malick Sillah who decided to pull out on the eve of the congress got 2 votes.

The Electoral Committee chaired by The Gambia National Olympic Committee (GNOC) President Dodou Capi Joof said it was not officially notified of the withdrawal.

A former referee, Malick Sillah’s camp alleged malpractices after five of its members were disqualified for what the Electoral Committee says “failing to meet the nomination requirements.”

The five disqualified members had earlier filed an injunction at the Banjul High Court, which was thrown out by the court. Another injunction filed at the Court but it did not stopped the election from going ahead.

The GFF says it has suspended the five for taking football matters to ordinary court, which it says is against the FIFA Statutes.

The Congress was attended by all the eligible voters with the exception of three clubs; Samger, Brufut United and Lions of Banjul.

The Congress was also attended by Augustine Sengore, President of Senegalese Football Association; and two representatives from the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and world football governing body, FIFA.

Meanwhile Lang Tombong Tamba was elected 3rd VP after winning against Foday Danjo.

Bakary Jammeh was elected unopposed 1st VP and Ebou Faye as 2nd VP. Alhagie Faye was elected as Referees’ Representative, while Sainabou Cham and Maimuna Conteh are Female Football Representatives. Ismaila S Ceesay of School Football Association is also Executive Member without any portfolio.

In his victory statement, Lamin Kaba Bajo says it is a continuation from where stopped in the last four years.

“One of our primary goal is to promote grassroot football. The super nawettan and the inclusion of regional teams in leagues is a manifestation of our vision in football decentralisation.”
On the poor performance of the national team, Bajo says he will do everything to work with the Gambian government to achieve a great height.

“We also thanks our outside partners, GNOC, CAF, WAFU and FIFA. We are calling on the private sector to invest with returns. We are already working with some for sponsorship. We will continue to upgrade on capacity building programs.”

To the staff of GFF, he advised that there will be no room for tolerance in terms of the GFF staff. He vowed not to take embarrassment for their failures to execute the work they are paid for.

“The election is over and am calling on my brother Malick Sillah and co to come and join us to work for football. Football needs you and I won’t hesitate to call you on board if needed,” he concluded.

Keneba Youth Association for Environmental Development and Sustainability (KYAEDS) has on Saturday, August 11 embarked on tree planting exercise to protect the village forest cover at Kiang West District, in the Lower River Region.

The environmental activists supported by soldiers from Pakaliba Military Camp and well wishers planted more than 13, 000 melina and 10, 000 mahogany trees to boost and protect the village forest cover.

Mr Abdoulie Minteh, President of KYAEDS commended the Ministry of Environment and Forestry for their support, saying the exercise is driven by environmental damages.

“The exercise is driven by the level of environmental damages of tree cuttings, bushfires, natural and other human activities,” Minteh lamented.

He further complained about the activities inimical to the ecosystem which he said is undermining sustainable agricultural practice in the village.

Kebba Ceesay, one of the KYAEDS youth leaders posited that tree planting is part of solutions to climate change which he said causes environmental degradation in developing countries as the Gambia is not an exception.

The President of Keneba Women Association, Ms Pakaya Ceesay said she is extremely happy and proud of her community and people who made the tree planting exercise a success.

Mr Babanding Sanyang, representative of the Department of Forestry described the exercise as a remarkable example for the betterment of the future.

“The tree planting exercise is a step in the right direction to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” Sanyang told the villagers.

Bakary Corr, a representative of Pakaliba Military Camp hailed the people of Keneba village for their good civil–military relations while commending all those who have contributed to make the tree planting exercise successful.

Meanwhile, Hijinkay Danso, the village head of Keneba was also present at the planting exercise.

Dr. Omar Janneh (PhD)

The Constitution of The Gambia does not give anyone the right to pick up arms and overthrow an elected government. Anyone who makes the opposite remarks is dangerous and must not be given a megaphone to spread such a dangerous destabilising message. It was alarming to read the piece “The Gambian Constitution gave Alagie Barow, the right to pick up arms to overthrow Jammeh’s gov’t; American laws do not apply in the Gambia – TRC’s Baba Galleh Jallow!” published on August 14, 2018. If the views expressed here are those of Dr. Baba G. Jallow, mine is that they are a misrepresentation of the spirit of the Constitution of The Gambiaand therefore the statement must be withdrawn immediately and further clarification by Dr. Baba G. Jallow of his position seems appropriate. My reaction to the interview piece is based on my understanding of the Gambian Constitution which happens to be in line with other individuals who are also (VERY) familiar with the Constitution of The Gambia. In dealing with this issue, I shall have to make reference to the problematic TRRC Act, 2017 because it is the source of the ongoing conversation. [Please do excuse me for the length of the piece.]

First, it has to be said that the American laws have helped shield many exiled individuals from many parts of the world out of harm’s way and so we remain grateful to countries such as America for their laws that provided a welcoming environment, a home that protects people fleeing from repressive regimes of the sort we endured for some 22 years. I think it should be the aspiration of us as a People to aspire to (much of) the rule of law and democracy in America.

I have not seen any evidence which suggests that Mr. Alagie Barrow is a serial murderer as a reason for why he should not be employed in the (seemingly conflicted) TRRC. And before we get into the arguments, it sounds to me as though the following lines may have been accidentally plagiarised because they seem to bear the familiar trademark of someone who is now in exile: “Gambian laws are not American laws. American laws are not Gambian laws. You want us to be ruled and administered by American laws in the Gambia?” These are the words of Dr. Baba G. Jallow!

Mr. Alagie Barrow’s criminal history in the US has a bearing on his capacity to take up employment in the (conflicted) TRRC because he is conflicted. How difficult can it be for the (seemingly conflicted) interview panel to admit their failure to observe due process in their recruitment and selection process (TRRC Act, 2017; section 17(1-4)?We must be clear, I do not think there is any disagreement that Mr. Alagie Barrow has a right to be gainfully employed; he has to earn his living. The issue is whether the (seemingly conflicted) interview panel followed due process in regards to section 17(1-4) of the problematic TRRC Act, 2017 in considering him for employment to perhaps one of the most important posts of the Commission. The issue remains that Mr. Alagie Barrow committed a crime in The Gambia, as far as the Gambian Constitution is concerned. Of course, we can objectively debate about the fact that he was not convicted of his crimes in The Gambia. But I think we all know what would have happened had he been caught by Jammeh. Mr. Alagie Barrow’s actions did not defend the Constitution of the country as clearly stated in section 6 of the 1997 Constitution of The Gambia, so it’s hoped that Dr. Baba G. Jallow is not relying upon section 6 of the Gambian Constitution to legalise Mr. Alagie Barrow and his compatriots’ failed coup of December 30, 2014. If it is, then there is no substance to the claim – it is wrong and unconstitutional. Please find below section 6 of the Constitution of The Gambia:

[Section 6

Defense of the Constitution

1. Any person who –
2. by himself or herself or in concert with others, by any violent or other unlawful means, suspends or overthrows or abrogates this Constitution or any part of it, or attempts to do any such act, or
3. aids and abets in any manner any person referred to in paragraph (a) commits the offence of treason and shall, on conviction, be liable to the penalty prescribed by an Act of the National Assembly for that offence.

• All citizens of The Gambia have the right and the duty at all times to defend this Constitution and, in particular, to resist, to the extent reasonably justifiable in the circumstances, any person or group of persons seeking or attempting by any violent or unlawful means to suspend, overthrow or abrogate this Constitution or any part of it.

3)     A person who resists the suspension, overthrow or abrogation of this Constitution as provided in subsection (2), commits no offence.]

As can be seen, there is nothing in section 6 of the Constitution of The Gambia or anywhere in the Gambian Constitution that permits the use of arms to unseat an elected government. It goes without saying that Jammeh abused The Constitution of The Gambia. He intimidated, tortured, oppressed, marginalised, killed us, forcefully taken our properties, abused our rights, etc. Thus he abrogated his duties to preserve the Constitution of The Gambia which guarantees us our rights as Gambians and as human beings. However, Jammeh’s wrongdoing should not give us the grounds/licence to take up arms against his government. Yes, he took over power using the gun, but that is a path we must always avoid. In fact, it may be argued that what Jammeh did in 1994 was not done on behalf of the majority of Gambians.

On the constitutionality of Mr. Alagie Barrow taking up arms to overthrow Jammeh’s government, do we seriously think that Jammeh would have permitted the retention (-if it ever existed) or inclusion of any section of the Constitution that allowed individuals to take up arms and remove him? And to draw parallels between such actions to the rights to insurrection (in other countries in the very, very distant past) is a twisting of facts. Yes, Jammeh did some heinous things, but let’s not confuse issues and also confuse people and consequently push the country off the cliff edge. Are we comparing like for like? I think enlightened individuals should help chart a better path for our young democracy, not spread untruths that may destabilise the gains we have already made. Like never before, the assertions made in the interview piece further underscore my view that the (conflicted) Executive Secretary of the (seemingly conflicted) secretariat of the TRRC is not suited to the post he has been assigned. I think it is very wrong and dangerous for anyone, especially in his position, to say that it is legal under the Constitution of The Gambia (and of any country for that matter) that individuals could take up arms and overthrow an elected government. The “argument”gets even more bizarre and twisted. For example, I thought Dr. Baba G. Jallow’s position is that “Gambian laws are not American laws”, but he seems to be suddenly in favour of the US law, the Second Amendment, becoming Gambian law? Someone needs to tell Dr. Baba G. Jallow that in The Gambia, we remove elected governments through a democratic route called elections. Indeed, the coalition has shown that it works. That winning formula should have been applied sooner. You see, teamwork works, but “teamwork” does not work! Governments that are unseated using the barrel of the gun have a real tendency to use intimidation, marginalisation, rights abuses, and so on to stay in power, because the Executive never feel secure. Violence does not work. Is this not one of the lessons we are supposed to learn from the TRRC?

A highly reliable source said that a panel of three individuals [Dr. Baba G. Jallow, Ms Musu Bakoto Sawo and a lady (Austrian/German?)] not four interviewed a candidate for the same post as Mr. Alagie Barrow. For the sake of consistency and transparency, would it be right that, for the same post, 4 people interviewed Mr. Alagie Barrow yet 3 interviewed another applicant? Could it be that the panel already picked their candidate and that they closed their minds to any other potentially suitable (un-conflicted) candidate?

We are all entitled to our views on the appointments to the (now seemingly conflicted) TRRC. I am of the view that Dr. Baba G. Jallow and Mr. Alagie Barrow are both conflicted; and the more we know about the other appointments, the worse it gets. And here is how it started: The President should have known that Dr. Baba G. Jallow is conflicted, yet he, in consultation with the Minister and the Public Service Commission seemingly ignored section 17(1-4) of the problematic TRRC Act, 2017 and employed Dr. Baba G. Jallow [TRRC Act, 2017; section 22(2)] who must know that he is conflicted. I think the Minister is a trained lawyer who is expected to know that Dr. Baba G. Jallow is conflicted. In fact, doesn’t the Minister know that we happen to know that he approached other individual(s) to apply for a post in the TRRC, but they declined to express an interest in applying for any post in the TRRC because of (perceived) conflicts of interests? By appointing conflicted individuals and allowing them to also appoint (TRRC Act, 2017; section 24(1-3), it’s obvious that the appointments from then on would follow a very slippery path and they seem to have – we have seen conflicted individual(s) appointing (seemingly) conflicted individual(s) into the now seemingly conflicted TRRC. The seeming conflicted TRRC appears to be an expanding team of interconnected (seemingly) conflicted friends/individuals. For some unknown reason(s), Dr. Baba G. Jallow seems to be blinded by reality and this seems apparent in his simplistic view of the task he has taken on. Although Dr Baba G. Jallow is entitled to his opinion, surely he must know that it is not about what he thinks of himself -although we know he is a victim. What is at stake is what the rest of us and the world think and Dr. Baba G. Jallow must wake up to that fact.

Dr. Baba G. Jallow must not make the mistake of correlating education (and military career) with the ability to carry out research and investigations on an assignment of this magnitude. In announcing the appointment of Mr. Alagie Barrow, Dr. Baba G. Jallow told us what he thought we needed to know about Mr. Alagie Barrow, but what he failed to tell us was the involvement of Mr. Alagie Barrow (and his compatriots) in the failed December 30, 2014 coup. More importantly, would it not have been useful to also tell us that Mr. Alagie Barrow has x number of relevant (peer-reviewed) publications to his name which make him the right person for the post he was appointed to – provided he is not conflicted of course? And what is the relevance of the reference made to Mr. Alagie Barrow’s military career? Was that experience an essential and or desirable criteria of the post of Director of Research and Investigations Unit and if so, why was it not stated in the advert? Is there anything implied in the reference to his military career that we/the perpetrators/victims/victims’ families need to know about? Additionally, should we make anything of his remarks that “The Gambian Constitution gave Alagie Barow, the right to pick up arms to overthrow Jammeh’s gov’t; American laws do not apply in the Gambia and Mr. Alagie Barrow’s (previous) desire to pick up arms and overthrow an elected government? I think that Mr. Alagie Barrow’s felony records (in the US) should be a concern to the conflicted TRRC (refer to section 6 of the Constitution of the Gambia and section 17(1-4) of the TRRC Act, 2017). There have been very clear failings in the recruitment and selection of staff to the (conflicted) TRRC by the (seemingly conflicted) interview panel, which may be the result of their lack of experience or apparent disregard of the Gambian Constitution and of the problematic TRRC Act, 2017.

Without saying much more, most people wanted to see Jammeh out and I think it will not be an underestimation to say that most wouldn’t care how he went as long as he got out of lives. The reality though is that the action of Mr. Alagie Barrow and his compatriots (-and we are free to salute them, if we so wish) – some of blessed memory, were not within the confines of the Gambian Constitution. I have not read the Constitution of all of the countries of the World, but I think one can safely say that it will be absurd for the constitution of any country to state that the citizens have a right to take up arms and change their government – Imagine the frequent chaos, death and destruction. [Could this be the reason why we (Africa) are so backward?]It is simply absurd, ludicrous! And to give examples of what happened in the American Revolution(1775-1783), French Revolution(1787-1799), andSouth Africaseems desperate or shows lapse in judgement. Are the contexts and times (1775/1787 vs 2014) the same? Would it then be justified (i.e., would the same argument hold) had we sustained loss of lives due to the actions of Mr. Alagie Barrow and his compatriots of the magnitude estimated to have been sustained in either the French Revolution(~40,000) orAmerican Revolution(~55,300)?

In my view, the appointment of Mr. Alagie Barrow seems to have been either a mistake in that due regard was not paid to the Gambian Constitution and to the problematic TRRC, 2017, or that it may have been biased because we now know that Mr. Alagie Barrow is Dr. Baba G. Jallow’s friend. Of course, that is not a crime; but Dr. Baba G. Jallow just needed to make the interview panel members aware of that. It would have been even better if he didn’t take part in the interview. And provided there are no other issues, and he stood over and above the other applicants, he should be employed. There are some instances in which an applicant fulfils the criteria of the post, yet s/he is not offered the post, i.e., is being positively discriminated against, because of what may be known about him/her. To ensure that the interest of the entity is preserved, it is normal for the post to be re-advertised, preferably more widely and over a longer duration. Given what we now know about Mr. Alagie Barrow, could the post have been re-advertised and appropriate feedback given to Mr. Alagie Barrow, explaining why he was not appointed or more appropriated why he was not shortlisted for interview, if possible?

Dr. Baba G. Jallow said “Let people say what they want. I am not biased; my conscience is clear; I am not fearing people accusing me, of being corrupt because I am not; I have never been; they know it. I am not trying to reconcile anything. I am done, and I am going to do what I think is right for the Commission and people have their opinions and they can express their opinions freely.” My view to these remarks is simply to make reference to the Mandinka saying which freely translates to “a bar of soap cannot cleanse itself” – “Saafouno boukaa Aafankouno”. It is the public that will judge the work of the (conflicted) TRRC of which Dr. Baba G. Jallow is a part and most fair-minded people believe that the (seemingly conflicted) interview panel got it wrong to appoint Mr. Alagie Barrow.

Rather than draw in the names of towering figures like Nelson Mandelaand Bishop Desmond Tutuof South Africa into the conversation, I think it would have been important to think about the lessons that can be learnt from the failures of the South African commission (and of other commissions), because truth commissions have one thing in common, they are not known for their successes – ours has got off to a terrible start, which suggests that failure is highly likely. It is taking the shape of a pet project of one/several conflicted individuals. I hope their partnership on this toxic project ends well. Remember, Teamwork works, but “teamwork”, does not work!

Our young democracy seems to be going through a worrying transitition. There was much hope, but the ongoing events are a source for much anxiety. Overall assuming these are the words of Dr. Baba G. Jallow and I have had confirmation that they are, I have to say, with regret, that they are worryingly irresponsible and abhorrent and we must take them seriously, not least because his position in the (conflicted) TRRC has given him a megaphone. However, I think that if the megaphone continues to be used irresponsibly, it may lead to the early collapse of the (conflicted) TRRC and with it the positions.

Disclaimer:The author is fully aware that time is of the essence and he asks for your patience because this and other pieces are long. Overall, he is simply expressing his views on issues that concern him. Due care is taken to ensure the accuracy of the pieces. If any reader finds any inaccuracies in any of the pieces, the author will be grateful to be notified via the publisher so that a correction, if necessary, could be released in the soonest possible time. Thank you!

Modou Camara, a senior manager at the Social Security & Houisng Finance Corporation was on Friday, July 17 handed a three months suspension letter by memebers of the social security board to allow them carry on with their investigations.

Camara who broke his silence to The Fatu Network in May this year accused the social security Managing director, Muhammed Manjang of favoritism and corruption. He spoke to the Fatu network as a staff represprentative, representing staff intrest at board level. He was voted into that capacity on May 26, 2018, for a  three year term.

Meanwhile investigations on corruption allegations levied against MD Muhammed Manjang are in high gear. There are unconfirmed reports that the fight against him is office politics by many who feel that they are not getting it their way. Senior Government officials from the Barrow administration are also named as being part of those plotting against him. Many who know Manjang say he is a person of  principle and has finacial discipline.

By Sana Sarr

“I have this little policy about honesty and ass-kicking, which is, if you ask for it, then I have to let you have it.”  – Taylor Mali, Def Poet

THE QUESTION

“Where Were You?”

Is the question that Gambian President, Adama Barrow, recently asked. The question was directed at his critics, singling out University of The Gambia professor, Dr. Ismaila Ceesay, who had said in a recent interview that President Barrow lacks the intellectual pedigree to lead the nation, and suggested that the requirements for the presidency include a first degree. Mr. Barrow wants to know where his critics were when “he (Barrow) challenged and kicked out the dictator in 2016.” Forgetting that Barrow had to flee Gambian territory and had to be sworn-in in neighboring Senegal while opposition leader Halifa Sallah took charge of proceedings and reassuring Gambians during the political impasse.

I’ve tried to stay out of the discussion because it has been shown to be very divisive and promotes classism between the “educated” and the “uneducated.” However, with the following line, it seemed as if the President genuinely wants, or needs, an answer to his question.

“I have asked a lot of people, and I’m still waiting for the answer.”– President Adama Barrow

Dr. Ceesay may be too classy to respond, so I’m happy to let President Barrow know where he was during the change. After all, it’s rude to keep our President waiting.

Dr. Ceesay was…

Somewhere in a classroom – teaching, shaping and inspiring young minds. The same young minds who got up to walk into the voting booths, one by one, and cast their ballots that got Barrow elected.

No, the change did not begin when Darboe was arrested. It was triggered by factors that began years prior to that, including discussions held in classrooms and lecture halls at University. Discussions that inspired young people to look at things differently, then carried those ideas in conversations at home and in the streets, and subsequently sparked some changes in the minds of many voters who again cast their ballots when the time was right. With a Doctorate, the man could have easily stayed abroad, away from NAWEC and Malaria, but he chose to come back to contribute to this “change” that you now so proudly brag about.

THE REVELATION

If anything, President Barrow’s animated response to Dr. Ismaila Ceesay only served to support Dr. Ceesay’s suggestion that Barrow lacks the academic pedigree to lead the nation. While I would not make an undergraduate degree a constitutional requirement for the presidency, I certainly agree with Dr. Ceesay that Barrow lacks the intellectual capacity to be a head of state, and it’s not only because he did not attend university. After watching his speeches and actions for almost 2 years, Barrow has not demonstrated a satisfactory understanding of national and international subjects. By all indication, Mr. Barrow is not intellectually curious. I wish one of our journalists would ask him when the last time he finished a book was.

This rant by the president revealed a few important issues.

Firstly, the fact that he questions A TEACHER about his contribution to national development shows how limited President Barrow’s understanding of how development works is. It shows that he only sees those who stand on the political pulpit, including himself, as the drivers of change. He does not even understand all that’s involved in getting them elected. Obviously, Mr. Barrow, with his limitations, took it literally and believed that like Moses to the Israelites, he single-handedly saved Gambians.

Secondly, accusing a TEACHER of doing nothing also shows Mr. Barrow’s lack of appreciation for education. Of course this should not be a surprise. Those who never obtained higher education can fall in one of two categories. Some admire those who obtain higher education, and strive to improve themselves in other ways, and make sure their offspring do not miss out on opportunities. Others develop this insecurity and harbor a resentment for those they fear look down on them. Sadly, Mr. Barrow, with no more than a high school certificate, belongs to the latter group. The worry here is for that mindset to negatively affect his approach and attitude to the national education system. With a leader who does not value or even understand the value of education, we’re in for a long ride trying to rescue our failing school system.

Finally, the rant served to debunk the misconception that Barrow is this mild-mannered, humble man. Character is revealed only when one is truly tested. With statements like…

“I am the one who made this change…”  – forgetting the thousands who came out to vote.

“I financed 80%…and nobody can say they sponsored us…” – I know there was a GoFundMe that many Gambians contributed to.

“We only received 3 applications to lead the party (no intellectuals applied)” – forgetting that he just told us that he needed persuading to take up the position.

His Accidency, President Adama Barrow, revealed his true self – a thin-skinned, insecure, uneducated man who lacks not only the intellectual pedigree, but also the temperament to lead.

One thing I’ve noticed with new Gambia, there are people who come wielding hammers and hit you on the head for raising questions. They take any questioning by others as a personality defect– a person simply unable to celebrate with others, lacking true patriotism, too politically partisan, filled with bitterness towards others’ success…

Okay, there’s the petty trolling that some people will always do on social media, and you must learn to ignore this or swat it off with the disdain it deserves. Then there’s the legitimate questioning that must be relentless, substance-driven and truth-seeking; questioning that ultimately moves a nation to a higher plane of accountability; questioning that frees Gambians from accepting shocking impunity; questioning that demand openness about the contracts government signs with investors.

African countries are rich with dirty contracts that have now left a bitter taste in people’s lives soon after they celebrated big launches. Yes, national development partnerships with other nations are normal and desired and smart; but what’s in the deal is something we have a responsibility to question. Africans, please, we’ve been raped and robbed so long it’s offensive to want to be a willing player in the games of exploitation when we claim to have sovereignty.

When some Gambians legitimately continue to question the government contracts, these questions should not be discarded and seen as unpatriotic simply because the project is complete, looks beautiful, promises advanced service for less, and you want to avoid party-poopers. You with the hammer knocking off those who question should ask yourself why you are afraid of answers.

Why are some so quick to suppress inquiry even on the most glaring blunders such as ridiculous Gambian translations that make a laughing stock of our collective African identity. Really, you think this is minor? Try going to China and make shoddy Mandarin translation see how quickly your black behind gets fired. Where’s our pride? Diminishing our culture and identity got us on our knees scrubbing the path for others to prosper.

The Gambia’s corruption at this moment is downright nauseating. Just stomach-churning obscene. People walking out of banks with sacks of money in thousands and nothing happens. Politicians engineering a famine, and nothing happens. People poisoning our environment, and nothing happens. It’s disgusting, people. Disgusting! Stop dancing around this government’s golden bull for a moment and dare to get the answers you need. What was “sold off” to get it? What will it continue to cost us? Did we get the best deal? Why does it look like the neighbors got a better product for less? To the questioners, soldier on.

Alagi Yorro Jallow

Mamudu: The 2018 West African Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination results were as revealing as they were astounding in exposing the nakedness of the future of the Gambia. Check the statistics: Out of 13, 335 candidates who sat for the (WAEC) exams out of 13, 335 candidates that sat to the exams only 475 had five credits including English Language and Mathematics. Minimum requirement for admission into a university. Many others who had six, seven, eight or nine credits but didn’t pass either Mathematics or English Language.Mass failure! Ninety- six percent total

failure:

How do you make a nation great with a failed youth population? I checked the statistics over and over and wondered aloud who should carry the can of this national calamity. Reading the report was not enough shock as the reactions I got around me from a generation that sees tomorrow only from the prism of cash, real cash.

A society cannot be greater than its leaders’ values. A society mirrors its leaders. And by leaders, I am looking beyond the political leaders who are already beyond redemption.

I am seeing teachers as a special class of leaders, gate-keeping for the nation in the education sector. Students rarely excel where those who teach need to be tutored on the correctness of what they teach. Teachers are like launderers of the linen of the future. Woe betide that future that is washed in mud waters.

I blame teachers, especially those in the public schools, for the mass failure as I blame the government for providing manure to grow a generation of sterile brains. My friends who chose teaching won’t be happy at this conclusion of mine. They will spare me their anger. Is it not said that no one celebrates growers of rice bereft of grains? And the teachers can do better if only they would know that learning is a life-long task. Sedentary intellectualism does not just stagnate, it puts the habitual laid-back on reverse gear.

Teachers will do better teaching if they continually add value to themselves. They can learn from even WAEC which annually puts its examiners and markers through the crucible of refresher courses. And the result shows in the seamless manner it has been conducting its affairs.

Mamudu: We cannot blame a specific group for the mass failure, it is a collective responsibility. We are all guilty and we need to look for a way out to solve the problem. We need to work harder to ensure that students at that level are well catered for by the government, by the system, the school and teachers

Mamudu: A concerned parent pilloried that students were no longer encouraged to take their studies seriously since they believed that there were other ways of succeeding in life. Seeing what the entertainment industry has to offer, she said, they prefer to go that way rather than study to pass their examinations.

Let teachers do their bit. Let governments govern well, removing our kids from writing examinations on bare floor. Let parents see their wards as their future and be more serious in their own obligations. Let the nation promote the right values. Not doing all these puts the nation in sure trouble.

I pray the mass of the candidates who did not pass or could not pass or failed to pass will not be the next generation of troublers.