Mr. President,

First, Allow me to extend my unreserved congratulations to you and the entire Gambian population on the first anniversary of your election  Victory, which I will refer to as “Gambia’s Liberation Day; a victory that was predicated on our collective desire to see a permanent end to tyranny, impunity and constitutional abrogation.

Mr. President it is in this spirit that brought us together over a year ago to banish one of Africa’s worst dictatorships that I write to you.

Throughout Jammeh’s twenty-two years of misrule, Gambians at home and abroad have bemoaned the blatant disregard of the constitution thus warranting Coalition 2016 to make this a centerpiece of their campaign. Therefore, I am perplexed by your decision to appoint Mr. Alkali Conteh, as a member of the Public Service Commission in direct contravention of section 172 (3) (F) of the 1997 constitution. Mr. President you are fully aware that Mr. Conteh is NOT constitutionally qualified to be elected as a Member of the National Assembly (which is a qualifying requirement for appointment in the PSC) for two reasons, one being dual citizenship and the other being length of residency. Mr. President even if Mr. Conteh were to dispel the dual citizenship claim, he could not dispel the residency requirement, thus making his appointment unconstitutional.

Mr. President, your election as president was seen as a departure from Jammeh’s constitutional abrogation to a new dispensation where the constitution reigns supreme and impunity forever discarded together with the tyrant.

Mr. President, your predecessor obliterated the professionalism and independence of our civil service by  politicizing it beyond recognition; therefore, our hope has been that you and your team will rectify this travesty by building a Civil Service free of politics and political biases. It is absolutely essential that all appointments to the Public Service Commission or the Civil Service must be merit based and constitutionally grounded. While anticipation a clarification and/or rescinding of the unconstitutional appointment of Mr. Alkali Conteh, I remain,

Yours Sincerely,

Pasamba Jow (Coach)

By Arfang M.S. Camara

The President of the Gambia Press Union (GPU), Emil Touray has called on the new government to repeal or change the draconian media laws affecting press freedom in the Gambia.

Emil Touray was speaking Saturday, during the commemoration of the 13th anniversary of the murder of Deyda Hydara, a Gambian journalist.The event was organized by the Gambia Press Union in collaboration with their partners and held at the University of The Gambia’s auditorium.

The symposium was aimed at renewing calls for the Gambia government to investigate and bring to book killers of Deyda Hydara and those who were arbitrarily subjected to cruel treatments for their journalism work as well as strengthening the advocacy for the promotion of democracy and freedom of press.

The program was witnessed by family members of Deyda Hydara and Chief Ebrima Manneh amongst others.

GPU President, Further said that years back nobody thought about organizing such an event but now its seems the country is free from dictatorship.

“Having this kind of commemoration means that there are serious changes in the political landscape of the country”.

He paid homage on behalf of the GPU to journalists who die while serving their country, adding that they are not just commemorating the murder of journalists but they are also commemorating the end of tyranny.

He finally urged and called on journalists to work for the development of the country, saying that the new found press freedom goes with responsibility.

Baba Hydara, Son of Deyda Hydara said that the day is set aside for journalists who sacrificed their lives for the development of press freedom in the country. He recalled the days his dad used to write articles on pieces of paper compared to now that journalist send in their stories in a more convenient manner for publication.

He added that his dad sacrificed his life in serving his country, saying that his dad would be very happy to see that his wishes for press freedom is taken to this level.

“My would be very happy to see that newspapers stories being read on smart phones”. Baba said

The Senegalese Ambassador to the Gambia, Professor Saliou Ndiaye expressed sadness and sympathy to the families of the slain journalists who worked tirelessly to execute their duties in the Gambia, adding that the name of the fallen journalists should not be forgotten as he called on the government and the people of the Gambia to decorate them by naming schools or streets after them

Dr. Amadou Scattred Janneh also joined other speakers to urge the government to change the draconian laws made by the former regime hindering the work of Journalists. He called on the government to bring Jammeh to justice, adding that his struggle will never end until Jammeh and his associates are brought to justice

Binta Manneh, Sister to Chief Ebrima Manneh said that his brother was a very hard working journalist who did his work with obedience and truthfulness, adding that Chief Manneh adopted Deyda Hydara as his mentor and both of them were killed by the same people

According to her Chief Manneh was the breadwinner of their family and that his demise or disappearance is a huge lost to the entire family.

Other speakers during the ceremony were Ebrima Sillah, DG GRTS, Sam Sarr and Managing Editor of Foroyaa Newspaper

By Omar Wally: Pap Saine co-founder and publisher of The Point Newspaper, has disclosed that his colleague, brother and companion Deyda Hydara, was killed for two reasons.

Deyda who was shot death on 16 December 2004, co-founded The Point Newspaper with Pap Saine. Saturday, December 16, 2017, marked 13 years of his assassination.

Saine said December 16, is a sad day for him adding that it was a day he lost a brother, a friend, a companion and a man who fought for press freedom and a defender of the voiceless.

“Deyda was killed for two reasons, he was critical of the former regime and in 2004, Deyda and some of his colleagues filed a petition in court to make sure that the harsh laws are abolished’ those were the reasons why he was killed,’ Papa Saine said.

He commended the new government for honoring the ECOWAS court’s ruling to pay compensation to the family of Deyda Hydara. “We will again appeal to the government to bring the culprits to justice.”

According to Pape Saine, the police recently issued an arrest warrant for two former military officers, Kawsu Camara and Sanna Manjang for their involvement in Deyda’s death.

“The government with the cooperation of ECOWAS and Interpol should bring them to The Gambia to two face justice.”

Killing Deyda was meant to Kill Our Sovereignty!

With all due respect to the Hydara family and as painful as it sounds, the killing of Deyda was not about Deyda Hydara. Deyda was killed because of what he represented which was what Yaya Jammeh wanted to extinguish. Deyda stood up to uphold the sovereignty and freedoms and power of Gambians to be able to subject their Government to the will of the people. But Yaya Jammeh never wanted Gambians to enjoy their sovereignty hence he killed Deyda! But Deyda Lives On…

As citizens our sovereignty has been established and guaranteed in Section 1 subsection 2 of the 1997 Constitution. It says the sovereignty of the Gambia resides in the people of the Gambia and it’s from the people that the government derives its legitimacy and the government functions on behalf of the people to serve the people.

Furthermore Chapter 4, entitled ‘Fundamental Rights and Freedoms’ is where our rights as Gambians have been entrenched. While all human rights are equally important, yet freedom of expression is the lifeblood that animates all other rights. It is when citizens have the liberty, space and freedom to express their opinions without fear it means they can question leaders and expose corruption and abuse. Without free speech, the enlightenment and empowerment of citizens will be limited hence their informed participation in national affairs will be severely stifled.

Still further, the 1997 Constitution stated in Section 207 that the responsibility of the media is to hold the Gambia Government accountable on behalf of the people. The media fulfills this duty by serving as a conduit through which people express themselves, i.e. to agree or disagree with the manner, decisions, actions and policies of the Government.

The significance of the media therefore is that they amplify the voices of citizens as they raise issues and concerns about their society and Government. This is the only peaceful way in which citizens check their government and ensure good governance and protection of human rights. This is precisely the reason why each and every dictator has a tendency to clampdown on the media as a means to limit or control the exchange of opinions hence close voices of citizens and groups.

When you close the voices of citizens then you will succeed in controlling what information is shared and received by people hence the only source of information will be that of Government alone. By closing the voices of citizens and determining what people should read or hear and know it means therefore limiting the ability of the people to exercise their sovereignty. Hence dictatorship is nothing other than the hijacking of the sovereignty of citizens so that the dictator becomes a lord over the people.

As a journalist, Deyda was that agent that amplified the voices of the people. As a journalist, he was fulfilling the constitutional role assigned to the media to hold the Government of the Gambia accountable on behalf of the people. Because Deyda played that constitutional role quite effectively and diligently it meant that the APRC Regime and Yaya Jammeh felt his impact as their corruption, misrule and ineptitude were being exposed. Consequently Deyda became an inconvenient nuisance that had to be eliminated. Thus Deyda was an agent and a manifestation of our sovereignty. By killing him, the objective was to seize the sovereignty of Gambians.

As we mark the 13th anniversary of the killing of this Giant of Sovereignty, Gambians must therefore not only look at the past but also into the future. Citizens must be extremely interested in the way and manner that present and future governments of the Gambia address the issue of freedom of expression. We must stand against any attempts to limit free speech and freedom of the media in any way. Let us bear in mind that any limitation to speech and media tantamount to limitation of our sovereignty.

There are democratic restrictions to free speech and free press in every civilized society because it is recognized that these rights are not absolute. However citizens must refuse any attempts by the Government to take these democratic restrictions to another level, which will lead to denial. Our tribute to Deyda must therefore be to ensure that the right to freedom of expression and freedom of the media remain unfettered in this country.

On this note, Gambians must therefore demand Pres. Adama Barrow and the Parliament to repeal all laws that infringe on freedom of expression and freedom of the media. These include seditious laws in the Criminal Code including the offense of ‘false news’ as well as ‘giving false information to a public officer’ and other insult laws. Similarly the Information and Communications Act needs amendment to remove offenses related to free speech on the Internet.

Furthermore the Newspaper Act must be repealed so that all Gambians have the right to establish media outlets without having to undergo any cumbersome registration process and payment of huge sums of money with unreasonable collaterals. To further guarantee our sovereignty, all media offenses must be decriminalized so that the media could become a true amplifier of citizens’ voices hence ensure the supremacy of the people. When we criminalize media offenses it means we ultimately close voices and limit the participation of citizens on national issues.

In paying tribute to Deyda Hydara and other victims of freedom of expression and media, the Gambia Government should have used the occasion of this anniversary to repeal or reform all anti-free media laws. Above all, let Gambians stand up and remain vigilant to ensure the sanctity of freedom of expression and freedom of the media. This is because free speech and free media are indispensable weapons in the hands of the people to defend their sovereignty, check government, protect rights and ensure efficient delivery of social services. Free speech and free media are peaceful weapons against corruption, abuse of power, rights violations and political patronage and mediocrity in society.

For the Gambia, Our Homeland

Mai Fatty, was born in Kerewan village in Nyakoi, Wuli West, Upper River Region. He started school there and eventually found his way to schools in Banjul. After completing sixth form, he studied in Sierra Leone and Cyprus. He qualified in law, returned to The Gambia and started at Amie Bensouda’s chambers before setting up his own shop.
After a storied decade as barrister, Mai went in to self-exile claiming there was an assassination attempt on his life.

He later formed Gambia Moral Congress (GMC) in 2009 of which political party he is still the leader. He had been resident abroad until in the run-up to the 2016 December presidential election when he returned and was appointed Minister of the Interior in President Adama Barrow’s cabinet. On 10 November 2017, he was relieved of his duties. In this week Bantaba anchor Omar Wally, sat down with the sharp-witted politician and asked him questions for 50 minutes.

How did you get your first name, ‘Mai’ sounds very feminine?

I was named after my grandfather Mai Fatty. My grandfather was call ‘M’m’ that is how it sounds, unfortunately it sounds like Mai, and his real name is Ahmed. My real name is Ahmed, so I assumed the name Mai by which my grandfather was popularly known.

How did your political activism started?

Oh! It started a long time ago, since school. I was a student political activist; this was way in Jawara’s days in the First Republic. My first exposure to politics was during a class, it was shocking. A teacher of mine called Kebba Badjie saw me very graphic pictures of people in South Africa under Apartheid. I think it was the picture of Steve Biko and other bodies that were mutilated and I was too young then and that was my first look at a dead body. He explained why that happened and in my little mind at the time, I couldn’t manage the inhumanity of person to another person. For me, it must have been so great for people to be willing to die for something like that; so the idea of freedom came to me for the first time through the picture of Steve Biko.

And I grew more interested, in that, there are other people in other parts of the world who were really fighting so hard just to have their freedom, basically to exist as human beings. That was what whet my appetite and raised my conscience about what liberty is all about – freedom. As a young person then, we did not have those problems here, I was free in my society. From there, there was the National Mobile Library that used to go around with big trucks around the country and used to go to my school and I will borrow books from there and when they come back two to three weeks later you return the books. I was introduced to a book written by Kwame Nkrumah. From there, I got to know a little about politics. My political consciousness begin to emerge with my curiosity and look to other societies and compare to mine, what is it that exist in theirs that is not in ours and how far have they gone with human progress versus mine.

When I got to high school, I realised that there were too many poor people and it will become the responsibility of the government to take care of these people. A lot of people were in my position – people who came from the provinces and did not know anybody outside Banjul or very few people. Some of them had to live in Brikama or beyond and they didn’t have enough money to go to school. Their parents did not even have enough money to pay their fees, plus transportation and uniforms. Some were going to school late, others were not going for days and I tried to find out, why my colleagues were coming late and some were not even coming for days? I realised their parents were poor and they had guardians who did not live in Banjul because all the schools were concentrated in Banjul except, Nusrat, St Peter’s and Armitage. I began to organise students in order to see how we could present a common position to school authorities and government. That was how I got involved in student union politics.

During your student days, were you a member of the Movement for Justice in Africa – Gambia (MOJA-G)?

I was one of the students who were identified by MOJA in those days. They were looking for what they call ‘political conscious students’, and I was considered at the time among those who knew his left from right in terms of personal rights. I was recruited in MoJA but first I was recruited in to an organ of MOJA which was called Organ of Revolutionary Students (ORS). The responsibility of ORS was to recruit other students to the leftist movement at the time but to also spread the propagation of the ideas of MOJA through its organ, which was a clandestine paper. We used to distribute it in schools and other areas in order to get more students conscious politically and to recruit them in to the young MOJA league.

Jainaba Bah, now Ambassador to Russia, made rather disparaging comments about you for your ‘cry baby’ actions when police from the CID arrested you and her and other MOJA members?

Jainaba was my teacher, she was arrested two weeks before me and Alpha Robinson a teacher was also arrested. I would say Jainaba consolidated my recruitment in to MOJA. Before that, there were others like Saikou Samateh, Kora in Brikama and a number of people. Even Demba Ali Jawo, the current Minister of Information was a strong activist at the time; he was a vanguard of the struggle for liberation for Gambians at the time. I was arrested in broad daylight in school while in uniform by the late Daba Marenah, Ebou John and commander Mbye, while I was attending in history class.

The principal, Sheikh Joof, called me to go and answer. I told the principal, well I was a student and in class at the moment, and school hadn’t closed yet, my parents were not there and I was a teenager. Was he going to allow them to carry me? Joof said that was not his problem. He told me I had been stubborn and that I had said and done things [to warrant them to] come for me and that it was my responsibility. So, Commander Mbye, Daba Maraneh and others took me to the police station in Banjul. At the time, they had what is called ‘Special Branch’ and their commander was Sydney Riley. That Special Branch metamorphosed into the National Security Service (NSS) and NSS was changed to the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) now State Intelligence Service (SIS). The Special Branch was in charge of investigation, surveillance and political espionage and we were a great subject of concern to them at the time. I was too young [but I was] put in a cell with eight or nine other adults. It was a very small cell. We even had to answer the call of nature in that cell. It was terrifying for me and an extremely horrific experience as a young person at the time, to be placed in cell with grown up adult criminals. Whatever Jainaba will say, I will be grateful to her for helping me build up my personality and elevate my political consciousness. I’m not going to say more than that.

Exactly how old were you and how many days did you spend in the police cells?

I think I was about 15 years or so. It was in the 1980s. I can’t recall but I think I was there for two weeks.

Were you tortured?

Yes, I went through some torture. I was released eventually because it was a kidnap. They took me from school, they never informed my parents or guardian. Nobody responsible over me was aware that I was arrested by the Special Branch and put under lock and key. There were few friends at the time who knew about my arrest and they were visiting and buying bread for me to eat.

Who were your mates at the time?

I will mention people who were involved in political activity with me and one of them was Abdou Karim Sanneh [now environmentalist, from Brufut, resident in the UK] and Abba Hydara (now consultant doctor from Brikama). Of course I had other friends like Musa Jawara [nephew of President Jawara], the late Kebba Dibba of GRTS, and Adama Barrow [now presidemt].

What was your relationship with Barrow at the time?

It was quite respectful. Adama was always not so very quiet but he was a calm person. There was mutual respect and admiration.

While a student you resided in the compound of a Serahule businessman and later you wanted to marry his daughter but he refused. Why did he not find an eligible young man like yourself fit to marry his daughter?

Well I don’t know. What I would say is, the man you are talking about is Alhaji Saibo Tunkara from Allunghari village. He is late. The man was my father; he loved me and I have seen him as a father figure and he taught me a lot of what I know today. I have profound respect for him. I cannot put in words how much I revered this man. I would not want to drag his name into any controversy. I think it will be very disrespectful for anybody to make any imputations to the contrary.

You went to Fourah Bay to study law, but one of your professors the distinguished Henry Joko-Smart, said you failed your exams, but you claimed that he failed you because you shared a girlfriend. Please explain?

Oh! You see, all these are petty things and I would not go in those. These are matters that anybody can fling out there, I don’t think these are issues that I want to entertain in any civilised manner?

But did you fail your exams at Fourah Bay?
Like I said, all these are issues that I would dispute and disagree. I don’t want to go personal.

You went on to complete your studies but your critics thumbed down your qualification and derisively call your certificate an an ‘online degree’?

Look when I was practising law, the Gambia Police Force conducted a wide investigation because then I was defending people who were considered enemies of the state at the time. Essentially coupists, particularly Abdoulie Sonko. These were people who were alleged to have attacked the Farefenni [Military] Camp. The government’s intent was jailing them, but I was a stumbling block.

I put up a very spirited defence for these people. Every person is entitled to presumption of innocence and every person has the right to have effective legal representation which I was doing. Government tried to malign me in any way that they could. They did it in very disparaging manner but right beyond that also; you had the case of Baba Jobe who was also considered an enemy of the state. No matter how evil a person is, he/she is entitled to legal representation and a lawyer doesn’t choose his or her client; clients come to lawyers. And by our oath, we have to defend our clients, but unfortunately in defence of your clients you come across very powerful forces that would also confront you and they would like to see you downed. So in my defence of some of these clients, The Gambia state under the

dictatorship did everything in order to make me different. But it failed because the very police that were used, were the same police that came out to say that they hadn’t seen any wrong with my credentials. And, I was vindicated. So all those are part of the history of this country and part of my history, which I’m very proud of.

One of the most popular cases you were involved with was Baba Jobe. Controversially, you were said to have convinced Baba to give you a power of attorney over his properties why? Is that ethical?

That is false. But I’m not going to discuss anything that transpired between me, Baba Jobe or any of my clients because this is covered by confidentiality. I can recall late Baba Jobe was not a stupid man, he was very smart politician. I am sure he has detractors also who would say all sorts of things. I wouldn’t go in to his politics but I could say professionally, I put up a very strong defence for him and a very strong defence team. And to prove that some of these allegations are vicious and vindictive, my personal relationship with the family of Baba Jobe is stronger today than it was during his time.

You were involved in a widely publicised motor vehicle accident. Can you tell us the circumstance and the extent of your injuries?

It was near-fatal because I almost lost my life in that vehicle accident. I was unconscious, I was not aware of what happen afterwards. In the dawn of that very night, I was airlifted to Senegal with very severe life-threatening injuries. I was administered intensive medical examinations and I was stabilised after a while, but then other injuries were very grave and life-threatening that could not be dealt with in Senegal and from where I went to Europe to secure better medical facilities.

Did you suspect any foul play, like an assassination attempt?

That was what many people alleged and that was what investigative journalists came up with and the same information came from some people who were privy to the conspiracy to eliminate me.

That’s what they say, but do you believe that?
That was my belief.

But some say it was you who hit the vehicle in front of you?
That was not true. I didn’t hit the car in front of me, it was an approaching vehicle which was coming from the direction of what was then called President Jammeh Officers’ Mess. It was a truck carrying a container, so it was not a vehicle in front of me. It was a vehicle that ran into me.

You spent extensive time convalescing in Europe. Who paid your medical bills?

Those are not important. Those are not matters I want to discuss [publicly].

Later on, you formed your own political party, GMC, some say it is oxymoronic in that you are not considered a very ‘moral’ person, yet you named your party ‘Moral Congress’?
Well, you know I don’t know what is oxymoronic about that because anybody can have any opinion, view or perception about any person. I can say Omar Wally is a very good person; another person will say he is horrible and another person can say he is really a saint. So it is neither here nor there. But the idea of the name moral is very significant; it does not suggest that the people who formed this party are perfect. What it seeks to do is to look at what is wrong with our politics. What is wrong with our politics is because politics without morality will not take our society anywhere.

The word moral is very conspicuous. It is intended to provoke the conscience of the nation towards issues of morality, so that morality will be taken as a specific issue and it will form part of our political discourse. Now the reason for this is, look at it, there are too many decent people who don’t want to go into politics because they believe politics is associated with cheating, lies, corruption and all kinds of negative things. That is the common perception about politics. Tell anybody you are a politician, immediately they will define you, as a politicians you will fail your promises, say things that you don’t mean, you are selfish… all these are the sorts of things people associate with politicians. But politics itself is noble because it seeks the advancement of human society and there is nothing wrong with that. What is wrong is something is wrong with the politicians and it is the moral issue that is wrong with politicians. When we restore morality into politics, it becomes a way of life which influences policies at every level. With morality or moral considerations we will care about corruption, lying and cheating. And when we put morality at the centre of discourse and it influences our behaviour as political beings, then we will see the issue of morality, honesty, integrity, goodness, decency of labour… So what we seek to do with the word ‘moral’ is put morality at the heart of discourse permanently. But it doesn’t mean that we are moral police or trying to moralise politics. We are imperfect like any creature but what we seek to do is to restore morality in politics.

Your critics say you are not a serious politician because you were permanently resident abroad, yet your political party is in The Gambia. You only come to the country during elections and after few days leave.
Let me just say this, I don’t know what is unserious about that because it is very difficult to work under a dictatorship. We have established a political party and one person cannot do that. By law, just one person cannot form a political party. And to form a political party, you have to have representatives all over the country in all the regions and from all the tribes. So, if you say Mai Fatty lives outside but GMC existed in the country and has participated since its formation at every major political event, both for the opposition and for the country, I don’t know what is unserious about that. We have been in the process to liberate this country and GMC has done tremendous amount of diplomacy outside the country. In fact it is the party that has done more work on external diplomacy to liberate The Gambia than any political party. And I challenge anybody to prove that wrong. It will be wrong to say we are not a serious party; we are serious players in this process.

And that was why when a law was set up for every political party to have offices in all of the seven regions in the country, GMC already had those offices established. It will be unfair for anybody to characterise us as unserious. We had an alliance with UDP in the 2011 presidential elections; I personally was in the country and campaigned everywhere to raise the conscience of Gambians. We pumped in a lot of money from our personal resources that was not donated by anybody else. We go to work and save money and we put it back into liberating this country. It will be very unfair for anybody to say that [we are unserious].

You travelled across the globe as GMC leader, what was the source of your party funds, since you yourself were not working?

We financed the party from our own pockets. Occasionally, we have few help from a number of Gambians but not substantial enough. It was tremendous amount of sacrifice that we did, travelling the globe and talking about The Gambia, meeting governments and international originations. This is very important for us and for our country because we are talking about saving lives.

You talk about ‘we’ in the context of GMC, who exactly are the executive members of GMC because many see GMC as one-man party?

I don’t agree with you, I don’t think people see GMC as one man-party because we have the executive in the country even though, I was out of the country and they have been meeting with political parties. They were so many inter-party committees, there were events that happened on the ground that involved opposition parties and all opposition parties were participating. Calling GMC a one-man party would be unfair.

Exactly what role did the GMC play in the formation of Coalition 2016?

GMC contributed significantly towards the nomination of Adama Barrow as the coalition candidate. We provided 70 delegates like all other political parties. We contributed in electing Adama Barrow as the coalition candidate and beyond that also campaigned for him and put in our resources to get him elected. So in the liberation of The Gambia from dictatorship, the history will never be complete without mentioning GMC. It is impossible! GMC is a people’s party.

If GMC is people’s party, why is it that it could not even win a single seat in the last parliamentary election?

Well that is not a determinant for the relevance of the party. You can see historically that is always not the case. We have seen President Adama Barrow, he contested as the parliamentary seat twice and lost but he won the presidency. So that is not the logic, it doesn’t follow.

These are completely different things Mai?

No, no. Here is a person who contested as member of parliament and lost and contested for presidency and won.
Barrow won because he contested under seven political parties plus one independent. If we stretch the argument, GMC is a party that couldn’t win a single seat, how do you expect that party to win the presidency?

That is not the case… not winning a seat, there are various things associated with that. I think the first thing is GMC has never contested in parliamentary election. That has never happened, this was our debut. Secondly, we did not have all our structures effectively functioning under the dictatorship. You see that UDP has won more seats in the last parliamentary election; it has never won that much under Jammeh regime.

We came out of the presidential election, I was out of the country, I came back, we won an election and in January we were very busy to get Jammeh out of this country. In February, effectively cabinet was constituted, then March we went for elections there was no enough time for GMC to campaign. And we could not raise enough resources at the time; we were too busy with the after-effects of the election. On the contrary, other parties that were here for many years had systems and structures and they pulled it through. We couldn’t pull it through that time because of circumstance. But I am sure if the election is re-conducted today, GMC will have different results.

You famously said when Jammeh was leaving, he emptied the Central Bank of $500 million. What was the source of that information?

The source of my information was Ministry of Finance and Central Bank combined.

It seems you attract supporters and haters in equal measure.
I have lots of admirers, supporters and people who loved me.

And detractors too?

Every politician has decorators, even Omar Wally, has detractors.

Your decision to move the Ministry of Interior from Banjul- Bertil Harding Highway and rent a complex for D3 million per annum, was condemned by many. What do you have to say in your defence?

It was not my decision; it was the decision of the government. Well, people can condemn and not condemn, not every decision made by government will be popular with everybody.

You were accused of taking bribes from Semlex, is that true?
I think those issues were clear and settled.

Did you receive from Semlex or not?

What do you want me to say, I think that is very clear.

Has Mai Fatty ever received a bribe in your professional work?
No.

Now, to the all-important question, why did, President Barrow fire you?

Ask President Barrow.

I am asking you.
I don’t know.

Really, you do not know why the president fired you?

I don’t know, you should ask President Barrow. I think you should ask President Barrow that question why I was relieved. I know that the president has the authority to hire and fire a minister and based on that I accept his authority. Now you should ask the president why he fired me.

Did you do anything that was not in line or broke the law?

No, I did not do anything to the best of my knowledge that would warrant me to be relieved from my responsibility.

Did your sacking come as a surprise?
No.

I have heard from many quarters that you have been telling people that you are destined to be the next president because Ousainou Darboe is old and ‘finished’ and Barrow will serve only three years?

That is false.

You were said to have a frictitious relationship with your staff notably your permanent secretary, why is that so?
Go and ask him.

Others claim that since you became minister, you became inaccessible and people who want to see you had to go through layers of security in order to see you, that is, if you want to see them at all?

That is false. Anybody that wanted to see me has to go through an appointment system. A minister of state is not as free as an ordinary person, particularly a security minister. So, I was not accessible as I used to be and there are state responsibilities that I have undertaken. So if you want to see me you go through the appointment systems and there are people who were responsible for my schedule and they determine it.

Have you been redeployed to the Foreign Service as announced?
No.

So what was said in the press release that you were relived and going for Foreign Service was not true?
I want to tell you that I have not been assigned any particular foreign responsibility.

What next for Mai?
Greatness, the best is yet to come.

Do you dream of becoming president of The Gambia one day?
First of all, it is up to God. And God through the Gambian people. I don’t know what I will become in the future. If God destines that I will be president, yes I will be. If Gambian people have that trust and confidence [in me] yes, I will be and if they don’t I will not be.

When you were relieved so many people welcomed the news. Why?

On the contrary, I think so many people were unhappy.

But people were gloating?
I’m not aware of that. What I’m aware was that many people were unhappy.

How do you feel about being pushed out of the house you help build?

I didn’t feel I was pushed out. I’m still a member of a political party of which I’m the leader and that political party is part and parcel of the Coalition.

3 or 5 years, what’s the ‘honourable term limit’ for Barrow?
No comment.

Why no comment?
No comment.

Any final word?

Gambians should stop talking and start working. We should begin to cooperate and work together and work for our country. We should support the government’s agenda for development and come together to see what we can do to take The Gambia to the next level. We should support the president’s development agenda that will set The Gambia on new heights. We should shun tribalism, regionalism and come together as one people regardless of political affiliation, put the best interest of The Gambia forward and then The Gambia will move forward.

Source: Standard Newspaper

By Alieu Ceesay

One of the Mayoral aspirant for the Kanifing Municipality (KM) for the 2018 Local Government Election has dispelled rumors that he is not qualified to contest the election.

Bakary Badgie is among many who expressed interest in running for the mayoral seat for the highly populated municipality when Gambians return to the polls to elect their Local Government representatives.

“I am not affected by any law, be it the Local Government Act or Election Act in The Gambia because elections are guided by laws and nobody is just eager for a positions that you will just jump into a race without looking at the laws or regulations that guide that.”

Badgie, a youth activist lived and worked in The Gambia with The Child Protection Alliance (CPA) and The Kanifing Municipal Council before moving to the United States, therefore he claimed that he is familiar with the Local Government Act.

“The Local Government Act under Section 17(1) sub section 1 states that one is qualified to contest if he or she is not less than 30 years, be a Gambian, completed senior secondary education, and the person must have resided in the area that you seeks election for 12 months in the preceding four years.”

Badgie said he had lived his whole life in The Gambia until March 2016 when he moved to U.S. and make his visit in October 2017. “So I am not disqualified, I am very qualified!”

According to him, the public were misinformed by the media after a press conference convened by the Independent Electoral Election, in which the chairman spoke about the qualification criteria.

Lawyer for arraigned French-Gambian Sedia Bayo, yesterday asked the high to return his client’s passport to him.
Lawyer CE Mene told Justice Buba Jawo of the Banjul High Court that there was no need to keep Bayo’s passport since he has provided sufficient security for the judgment sum asked by the court.

He said the summons was not meant to turn Bayo into a destitute in the country and that he was not gainfully employed in The Gambia and he has to travel in and out of the country as a result of his close collaboration with the Office of the President by bringing investors into the country.

He said the release of Bayo’s passport will assist him to expedite bringing his bank statement in France which the court requested as he could not make the transaction while in The Gambia.

He said two properties worth more than the judgment sum have already been put as security and that there was no need to keep his passport, which restricts his movement outside the country and inhibits his survival as he is unemployed in the country.

Mene further applied for an adjournment in order for him to familiarise himself with what had transpired in the matter.
In response, Lawyer Aziz Bensouda said he had no objection to the applications made by Lawyer Mene and that he would go by the court’s decision on the matter.

Justice Jawo then ordered Mene to formally present an application for the release of his client’s passport. He adjourned the matter to 23 January 2018 to give the lawyer opportunity to familiarize himself with the case.

Source: Standard Newspaper

Thirteen years after he was assassinated, the killers of veteran journalist Deyda Hydara has been revealed. Hydara, the editor and co-owner of The Point newspaper, was shot dead in the night of 16 December 2004. Since then the identities of his killers had never been publicly revealed and no one has been prosecuted for his death.

However, investigations carried out by The Standard newspaper has revealed the identities of his alleged killers and the chilling details of his death.
Following the ouster of President Jammeh in January and the subsequent coming into power of President Barrow, the state ordered investigations into the cases of disappearances and deaths registered under Jammeh’s rule.

Among the more notable cases was the assassination of Mr Hydara. Jammeh’s government had denied culpability. However, The Standard Newspaper is privy to information which indicates that the former president sanctioned the killing and it was carried out by his henchmen, the Junglers.

Some of these Junglers have been arrested and are in the custody of the Gambian authorities. During interrogations, they revealed that Tumbul Tamba (now late), a chief Jungler, led the team that was sent out to track and kill Mr Hydara and that after the completion of their mission, President Jammeh reportedly gave out dollars amounting to $50,000 to be given to each.

Malick Jatta, a Jungler, who was part of the assassination team reportedly told investigators that three teams headed by Tamba, Kawsu Camara alias ‘Bombardé’ and Manlafi Corr (now late) and including himself, Alieu Jeng (under custody) and Sanna Manjang (at large) set out in three Benz taxis (190, V-boot and 300) that night for the mission. He said once Tamba espied Deyda, he dashed into his vehicle and the others followed in chase.

In a copy of the transcript of his statement obtained by The Standard he explained in detail: “We followed up [Deyda’s] vehicle to just after the police garage; he [Tamba] drove side by side of [Deyda’s] car and ordered us to shoot the driver [Deyda]. We were all reluctant to do so, he [Tamba] continue given [sic] instruction until we all make a shot to the driver then the other two taxi [sic] where [sic] behind.

“From there we drove back to Kanilai. The next day Tumbul came with some currencies in dollars which he said was from the president as a gift which amounts to more than $50,000.00 as my share.

“From there, I came to Kombo and heard that a journalist was killed around the police garage who is Deyda Hydara. Upon getting that information, I went to State House to meet Major [Kalipha] Bajinka because he is the one who [initially] sent me to Kanilai. He asked me whether our mission is accomplished, I replied yes, he bend [sic] his head down and said you should not have done this…”

Commemoration
Meanwhile, the Gambia Press Union (GPU) and Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), supported by International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX) will hold a forum in honour of victims of freedom of expression violation in The Gambia as part of events marking the commemoration of the 12th anniversary of the assassination of Deyda Hydara this Saturday.

The event will be organised in partnership with the Ministry of Information and Communication Infrastructure, Deyda Hydara Family, The Point Newspaper, Article 19 and Victims Centre.
A press release from the GPU stated: “This year’s event will also highlight the cases of many media practitioners who have suffered the brutalities of the former government. The day will kick off with a procession from KMC grounds to the site of his shooting, before marching down to Law Faculty” where the symposium will be held.

Ousman Jammeh who was appointed Permanent Secretary 1 at the Ministry of Agriculture through the Personnel Management Office (PMO) has had his appointment rescinded, The Standard can authoritatively report.

Instead Jammeh was redeployed to the Department of Agriculture as director general which appointment he has in turn turned down. One Hassan Jallow has now been appointed Permanent Secretary 1 at the Ministry of Agriculture.

“When I was appointed PS, I reported to work in order to inform the minister of my appointment and also to tell him that I was ready to work with him. Upon entering OA Jallow’s office he could not even tell me to sit down and I had to sit down by myself. Immediately, he told me that he had written against my appointment to the Secretary General that he didn’t want to work with me and that I should report to the PMO for further instruction,” Jammeh explained.

The former deputy minister of agriculture during the former regime said he then went to the secretary general at the Office of the President and informed him about Minister Jallow’s decision. “I was surprised that the SG told me that the minister of agriculture said he was not comfortable with me. I asked the SG why the minister was not comfortable with me because the minister did not know me and I had never worked with him before.

“What I came to understand is that Hassan Jallow has been appointed as the PS No 1 of agriculture on the instruction of the minister because that is his candidate and that’s what he wanted. I consider this to be nepotistic because people know in this country that they are related,” he alleged.

“Do we need such things in the ‘New Gambia’? Is that what should happen or is that what this country should entertain? These are fundamental questions we should ask ourselves because this is very discouraging and it does not go with the new democracy we have,” Jammeh queried.

Source: Standard Newspaper

Gambia’s President Adama Barrow has said that the country’s youth need to have self confidence as they can make it in their own country just like him and many others.

President Barrow made these remarks at a press conference during the visit of the German President at the Coco Ocean Hotel, Kololi.

“We have to build self confidence that we can make, it in our country,” President Adama Barrow said.

The Gambian leader took himself as an example for the young Gambian youth who are desperate to go to Europe thinking that they cannot make it in life without traveling.

“Young people think that there are money trees in Europe that they will cut and fill their pockets,” he asserted.

He recollected his hustling days with his cousins in Germany many of whom are still struggling from hand to mouth after 36 years.

He said he traveled to Europe at the age of 23 years but it was only after his return that things began to change as he rose through the ranks.

He encouraged Gambians to build self confidence to do what it takes to live a successful life. President Barrow spoke at length about the challenges of irregular migration which he said is a global problem by calling on the stakeholders to work together to resolve the problem.

President Steinmeier also spoke emphatically on irregular migration, saying African governments need to work on plans to sustain and maintain its growing youth population who are engaged in irregular migration known as  the ’back way’.

“The Gambia is our concern, we want to provide skills training to them,” he said.

According to him, there are over 35, 000 Gambian migrants in Germany out of which 1,500 are undocumented and awaiting deportation.

President Steinmeier spoke about the recent EU–Africa Summit in Abidjan which was centered around irregular migration including the enslavement of African migrants in Libya.

When asked whether they intend to deport the undocumented Gambian migrants, he said the two countries will bring technical experts to work on the problem.

Meanwhile, the German President said Europeans do not have answers to Africa’s problems and that the problems need African solutions.

President Frank-Walter Steinmeier of the Federal Republic of Germany has promised to support The Gambia’s embattling energy sector.

President Steinmeier was speaking to dozens of journalist with his Gambian counterpart at a joint press conference during which he revealed plans to rebuild bilateral ties with the Gambia, encourage business investments and support the failing energy sector among other things.

The German president said he has seen the electricity problems during his visit to the country’s major referral hospital which he said needs to resolved.

“We intend to expand our cooperation on the energy sector,” President Steinmeier said.

He spoke about making an emergency plan to repair the machines while looking into a long term plan to build new generators to address the situation.

“My delegation comprises of people from different social backgrounds and business investors,” he asserted. “I will like to tell you that Germany has come back to The Gambia,” he added.

President Adama Barrow on his part said the visit is historic while he hailed the appointment of a German Ambassador to The Gambia. He commended the Gambia–German relations, saying the cooperation will strengthen it.

He highlighted some of the development areas that Germans were helping in such as agriculture, forestry and water resources among others.

The Gambian President said the re-engagement of the two countries will strengthen their bilateral ties.

Meanwhile, President Barrow called on the German authorities to continue to support the country particularly in capacity building.

There were series of meetings between Gambian officials and their German counterparts likewise the business entrepreneur forums.

By Omar Wally

Earlier this week, The Police Public Relations Office launched an appeal on the media to help identify an unknown accident victim who was in coma and admitted at the Serrekunda General Hospital.

The victim, who is a teenage girl, was knocked down by a vehicle in Kotu at around midnight of December 15 and was rushed to the Serrekunda General Hospital.

The appeal yielded dividend when a relative of the victim recognized her, called the police and identified the victim as a cousin who recently traveled from Ziguinchor, Senegal to visit her relatives in The Gambia. The victim is now recovering from coma and is responding positively to treatment.

On Wednesday, December 13, the Police Public Relations Officer Superintendent David Kujabi, accompanied by the Kanifing Region Police Gender and Child Protection Officer Chief Superintendent Yamundow Jagne along with relatives of both the victim and the driver of the vehicle involved in the accident, visited the Serrekunda General Hospital to assess the progress of the victim.

The team was received by Mr. Kebba Manneh CEO of the hospital, Mr. Baboucarr Saine the Administration Officer and Mr. Alieu D Badjie, the PRO of the hospital.

During a brief meeting, the Police PRO commended the efforts of the hospital staff for the quick response and the professional manner in which they attended to the victim. He noted that when the victim was rushed to the hospital, they wasted no time in giving her the necessary attention and that obviously led to her being alive and responding to treatment.

PRO Kujabi also commended the driver of the vehicle for not abandoning the victim and driving off but instead sought police help and drove her to the hospital. He described him as a gentleman whose actions should be emulated by all.

In his remarks, Mr. Saine expressed pride in the success gained from the cooperation and swift actions taken by both the police and hospital staff. He explained that when the victim was brought in, they realized that she was in critical condition and they needed to act fast in order to save her life.

He noted that owing to the gravity of the victim’s condition, he took the bold step of signing the exemption form for a payment of D2,000 (two thousand dalasi) before a CT scan can be carried out. He expressed joy in the way the Doctor and the nurses handled the victim but lamented over the derogatory comments people made on social media claiming that it was wrong to place the victim on a mattress on the floor.

He explained that the victim suffered inflammation of the brain which made her restless and in order to avoid her falling off a bed and causing more injuries, they felt it proper to lay her on mattress on the floor.

Amie Camara an aunt to the victim commended the driver for his bravery in doing his best to safe the child and thanked the police and hospital staff for a job well done. She attested to the fact that when she arrived at the hospital, she found that the nurses had bathed and fed the victim.

She also thanked the family of the driver whose parents and family were at the hospital attending to the victim while the police searched for the relatives of the victim.

For his part, Mr. Manneh CEO of the hospital said that as public servants, all sectors need to collaborate so as to ensure quality in service delivery. He hailed the success gained in this case and urged all to learn from it. He concluded by stating that the hospital management is committed to providing quality health care service to all.

The President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank Walter Steinmeier has arrived in The Gambia for the first time for a two day visit.

President Steinmeier is the first European head of state to visit The Gambia since President Adama Barrow was elected into Office. He was received at the Banjul International Airport by President Barrow with senior government officials and foreign diplomats. He came with sixteen journalist from German to cover his visit.

The Chief of Defence Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces has said that some military officers under the former regime of Yahya Jammeh were hired to commit extrajudicial killings.
Speaking at a high level stakeholders meeting organised by Article 19 on promoting access to information in The Gambia, Masanneh Kinteh said this among many other things compromised the responsibility of the armed forces.

Reports emanating from the Ministry of Agriculture have it that Minister O.J. Jallow has rejected the appointment of PS Ousman Jammeh on the grounds of continuity of programmes at the ministry.

Mr. Jammeh has been appointed as PS No 1 on the 5th of December 2017, replacing Sait Drammeh whose contract got expired. He received his appointment letter through the Personnel Management Office (PMO).

Minister Jallow said that it was for the sake of continuity and consolidation of programmes that he recommended Assan Jallow, who he said has been working with the ministry since 1994. He said that newly appointed PS Jammeh had worked under Assan Jallow who was a graduate when Jammeh did not go to the university.

Mr. Jammeh said he only reported to work and was told that O.J. Jallow said he could not work with him.

“Minister Jallow clearly told me that he cannot work with me because we were all part of the system,” he said.

Quizzed by this reporter whether there was rift between him and the Agric minister, Jammeh emphatically said he had no problem with O.J. Jallow.

“Minister Jallow is someone that I have not worked with but I have respect for him so much. However, I am confused by his decision of saying that he cannot work with me,” PS Jammeh noted.

PS Jammeh said that he has written to the secretary general, Office of the President, PMO as well as the National Assembly Select Committee on Agriculture with regard to O.J.’s decision.

“I have nothing personal against Ousman Jammeh, but as I said, I need continuity. Assan Jallow worked in various positions at the ministry up to the level of PS and he was graduated well before Jammeh,” O.J. said.

One National Assembly member who is part of the Select Committee on Agriculture, who was also was briefed on the issue and spoke on the condition of anonymity said they did not receive the letter yet but that PS Jammeh was at the Chamber.

“PS Jammeh was at the chamber yesterday. We also understand that there is a problem between him and the Agric minister,” he said, adding that Select Committee would meet and discuss about the issue when they receive the letter.

Source: Point Newspaper

By Fatou Sowe

Mr. Ayodele Bolaji, Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank has revealed to the Janneh Commission that the former government was depositing a monthly subvention of D3 Million in one of the Jammeh Foundation for Peace Hospital’s accounts at The Guaranty Trust Bank.

By Fatou Sowe

Baba Danso an officer of the former national intelligence agency (NIA) now SIS Monday told the high court in Banjul presided over by Justice Kumba Sillah Camara that he escorted Solo Sandeng and four others to the NIA headquarters in Banjul on the instructions of Saikou Omar Jeng the 3rd accused person in the Solo Sandeng murder trial.

According to the Monday, 11th December, 2017 issue of The Standard Newspaper, the former Interior minister, Mr Mai Ahmad Fatty has denied knowing the reason for his dismissal.

Honourable Lamin J Sanneh, National Assembly Member for Brikama South, has said that the relationship between The Gambia and China should not be exploitative.