As the race for the Mayoral and Chairperson Elections draws closer, five aspirant have submitted nomination papers for the Brikama Area Council (BAC).

The five aspirant include Bakary Saibo Sanneh for APRC, Fa Ansu Sanneh for GDC, Sheriffo Sonko for UDP, Lamin Jamba Jammeh Independent Candidate and Alpha Ousman Jallow Independent Candidate respectively. Mr Bakary Saibo Sanneh is the incumbent Chairperson while Fa Ansu Sanneh served as interim Chairperson and Lamin Jamba Jammeh served two terms as Councillor for Kartong.

The candidates were received by Mr Sambujang Njie, the (IEC) Returning Officer at the Regional Office in Brikama. He told candidates that their nomination papers would be subjected to scrutiny. The final approval would be made on Thursday.

There are thirteen requirements for nomination of Mayor or Chairperson including secondary school certificate, fluency in English and an age limit of not less than thirty years amongst others. All candidates were optimistic of winning the elections, saying they have big development plans for the region.

The IEC Returning Officer told candidates to warn their supporters to refrain from insults, provocations and all acts of violence during the campaign period. He informed them that Town hall debates would start on the April 30.

Meanwhile, campaign duration starts April 27 to May 10, 2018.

By Musa Bah

I have been asked to speak on the topic The Gambian Writer and the Promotion of HumanRights. This is a profound topic and needs a detailed and careful exposition for it to be understood in its widest context, and properly. It will be prudent therefore to use the current situation in the country as a test case in the manner the writer contributes – or should contribute – to the promotion of Human Rights. Towards this end, I want to start by reading a poem I published on the Standard Newspaper in 2015.

THE WRITER

When there is a puncture

In a nation’s social structure

Things begin to crumble

People start to grumble

You see people steal

While the police stand still

The preacher preaches

While the girl bleaches

The scout shouts

The wrestler bouts

The scholar doubts

Corruption abounds

Then the honest cheat

Who value only the beads

Praises and tweets

The teacher teaches

While the artist sketches

Some simply sing praise

Seeking grace

They embrace

Every disgrace

Losing the race

At the far end is the writer

The poet

The dramatist

The journalist

Correcting the wrongs

Making others strong

He teaches peace

Celebrate him – the writer!

We need to create a Gambian who is consciously aware of his duties and responsibilities to protect and defend human rights. This new Gambian will be, as the common parlance goes, ‘his brother’s keeper.’ If we do this, we will have a society which is developed, advanced, aware and just. After all these, we will have lasting peace and stability. For, peace, it is said, is not the absence of violence but the presence of justice. The writer is supposed to contribute immensely to the creation of that Gambian. Literature plays a very important role in shaping the cultural identity of a people.

To further highlight the fact that what we read and write has a direct impact (good or bad) on the politico-socioeconomic condition of the people of a nation, I would like to quote the renowned Kenyan writer Ngugi wa Thiongo. In his introduction to the English edition of the book entitled Matigari, he writes:

…. By January 1987, intelligence reports had it that peasants in Central Kenya were whispering and talking about a man called Matigari who was roaming the whole country making demands about truth and justice. There were orders for his immediate arrest, but the police discovered that Matigari was only a fictional character in a book of the same name. In February 1987, the police raided all the bookshops and seized every copy of the novel.

Matigari, the fictional hero, and the novel, his only habitation, have been effectively banned in Kenya….. 

(Matigari, Ngugi wa Thiongo, P. viii)

Who Is the Writer?

The writer is that person who uses language to teach, preach, and educate through entertainment. S/He brings out the ills of society and suggests ways to solve them. S/He is not aloof to the deprivation which his people face on a daily basis. S/He lives these problems and deprivations him/herself and suggests an inward solution to them.

Among the types of writers, the journalist’s work has a more immediate effect because it is direct and reports events of Human Rights provisions and protections – or their violations – as soon as they take place. Thus, informed of these, the general public agitates for them to be respected and addressed.

The other writers like columnists use their pen to bring to the public issues of concern. They talk about the protection of Human Rights and suggest ways to improve on existing laws and instruments to make them accessible to the people. Though this one is subtler in nature, its effect is more profound and more lasting. Take for instance the gender stereotyping which ends in the violations of the rights of women using religion. This is tackled in Michael Hamadi Secka’s book entitled ‘The Shock’.If people read these types of books, it exposes them to current trends and makes the stereotyping ugly and they end up abhorring those practices. This will make sure that they never entertain or indulge in such practices ever.

Again, I want to go back a little over a year ago when former president Yahya Jammeh refused to step down after being defeated in the December 1^stPresidential Elections. Many writers came out to write and point out the potential danger of abuse and violations of Human Rights if he insisted on not stepping down.

Writers have always highlighted the ills in our society and through their pens sought to subtly change the culture for a better Gambia. Just look at the following excerpt from the poems of our own respected Juka Jabang.

‘Her life is full of beatings

She is battered all the time

Oppressed and shattered everyday’

(Juka Jabanag, The Repeal and other Poems…, as quoted in the Gendered Voices by Prof. Pierre Gomez and Isatou Ndow.)

This is how a writer portrays these abuses and violations of Human Rights, so the readers will abhor them from the core of their hearts. This is sometimes an earnest plea, sometimes a desperate cry, at other times commanding , on the mood of the writer and the audience. Whatever it is, the writer must always engage. Engage the government of the day and the governed so as to promote Human Rights. Engaging the citizens – the governed – will take the form of sensitization and educating the people to know their rights and the power to fight for them.

Finally, I want to leave you with a poem I wrote sometime last year which seeks to discourage a particular abuse of Human Rights.

WHAT IS MY NAME…?

Because I am black

They tell me to pack

I am skeletal like a rack

Of possessions, I am naked, stack

My situation is such that I’ve no voice

In most matters of import, I’ve no choice

For any insignificant achievement, I rejoice

Oftentimes, I am harassed by different boys

I am discriminated at school

At home, many think I am a fool

The dream of having my swimming pool

and other amenities like others, is my pull

Tradition says I should be married a teen

Having babies before the previous one I wean

They wish to my education n dreams throw in the bin

But, tell me, if that be my lot, how on earth will I ever win?

Some traditions, deprive me of my health

While Modou, Alieu go on to amass a lot of wealth

I won’t even have a fair share of what dad will bequeath

The culture, norms and traditions hide my beauty like a sheath

Here is my pledge: No marriage till I get education

I will not be a vessel for children till I guarantee sanitation

Like John, Peter and Modou, I also have ambition, aspiration

From henceforth I’m taking in my hands, my desired emancipation!

So, the Human Rights – right to life, right to food, right to shelter, education, health, and the right to participate in the country’s political life, right to water and electricity, right to live a peaceful and happy life and so on are all featured in the works of Gambian writers.

Thank you very much for your kind attention!

The former Councillor for Nyambai Ward, Pa Amadou Manneh has advised Gambians to desist from politics of arrogance and to help build a country where all could live happily.

The fiery politician made these remarks before hundreds of people on Saturday at a meeting held at Kembuje Madina in the West Coast.

“It takes politics to govern a country but politics of arrogance is the worst,” Former Councillor Manneh said.

“Nobody should emulate arrogant politicians,” he added.

The former Nyambai Ward Councillor went further to say that political maturity is what would develop the Gambia and not the other way round. He calls on the country’s youth and women folks to actively participate in politics for development.

“How could you disassociate yourselves from politics,” Manneh asked.

He added: “Don’t you know that you cannot worship God or do businesses in peace without politicians who are running the affairs of your country.”

Manneh further called on Gambians to desist from tribal and sectional politics.

The meeting was attended by the two nephews of President Barrow, district chiefs from Jarra and Foni as well as three newly elected Councillors from Brikama with women groups.

The Gambia is a signatory to many international instruments designed to protect the environment. In addition to that, every government is tasked with protecting and safeguarding its citizens from every possible harm. This of course includes protecting the environment from anything – economic or otherwise – that may lead to health hazards.

The current predicament in Gunjur caused by the fishing and processing done by the Chinese Company, Golden Lead Factory is potentially causing health hazards to the natives and destroying our environment, potentially violating one or all the treaties on environmentthat we are a signatory to.

A few months ago, many activists in the Gambia, including my humble self, wrote about the environmental damage being caused by this same company on the beaches of Gunjur and its surroundings. There was a lot of noise and government, through the National Environment Agency (NEA) seemed to be doing something about it. There was hope therefore that your government will find a lasting solution which will result in the protection and safeguarding of the health of the people of Gunjur and environs and protect our environment.

Haplessly, it appears that the government didn’t do much; or whatever it did has worn off as the company has defiantly, as it were, flown the Chinese Flag on Gambian soil.This is an affront to our sovereignty and government must do something about it immediately. We must not allow the Chinese to behave insultingly to us just because we need investment. A flag is a symbol of a nation-state that has control economically, culturally and even militarily over an area. So, it is not a small matter if another country’s nationals have the audacity to hoist their flag on our land.

At the moment, China itself has imposed a ban on fishing on three of its rivers and is at loggerheads with many of its neighboring countries because they are not allowing them to use their waters. The World Bank estimates that China consumes one third of the world’s fish due to its huge population. As the population of that nation increases, their need for fish and other products also increases thus they find other ways of meeting that demand. They do not want to completely deplete the fish in their waters and they come to Africa where due to weak governments – due to poverty – they can bribe their way through and take our fish stock.

For these and other reasons, the citizens of the country are apprehensive of the intentions of the government and people of China. The symbolic hoisting of their flag may be a precursor to economic or other domination of the Gambia. We want to safeguard our sovereignty and make use that our territorial integrity is respected.

We demand answers, Mr President, and quickly.

Have a Good Day Mr President…

Tha Scribbler Bah

A Concerned Citizen

In cooperation with the Attorney General’s Chambers and Ministry of Justice of the Gambia, Africa Legal Aid (AFLA), will convene a West African stakeholders’ meeting on ‘EmergingTrendsonComplementarity’in Banjul, The Gambia from 25 – 26 April 2018. The meeting will build on AFLA’s initiatives on Complementarity, making the case that justice done at home, or close to home, offers better assurance of efficiency and legitimacy.

National prosecutors, judges, government officials, and advocates from West African countries, including Burkina Faso; Cote d’Ivoire; Gambia; Liberia; Mali; Nigeria; and Sierra Leone, will participate in the meeting; as well as international experts and resource persons.

The galaxy of participants include Justice Hassan Jallow, Chief Justice of the Gambia and Former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR); H.E. Judge Geoffrey Henderson of the International Criminal Court (ICC); Justice Fatoumatta Dembele Diarra of the Supreme Court of Mali, and former First Vice President of the ICC; and Mama Koite Doumbia, Board Member, Trust Fund for Victims at the ICC.

The topics for discussion shall include: Victims as the Driving Force in Prosecution of International Crimes; Specific country situations; and the Future of Complementarity Initiatives in Africa. Click here forthe Program.

In the evening of 26th April, the audience will be enlarged to include the youth, academics and opinion leaders, diplomatic spheres, and other interested parties, to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the adoption of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

For more information, please contact:

Mam Ndeban Jobe at 7674795 [email protected]or Winnie Magoum at [email protected]

In April 2016, the hero, Mr Solo Sandeng, left his house along with some other likeminded individuals to demand for electoral reforms. Thus, one may say that many people stirred and struggled for this reform during the past administration. The truth is that it was this idea that he (of blessed memory) paid the ultimate price. It is important that you and your government remember that this is still needed for the good of the country. It is the Solo Sandeng legacy.

I hope therefore that one of the areas of reform you will introduce will be regulations on campaign and campaign funding. It is common knowledge that now many nations around the world have introduced strict laws regulating who finances what; and whose campaign to guide prospective candidates and parties on how to go about raising funds for their run for office(s).

It is not rocket science to understand that certain sponsors of parties or individual candidates may have vested interest in the resources of the nation or region. Being allowed to fund the campaign of particular candidates or parties may therefore give them an edge over other competitors when it comes to business opportunities or investments which may not augur well for the nation at large.

If someone bankrolls the election campaign of a president, a mayor, a national assembly member or even a counselor, that person may have a stranglehold on the economy of the nation, consequence or region. We have all seen what used to happen in this country. The Janneh Commission has shown us that there were some individuals in this country had a monopoly on all bids.

It is important therefore to come up with laws which will seek to protect and serve the greater good of the country. These types of financing allow a few individuals to do as they please with the wealth and resources of the nation, mostly to the detriment of the ordinary citizens.

As we have all witnessed the near bankruptcy of the country, we should all come together and enact the right laws to protect the wealth and honor of the nation. There is a lot of work to be done so that we can start moving this nation forward.

Have a Good Day Mr President…

Tha Scribbler Bah

A Concerned Citizen

Almamy Fanding TaaI has been appointed as the United Democratic Party’s spokesman.

Contacted for confirmation, Mr Taal said his appointment was since February and his duties include being a liaison and interface for the party, the general public and the information platforms and outlets; and also be the communicator-in-Chief of all party messages, activities and programs.

Principally, when the party leadership wants to convey a message like when we call press conferences, when we clarify positions, they should all be put through the conduit of the spokesperson, Mr Taal said.

On the council elections

Asked about his party’s reaction to the recent elections, Mr Taal said the results show that people are still overwhelmingly in support of the UDP.

“All politics is local but when it comes to local government election, it becomes both local and personal. Even in the dark days of the Jammeh dictatorship, Banjul has twice elected independent mayors so there is reason to believe that in the new dispensation it would take a while before loyalties are finally settled,” Taal said.

He also revealed that it may appear that the voter turnout was extremely low but the UDP is looking at the figures and are trying to form a very informed opinion based on what the data is telling them.

“We are considering as a strategy to engage the grassroots and re-energise the base of the party because some people believe that local government elections are not as significant as other electoral cycles that we have gone through. So we are going to send a unified message that we are the natural party of government, we are represented right across the nation and we have a very clear mandate from the majority of the votes that have been cast. So as a strategy, we will redouble our efforts that every vote cast for the UDP is a vote for growth, for progress and for consolidation of our gains,” added Taal.

“History shows that the UDP has been fighting against dictatorship and tyranny; even at some point we decided to boycott elections just because of principles. So in the new order, we believe that once local governments are properly constituted and we are in the majority of the local government areas nationwide, people will see real UDP governance apparatus because at that level, there is some autonomy both managerial and financial. If you are mayor or a chairman of a municipal area, you don’t entirely depend on the central government which as you know is a coalition government. It is not a UDP government, per se.

So we are counting on the support of the grassroots and to ask again very humbly for their vote and for their mandate. So that we are able to serve them and show them the difference that fully fledged UDP government can bring to their areas and their neighborhoods,” he remarked.

Source: Standard Newspaper

The Minister of Information, Mr Demba A. Jawo has reported post election violence in some parts of the country after the recent Local Government Elections.

Minister Jawo made these revelations during his monthly press briefing saying that the police have received reports of violent incidents in Bakau, Bakoteh, Basse (Jimara Constituency) and Sukuta respectively.

According to him two suspects were involved in the Bakoteh incident leading to the arrest of one person who was charged with assault while the second one is still at large. He also spoke about another arrest in Sukuta where the culprit was charged with assault before Kanifing Court.

He further spoke about the Jimara incident adding that one of the four persons arrested was charged with incitement of violence while the others were charged with common assault.

The Government Spokesperson further stated that the reported incidents in Bakau took place late at night and police are yet to identify any culprits, saying the complainants themselves are unable to identify their attackers.

Minister Jawo spoke about false reporting of crimes, noting that crime is not on the increase but the reporting of crime has increased.

“The police still concur that crime is not on the increase but that reporting of crime has increased both at the level of the police stations and that more focus is given to crime on traditional and social media,” Minister Jawo said.

Jawo also added that the police have noticed a new trend in false reporting of nonexistent crimes.

“The police will charge any person found to be giving false reporting to public officials on the incidents of nonexistent crimes,” he asserted.

So far, he said two people have been charged for falsely alerting the police on incidents of crimes that did not take place.

The Information Minister further reported on the total voter turnout which he said was low at 34 percent, saying out of 886, 578 registered voters, only 302, 528 voted in the past Local Government Elections. He added that the CSO Coalition on Elections has said that it was free, fair and transparent.

The veteran journalist raised the concerns on the CSO Coalition on the low voter turnout and cited many incidents of hate speech, incitement to violence, gender stereotyping and tribal narratives.

Meanwhile, a key recommendation for the CSO Coalition is to sensitize the citizens on the importance of elections in the overall good governance and development of the Gambia.

By Omar Wally

Officials of Gambia Police Force, have placed a man under custody after a robbery he allegedly staged was discovered.

On April 17, 2018, the suspect lodged a complaint at the Tourist Security Unit, clamming that he was robbed by someone who came to his forex bureau whilst he was at work.

Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent David Kujabi explains to Omar Waly how the incident unfolded in this interview with The Fatu Network.

The West African Network for Peace Building (WANEP) held a stakeholders consultation on peace and conflict analysis in The Gambia at the Ocean Bay Hotel, on April 17, 2018.

The Event was attended by P.S Mr. Bulli Dibba, UN peace and Development Advisor to the Gambia among many stakeholders who work both in the private and public sector.

The purpose of this initiative is to launch a project headed by the UNDPA and WANP in partnership with the Ministry of Interior to uphold the peace that The Gambia has maintained despite the recent challenges the country faced during the impasse.

The first phase of the project is to further understand the current situation in The Gambia, Identify what builds and how peace is built in The Gambia, and to identify how and when to strategically implement conflict prevention and peacebuilding programming countrywide.

There was emphasis by both the UN and the Ministry of Interior that The Gambia and Gambians take ownership of the initiative, as well as help identify what resources and tactics are already present and working, in order to build on those and help make this project a successful one.

BANJUL: Victims of former President, Yahya Jammeh and their family members were out protesting at the gates of the country’s Supreme Court on Tuesday calling for justice.

The peaceful protest was observed with placards calling for justice without delay in all the local languages.

Some of the placards read: ” Hear Our Cries”, “Feel Our Pains” and “Justice For Enforced Disappearance” among others.

“What do we want”?, a voice said on a PA Systems.

“We want justice now,” the crowd of protesters responded

The protesters were seeking justice for victims of enforced disappearances. They also demanded explanations about the bodies of those exhumed last year. They want the bodies to be returned to their families for befitting burials.

The families of the late Captain Basiru Barrow, Cadet Amadou Sillah, Kanyiba Kanyi, Mamut Ceesay, April 10th Victims, 30th December and the Kalama Revolution victims among others were among the crowd.

Speeches were made by Aisha Jammeh, Zainab Lowe, Aja Ya Mai Ceesay and Sukai Dahaba of UDP’s Kalama Revolution among others.

Meanwhile, the protesters demand that the Barrow Administration delivers justice to the victims without delay.

By Arfang M.S. Camara

Three independence candidates in the mayoral contest for the Kanifing Municipal Council have withdrawn their candidacy to join forces with Papa Njie as the race for mayor intensifies.

The candidates namely Gibbou M. Saidy, Pa Coker and Babucarr Jeng have both said in a press conference held at the Sea View Hotel that they have endorsed Mr. Papa Njie’s candidature for the forthcoming mayoral elections slated for 12^thMay 2018 because they have similar vision for the development of the Kanifing Municipal Council.

According to the candidates, they wish to make it very clear that this is not a coalition but a synergy in which all of them including Papa Njie will bring together all that they have and work towards actualizing the dream of a better K.M.C.

“As a region, we are politically very much divided at the moment and the political situation has prompted us to come together and synergies in the interest of KM and Gambia”, they said, adding that therefore they urged all their supporters, well-wishers and all those who have the advancement of Kanifing Municipal at heart to rally behind Mr. Papa Njie in the forthcoming mayoral elections.

They added that in light of the unanimous decision agreed upon by their respective teams and in the spirit of forming a synergy that will endorse and support a particular candidate, given current realities on the ground.

“We have in the past week been engaged in series of consultations with all aspiring independence candidates, on the possibilities of forming a synergy of independent candidates thereby putting aside all differences as per the dictates of our various manifestos”, they said

According to them, this prompted them to come together in the interest of Kanifing Municipality after reaching a common agreement, adding that they unanimously concluded that Mr. Papa Njie is a more viable candidate subscribe to the synergy and that the aspiring independent candidates will stand a better chance of winning so that the people of KM will enjoy rapid socio-economic advancement.