Last week, I wrote a piece which I called Innocent Questions. In it, I asked, #HasBarrowDecided? But today, I will ask #HaveGambiansDecided? This question is still bugging my mind as I observe on a daily basis how our people still treat government and government officials the same way they were treated in the dictatorship. No one asks the tough questions, no one questions anything the government says or does; or you are immediately branded an opposition stalwart!

The time has come for us to endeavor to understand the seemingly complex relationship between the governors and the governed. In a democracy, the idea is that it is the people, the citizens, who employ [for want of a better word] the government and its functionaries. It is the government that has been instructed by the People to do certain things. We gave them all the tools with which to deliver the goods, so to speak.

We have a Constitution which gives the government the power to do certain things. For instance, we all pay taxes and put money in the national coffers and then give the government the mandate to utilize those taxes for the good of all. We authorise them to have a foreign policy which should be used to further the welfare of the people. They are authorised to sign bilateral and multilateral treaties, take loans on our behalf, formulate and enact laws for the protection and welfare of the citizenry. And then, the Constitution has made it such that the different arms of government should hold each other accountable. That is checks and balances.

But most importantly, We, the people of the land, have the final say as to who leads our government, who spends our money, who forms the foreign policy and who works to deliver goods and services to us. These people are serving us and we have the right to hold them accountable at all times. We have the right to know what they are doing and how they are doing it.

But, and this is a big but, we also have a role to play. We should not just give them instructions and then rest on our laurels. We have to work hard to ensure that they succeed. Their success is our success and equally, their failure is our failure. So we have a right/duty/responsibility to scrutinize our officials. If we don’t, then we are helping them to fail. At the end of the day, we would want to sit back and say so and so failed, absolving ourselves of every responsibility in the failure. We would be culpable.

It is disheartening to note that many among us are ready to draw daggers at the mere mention of the Barrow Government. True, we should be protective of our government, patriotism demands it; but that does not mean blindly hailing them for everything they do whether right or wrong. We should hold them accountable. Help them with our expertise, our knowledge, our support, our zeal; but most importantly, our prayers. We should wish our political leaders well and always pray for them.

If our political leaders do well or do good, let us thank them. When they go wrong, criticize them vehemently, but rerespectfully. This is important for the progress of our dear Motherland, the Gambia.

All hands must be on deck to move this ship forward. Let is all come together and work hard for our homeland.

Are we ready to put personal, religious, regional, and party affiliations in check and work for the good of our country?

Ask me again!

Love

Tha Scribbler Bah

A Concerned Citizen

Your election has raised great hopes of democratic change in The Gambia and t I would like to draw your attention to a recent arrest and detention of Journalist Baboucarr Nani Sey.

I call on you to immediately and unconditionally release journalist Baboucarr Nani Sey and drop all criminal charges against him. No journalist should be imprisoned for reporting the truth or performing his duties. Allowing Mr. Şey sits behind bars is a tragedy and casts a dark shadow over The Gambia’s professed commitment to an open and democratic society.

Your excellency, we aspire that The Gambia be a proponent of democracy by enabling reporters to carry out their professions without fear of retribution and by empowering diverse voices for building a greater Gambia with tolerance, civil liberties and understanding.

This kind of arbitrary behavior cannot be overlooked because it would mean tolerating intimidation and harassment against journalists as was the case under your predecessor, Yahya Jammeh, whose long years as president were marked by many violations of human rights and freedom of expression.

The Gambia is ranked 145th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2016 World Press Freedom Index and Yahya Jammeh was on RSF’s list of press freedom predators. Under his regime, freedom of information was repeatedly flouted, communications were cut or censored, and journalists were attacked, arrested, tortured, sentenced to death or murdered. Some, such as Chief Ebrimah Manneh, disappeared without any proper investigation by the authorities, leaving families deeply wounded.

The International community also hail the choice for the position of information, communication and technology minister, Demba Ali Jawo, a former journalist and head of the Gambia Press Union, who has promised the necessary legislative reforms.

I am being aware of the extent of the challenges you face and the wounds that the Gambian people must heal to move forward. Deep transformation is essential to turn the page on the Jammeh era and to restore Gambians’ trust in state institutions.

This is first and foremost your battle but journalists also have a key role to play in a country’s democratic life. The men and women of the media must be able to work freely to rebuild trust between Gambians, democracy and the rule of law. To this end, we hope they will have your full support.

Sincerely,
Alagi Yorro Jallow

24^th day of May 2017

The Honourable Attorney General

And Minister of Justice of the Gambia

Attorney General’s Chambers & Ministry of Justice

The Republic of The Gambia

Marina Parade

Banjul

Through:

The Gambia High Commission

No.7, Misratah Street

Off Parakou Crescent

Wuse II

Abuja.

REQUEST FOR COMPLIANCE WITH TWO  JUDGMENTS OF THE  COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE ECONOMIC COMMUNITY OF WEST AFRICAN STATES IN: 

1. Suit No: ECW/CCJ/APP/04/07

CHIEF EBRIMAH MANNEH

AND

THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA

2. SUIT NO: ECW/CCJ/APP/11/07

MUSA SAIDYKHAN

AND

THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA

We are Solicitors to the Media Foundation for West Africa on whose we instituted two cases before the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States sitting in Abuja, Nigeria. The details of both cases are set out below:

1. In Suit No: ECW/CCJ/APP/04/07 BETWEEN CHIEF EBRIMAH MANNEH V REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA we challenged the arrest and detention of the plaintiff by the National Intelligence Agency. The defendant filed a preliminary objection against the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the human rights case, but objection was dismissed by the Court. In its judgment in the substantive suit delivered on the 5^thday of June 2008 the court held declared the arrest and detention of the plaintiff illegal, ordered his immediate release from custody and awarded him damages of $100,000.00 (One hundred thousand United States Dollars).

As we sought to enforce the judgment by seeking the immediate release of the plaintiff from further detention the defendant turned round to inform the court that the plaintiff could not be located in any of the prisons and detention centres in The Gambia. In the circumstance, we had initiated legal measures in the court to compel the ousted Yayah Jameh regime to account for the disappearance of the plaintiff in the custody of the National Intelligence Agency before the recent change of government in The Gambia.

In Suit No ECW/CCJ/APP/11/07 BETWEEN. MUSA SAIDYKHAN V REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA  the plaintiff challenged his  arrest, detention for 22 days  by the National Intelligence Agency without any legal basis. In its judgment handed down  on the 16 day of December 2010 the Ecowas Court granted the reliefs sought by the plaintiff and awarded him reparation of $200,000.00 (Two hundred thousand United States Dollars).

In the light of the foregoing  and in line with the commitment of the Adama Barrow administration to restore the human rights of the people of The Gambia under the rule of law we hereby urge you to use your good offices to ensure immediate complianve with both judgments. Apart from asking for payment of the judgment sum of $300,000.00 (three hundred thousand dollars only) we request the Government to institute an inquiry into the disappearance of Chief Ebrimah Manneh under the Tribunal of Enquiry Act.

Kindly find attacked the certified true copies of both judgments of the Ecowas Court for your necessary attention and urgent action.

Yours Sincerely,

Femi Falana, SAN  

‘A change of government does not mean there is no law in The Gambia’.

Disgraceful, yes, but the above statement is the new mantra of the lawless security officer, a
catch phrase that embodies the cultural hostility to human rights within large sectors of the
security forces in our new Gambia, particularly the police and the NIA. When you next
encounter the statement, do a contextual analysis of this throwback philosophy to the old
dispensation of public lawlessness and its dangerous import would become clearer.

On a visit to Kairaba Police Station about midday Saturday 10 June 2017, the details of how
the arrest operation on Bubacarr A.M.O Badjie of the NIA was conducted became clearer.
The NIA contingent, from its so-called Special Operations outfit, was led by Alhaji Ceesay,
and included Ebou Sanyang, Kalilu Janneh, Kanyi, and Leon. Among the police component
of the arresting team were A. Sowe, L. Jamanga, and B. Wanjang.

In so far as both the Inspector General of Police, and the Director General of the NIA were
fully aware of the composition of the arrest team, they disgraced themselves and their
institutions for allowing the presence of incompetent personnel in a matter where there was
no exigency to necessitate the active participation of the NIA. As Legal Adviser, Mr Badjie is
fully aware of his agency’s lack of mandate to arrest in a matter of this nature. He pointed
this to the IGP who subsequently ordered the withdrawal of the NIA contingent.

Undaunted and unfazed, Ceesay and his NIA contingent nevertheless went to Kairaba Police
Station to await the arrival of the arrested Legal Adviser and his police escorts. The purpose,
if it had any, was to annoy and intimidate, to effectively say we are still NIA and above the
law and you can’t do a thing about our conduct, no matter how lawless. At the Kairaba Police Station Mr Badjie was handed a letter from the Personnel Management Office interdicting him for “unethical conduct”. For now he is out of a job and out of the way.

In line with the practices prevalent in the former dispensation, the powers that be waited for
the onset of the weekend, and rather inhumanely about an hour before the end of fasting to
arrest Mr Badjie. More egregiously, as of 1:00 p.m. 10 June 2017, and a whole eighteen
hours after the police dumped him at Kairaba Station, Mr Badjie had no inkling of the reason
for his arrest, a conduct in clear contravention of section 19(2) of the 1997 Constitution of
the Republic of The Gambia (the Constitution) thus: any person who is arrested or detained
shall be informed as soon as is reasonably practicable and in any case within three hours, in a
language he or she can understand, of the reasons for his or her arrest or detention and of his
or her right to consult a legal practitioner. As if the failure to comply with the three hour deadline for notifying the reason of arrest was not bad enough, Mr Badjie was effectively prevented from consulting with his lawyer(s).

A brief conversation with Mr Badjie was interrupted by Kairaba Police on the grounds that they
were waiting for instructions to approve the continuation of the meeting. After waiting for
some twenty minutes, I went back to the three officers sitting with Mr Badjie in another
office to enquire about the state of affairs regarding the resumption of the client-lawyer
conference. I was told this was an order from above and that I should speak to the Officer
Commanding. As I was headed for another meeting, I refused that futile suggestion.
Mr Badjie was later informed that since bail was not authorised by higher authority, he must
remain in detention in the filthy cells of Kairaba Police Station until 12 June 2017.
A government that promises openness and accountability is dancing timidly around its
security challenges by failing to remove known torturers and killers from the disciplined
forces. Even in the case of the immediate past Director General of the NIA, it took far too
long to remove him, a state of affairs that was quite scandalous to put it mildly.

Considering his antecedents, Director General Sowe should be deployed other than to the
NIA. By his actions since assuming the mantle of leadership, it appears the Government’s
due diligence on his current appointment was faulty. An objective reading of “SIS Graduates
Maiden Batch of Recruits on Human Rights” discloses a penchant for exaggeration and half
truths considering he served less than four months as Director General when that propaganda
article was written. Security experts within and outside the NIA argue that the kind of
publicity highlighted in The Point article of 12 May 2017 was unprecedented and quite
possibly counterproductive for a spy agency.

As argued in an earlier post, the article “SIS Response to Freedom Newspaper Online
Publication on its Director General” does not reassure at all. Considering his very short time
on the job, the article yet again demonstrates the tendency to exaggerate and it is frightening
that such a person is directly advising the President. The NIA requires a fresh start with
rogue agents ousted and the current Director General appears not to be the person to lead that
role.

If indeed an executive directive issued in the case of Mr Badjie, the President must urgently
consider rescinding it. Mr Badjie does not deserve to sleep in dirty and sub-standard police cells
for having the public welfare of The Gambia at the front and centre of his concerns.
If he must be tried, so be it, but pre-trial detention is an outrage given the circumstances of his case.

And of course are aware that law must be enforced, but it is not at all controversial to insist that
enforcement ought to be done in a lawful and transparent manner.

Lamin J. Darbo

A few months ago when the minister of the Interior, Mai Ahmad Fatty announced the change of name from the NIA to the SIS – that is; from National Intelligence Agency to State Intelligence Services – I wrote a piece entitled ‘What Is in A Name?’. I raised concerns on the manner in which it was done seeing that the NIA was established by an act of parliament and therefore the name couldn’t be changed without going through the same channel through which it was created.

But further, I raised questions as to how deep will the change be because a superficial change of name wouldn’t mean zilch unless the core values of the Agency were also changed. If the way they used to operate remains the same, then my question; What Is in a Name becomes pertinent.

It is said that in the past few days, Baboucarr Bargie was arbitrarily arrested. For what, not clear at all. The DDG Ousman Sowe remains untouched and ‘uninvestigated’. So we ask again: What Is in a Name?

Our nascent democracy has to be watched closely to avoid sliding back to the same thing we have been fighting against for the past twenty two years. If the NIA still arrests people without cause, then it means we are repeating the same thing we lashed out at Yahya Jammeh for.

The citizens have again raised concerns about this but the larger question is: What is the government doing about fulfilling their promise of legal reform? This (change of name) and many others were among the key legal reforms the Coalition government promised Gambians but still now, they have not started, or if they have, it has not been adequately publicized. The legal reforms are among the core targets of the reform agenda that is to be made by the new government if the change is to mean anything.

As I said earlier, fighting evil is tricky. You can either defeat evil and usher in a good and democratic system; or let evil defeat you and you’re consumed by revenge and witch hunt. Which is it gonna be for us?

Tha Scribbler Bah

A Concerned Citizen

I also believe that whistleblowers should be encouraged and protected, not arrested and detained; and certainly not under any law like the colonial-era Official Secrets Act. I recall as Jammeh became more and more paranoid, he got the Justice minister Fafa Mbai to institute civil service-wide taking of the oath of secrecy. Somehow, I was among the lucky few whom they forgot to make us take the oath. Indeed., it is one of the laws we journalists have identified for repeal under any comprehensive review of what we call draconian laws which hinder our work.

It provides for “spying” which charge Jammeh had used against an Amnesty International team which came to Banjul, and held a training workshop I and several others like Sam Sarr of Foroyaa attended. As part of their visit, I came to learn, they went upcountry to research and were arrested held briefly for “spying” then expel from the country! So, the Official Secrets Act should be expunged from our statute books as they could use it in the manner you described to stifle Edward Snowden-type whistleblowing and investigative journalism of the sort which unearths and exposes corruption, mismanagement, maladministration etc. Now about the case of SIS (former NIA) legal officer Badjie, we can say from what we learned that it is a case of whistleblowing – which should be encouraged in the New Gambia. In fact, there should be a law to encourage and protect those who want to whistle-blow on the institution or company they work for, whether in the public and private sector.

I am aware that this is being given thought to in some states – please find out where and let’s share the information. In any case, what Badjie has revealed should give us all great cause for concern. His allegations should be investigated by the Barrow govt., and he should be receiving state protection not detained – and I hope it’s not the SIS doing the detaining as we all agreed that the new outfit should cease to have the abusive powers of arrest, detention and torture it wielded under Jammeh. If Badjie is accused of any crime, it should be a police matter; and certainly, he must not be charged under the Official Secrets Act as that should not happen in OUR New Gambia. Aluta continua.

Alieu Sagnia

The Official Secrets Act (OSA) of 1922 obstructs the participation of society as it shields information from the public by means of criminalizing whistleblowers and journalists who expose corruption and mismanagement to the media and public.

By limiting the reporting of corruption to authorities, the Official Secrets Act (OSA) of 1922 promotes an environment that breeds corruption primarily because secrecy allows for cases to be squashed without an explanation.

On the other hand, exposing corruption to the public creates a democratic space which holds the authorities accountable at every stage of the investigation. This is a pre-requisite for any serious endeavor in cutting corruption in this country.

As such, by criminalizing whistleblowers and by perpetuating an atmosphere that accelerates corrupt practices, the Gambia increasingly losing its credibility as a democratic nation that upholds justice in a transparent and accountable manner. The Gambian people must call upon the authorities to stop harassing members of the public and alike, who blow the whistle on corrupt practices that can only destroy the health of our democracy.

The Civil Society should call upon the authorities concerned or the National Assembly to review the Official Secret Act of 1922 and draw up a moratorium on using it against whistleblowers in cases of public interest. Members of the National Assembly unanimously modified the Official Secret Act at the second meeting of the Assembly in the 2008 Legislative year.

Presenting the bill for modification, Aja Isatou Njie-Saidy, former Vice President and secretary of state for Women’s Affairs recalled that, the Official Secret Act modification bill, object and intend was to provide penalties for any unauthorized disclosure of official information’s and documents including spying, using of official secret codes and passwords as well as the use of unauthorized retention, possession or use of official documents.

Everyone must express shock at the arrest of whistleblower Alhagie Badjie. We should strongly condemn the authorities’ rash action to detained him to facilitate investigations under provisions of the colonial law Official Secrets Act (OSA) 1922.

As a responsible legal person, Mr. Alhagie Badjie exercised his duty to the public by blowing the whistle on what appears to be mismanagement and maladministration, and it should be the authorities’ duty to investigate the alleged misuse of power.

Instead, Mr. Badjie the whistleblower was arrested for alleged providing information was ignored. This undemocratic action is in violation of the principles of transparency and openness in government

Alagi Yorro Jallow

Alagi Yorro Jallow

Democracy in the digital era and the threat to Privacy and Individual Freedoms highlights the need for democratic oversight and transparency. Whistleblowers play a crucial role in ensuring transparency and freedom of information. The Gambian people should Strongly recommend that the National Assembly, as part of their oversight function, enact coherent and comprehensive legislation on the protection of whistleblowers in line with international standards and best practices.

Whistleblowers should never be prosecuted for exposing the unlawful practices of our government. They are courageous and should be protected, not punished! And to prosecute journalists is dangerous. This would make it easier for the corrupt to get away with their crimes.

The principles of transparency and openness are at great risk if we continue to allow governments to seek out and prosecute those who leak important and revealing information for the benefit and information of the people. It is the duty of the people to hold their governments to account. Whistleblowers play a key role in enabling this scrutiny through transparency. As citizens, as free businesses, and as a species that requires social interaction and connectivity to thrive, we should all do more to protect them.

Journalists and whistleblowers perform an essential service in ensuring transparency – often where government would keep us in the dark. There are at present very few means by which wrongdoing within government agencies can be exposed, and therefore it falls to individuals. There is no question that protecting national security is important, but public interest journalism and individual ethics have their place in democracy alongside security and the law. Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter it or protest.

Transparency is a virtue, anyone who acts in secrecy and fears the day his or her actions are exposed knows what they do is wrong. We should appreciate the whistleblowers, the leakers, and anyone who exposes truth. We should use the truth to determine our own informed response and demand transparency from those who profess to represent us.

In our democracy the most powerful institution with the greatest responsibility by law is the National Assembly. When one assesses the constitutional functions and relationships of our institutions, it is clear that the institution that stands above all else is the National Assembly. Apart from its law-making function, there are multiple places in our constitution that empowers the National Assembly to advise, monitor, review, approve, disapprove reports, budgets and public servants and institutions or even dismiss practically any public officer including the president.

Section 63(3) gives power to parliament to sack the president by a vote of no confidence. Section 67 also gives power to parliament to sack the president by impeachment. Section 75 gives power to parliament to censure ministers and the vice president for their poor performance, abuse of office or misconduct. The whole of Section 77 gives power to parliament to call the president, vice president and ministers to answer to questions. Section 102 gives power to parliament to receive and review government reports and also advise the president on his responsibilities.

From these powers and many more, it is clear that the National Assembly is the primary institution that is responsible for the good governance and sustainable development of the Gambia. If there is corruption, instability and poor public services, it is because the National Assembly has failed to stand up to do their job as required by law. This was how the APRC dominated parliament failed the Gambia and we hope this new parliament does not become another dormant parliament.

So far there have been many issues for which one would expect the National Assembly to assume its powers and address them. For example since Barrow appointed ministers and heads of public institutions, one would expect the National Assembly would invite each of these people one by one to tell the parliament how they intend to run their institutions. Key among these institutions is the Public Service, which is headed by the Secretary General. We have seen the Secretary General Dawda Fadera insisting on SCOT or travel clearance, which is utterly, counter productive and abusive. Yet the National Assembly is silent when it is also clear that conditions of work are dire in the civil service that needs urgent attention. The civil service is the backbone of the nation hence the parliament should call the person in charge to tell them how this civil service will be different from the Yaya Jammeh civil service especially given that Fadera was part of the folks running that terrible civil service.

We have also seen the environmental damage caused by Golden Lead Factory in Gunjur and Kartong, yet the National Assembly has not gone there publicly to see for themselves. They have also failed to call the Director General of NEA Muhammad Jama Suwareh or the Minister of Fisheries James Gomez or the Minister of Trade Isatou Touray to answer to the concerns and issues of this company. Instead the Ministry of Trade went ahead to allow this company to continue operations against the advice of the NEA. Meantime the damage is public knowledge! Why?

Secondly, we have witnessed riots in Farato, Sibanor and Kanilai yet the National Assembly has not called the Minister of Interior Mai Ahmad Fatty to ask him why those incidents happened and how his office handled and is handling these cases. We just saw Mr. Fatty issue public statements but the parliament is yet to hold him to account. At the same time, the presence of the Gambia National Army in Kanilai requires that the CDS Masanneh Kinteh be called to parliament to testify on the status of his forces in that village and around the country. This is apart from the fact that some former soldiers are being recalled back to the army while others are on the run. What is happening and what explanation does the CDS have?

We have also seen the issue of Gambian youths returning from Libya in droves yet the parliament has not invited the Minister of Youth Henry Gomez to tell us how his ministry is managing these hapless, unemployed and poor youths. Meantime the Minster of Foreign Affairs Ousainou Darboe has led many missions abroad, sometimes with the president and other ministers. But the parliament appears not to follow up to know what has been the outcome of these foreign trips to determine their cost and benefit to the Gambia. The parliament needs to hold public hearings on these issues so that the general public knows what is being done in our name.

Sometime ago the Minister of Finance Amadou Sanneh had released some information on the illegal financial transactions of Yaya Jammeh but the parliament is yet to follow up publicly. The Minister of Justice Aboubacarr Tambadou has appointed a special prosecutor as well as announced the freezing of the assets and accounts of Yaya Jammeh, but we have not seen the parliament call him to explain the real issues involved and the way forward. The country is currently facing severe utility supplies but the Director General of NAWEC Baba Fatajo and the Minister of Energy Fafa Sanyang have not been called to explain to Gambians why this is the case. A press release from NAWEC is not enough. Parliament must ask him the right questions for more details as to their real challenges and what needs to be done.

Above all, we are now going into the fifth month of Adama Barrow’s administration yet there is no Vice President. The parliament has powers to solve this issue but it has decided to keep mute. In addition, Barrow has not provided any policy direction in speech or document to show how he intends to run the Gambia, yet the parliament sits there without asking Barrow to come to the parliament to answer to these pertinent questions. Many decisions and actions are being taken and Gambians do not know the background or objectives, and it is only the parliament that can help us get to the bottom of things. But they decide to be silent!

Is this how the parliament want to live their lives? We have so much expectation on this parliament and indeed they are more than qualified to address these issues yet they have decided to take a back seat when they have the powers to act. Why are they silent? The parliament must know that only they can make the government transparent, efficient, accountable and responsive if they do their job well. The parliament must recognise that they are not there to serve the president. The parliament is not secondary to the Executive. Rather they have equal power and responsibility as the Executive and in fact they hold more power than the president.

The National Assembly has 12 select committees that touch on all the issues highlighted above. Yet these committees that are in fact the working legs of the parliament refuse to do what they are supposed to do. We expect that the parliament will initiate public hearings so that public officers and common citizens can openly speak to issues for the betterment of the Gambia. This will help to strengthen accountability and also encourage citizens to be interested and active in national affairs.

Public hearings are fact-finding measures that help to expose or prevent poor performance, abuse of power and corruption within the government and society. Public hearings seek to control and contain public officers to realize that they are mere servants of the people and that they have a duty to deliver. Public hearings make citizens see and feel democracy at work and therefore generate their interest and involvement in national issues. Because public hearings are preventative, they therefore help to avoid serious damage from occurring in the first place, which could lead to prosecution. Above all public hearings are an accountability exercise that further strengthens democracy, good governance and development.

Since the April election, the National Assembly has not been fully and proactively responding to issues of national importance, as they should. Yet issues are boiling in the country. This is not what we expect from them and they better assume their responsibility and make sure this country is safe and secure. Citizens are spending over D30, 000 on salaries, allowances and incentives for each parliamentarian, not to mention the amount of money we spend to maintain that huge building daily. Yet the National Assembly appears to have forgotten where we came from and where we need to go. If the Gambia fails, no one is responsible other than the National Assembly.

God Bless The Gambia.

Madi Jobarteh

No. The Gambia isn’t stopping. For you. For me. Or anyone else. Yes, the leadership has got a few things wrong. But they haven’t crossed the criminal forward line yet. “Oh hell, they did”, some will hastened to charge. “The unlawful killing of Haruna Jatta”, they will exhibit. Blind and ill-informed conclusion. Did the leadership ordered the shooting of the Kanilai protesters? Or did the soldier shoot out of panick? Did he execute an order of a senior man? Until independent and conclusive investigation into the incident is dusted, all we are doing is speculate what happened and should have happened. However, what remains ethical is not to fish for excuses to justify the killing by apportioning blame. Having highlighted that, one now tests the protest merit. Is it government’s responsibility to provide them with free food, electricity and water supply? Is it legal for ECOMIG to be housed in Kanilai? Is it right for them to protest for the reinstating of Goloh Ajuma? Was it their constitutional rights to burn tyres next to the fire station and demand it should not be extinguished? Was their protest against peaceful one? These are pertinent questions which require honest answers.

Firstly, it is not sustainable for government to continue providing them the free services they enjoyed under Jammeh. That is not victimisation. It is reality. Secondly, it is not government’s responsibility to do so. What government must do for them and every or Gambian community is to create avenues for sustainable community and individual projects for all to develop and live a decent life. Secondly, Goloh was democratically booted out in a free and fair election which Goloh Ajuma initially conceded. So to protest for him to come back without being duely elected is likened to building castle in the air. Government cannot and should not allow citizens to use democracy and constitutional rights to manifest to hold it hostage and render the Gambia ungovernable.

On the other hand, government must not also cover up wrongs by quickly running off with doctored self-sanctifying statement without verifying its authenticity. What that does is to create doubt and questions for the motive of your action. Are you covering something? Did you handled the crisis maturely? Is your reaction defusing or further intensifying the crisis? Are you impartial in your handling of the crisis? Answers to these fundamental queries will vilify or vindicate you. Everyone is watching you with keen interest. Some are learning from you to model their leadership. Others are interested in how you will emerged successfull from this delicate and challenging circumstance.

Can you imagine? More than 60% of the National Intelligence Services staff cannot read and write? This revelation really beats. How can anyone expects an Intelligence Service ridden with such high illiteracy rate to perform as expected. No wonder they were a bunch of killer machines for Goloh Ajuma. The Intelligence Service needs a complete overhaul. Get rid of all those bunch of good for nothings and recruit new young and educated GAMBIANS. Proper screening process must be set for all new recruits. “According to the legal adviser, the reform is not yet done and without it the NIA cannot contribute effectively to the crucial role a democratised intelligence service can play in the national security architecture to combat both traditional and emerging threats including terrorism, espionage, insurgency, sabotage, subversion, human trafficking, money laundering and illegal migration”, The Point. Hon Mai Ahmad Fatty needs to translate his promise of transforming the Gambia Security services into action. Nothing has changed with the security services apart from the mere change of name.

Sulayman Jeng
Birmingham, UK

Taking Stock….

There is no gainsaying the fact that your victory was more widely greeted and received than any other in the annals of history. Perhaps this was due to the fact that for twenty two years the Gambia lived under a brutal and tyrannical dictatorship which robbed us of lives, economy, honour, respect and recognition. Many a Gambian lost hope in the future of our country. Then we went to the polls and Lo and behold! Gambians mustered the courage to go out and exercise their franchise, making our voices heard loud and clear. We defenestrated the dictator and voted for you to be our new Chief Servant. Our hopes were rekindled and we entered a new dispensation of democracy and good governance. Or so we thought!

Mr President, no one is a stauncher supporter of your government than I am. I had longed to see the back of Yahya Jammeh who stifled our voices and did not allow anyone to express his or her opinion. Being a writer, nothing could be harder for me. So, here we are today, in a new [though nascent democracy] prepared to stand tall among the comity of nations once again. True to form and your good nature, you have shown us that with a little cooperation from citizens, you can make a great president. You have assured us of the right to express ourselves without fear of molestation. The media is now free and citizens are speaking out on a daily basis. Kudos!

You have appointed a good cabinet [at least I think so] and have made sure that the judiciary is independent. You have restored sanity to our civil service and things are picking up, at least in some areas. But there have also been some epic failures on your part. Perhaps this is to be expected, seeing that you don’t have any experience running a public office; but you must consult and communicate. We hope that these will be reversed and solutions sought. From henceforth, Mr President, consult widely before you embark on anything. You have a good team, as you kept repeating during the campaign period, men and women who are consummate politicians and technocrats. With advice and suggestions from these, you will not stumble at all.

Your failure to appoint a substantive Vice President, in my opinion, is your most serious failure. Everyone knows that the office of the VP is the second highest office in the land, and as such, it is unfathomable that you will be in office for more than four months without a Number Two. The idea that someone is overseeing that office is not enough. Roy du niroo piir! Appoint a vice president and complete your impressive cabinet. This is a matter of urgency.

Secondly, up until now, we have not heard or seen a development blueprint. This means that we are groping in the dark. It is like one going to a strange place without a map. This does not augur well for democracy. A few weeks ago, you told the BBC that the Development Blueprint will be out very soon, and two weeks and a lot of complaints later, we are still without one. This is being regarded in some quarters as ineptitude and an I-don’t-care-attitude on your part. Fix this mishap, Mr President.

There have been some security breaches in some parts of the country with citizens calling on you to show leadership and address the nation, but you responded with deafening silence. What is the reason for that? You magnanimously [if haphazardly] pardoned some prisoners, but this was done without proper consultation with the relevant authorities. The result is that we are told that the increase in crime rate is a direct consequence of that as it has been estimated that seventy-five percent of the current wave of crimes are being committed by people you pardoned. In the beginning of this write-up, I referred to you as our Chief Servant, which means that we are your employers. You do what we tell you to do. You don’t get to ignore us like Yahya Jammeh used to do! Address the nation and reassure us that you are on top of things.

The issue of NAWEC has been a perennial problem which we thought you will tackle with urgency. In the past week or so, the water and electricity company has struggled to provide these basic needs and failed – still failing – miserably. What are you going to do about it, or are you going to give us the silent treatment again? I hope not. We (the Gambian people) have given you all the tools you need to fix our problems. The laws allow you to seek help, sign contracts, invite investors, take loans, contract experts; anything, just to provide us with basic services. Take control of the situation and do something.

Mr President, remember that yours is a transitional government and you don’t have all the time to procrastinate…. Waatoo te je. Whatu amut. Waktu al. Wakhtu jegee. Get out there and work for our progress.

You promised to provide employment to the teeming youth population. These are now getting desperate and frustrated. Do something before it’s too late. A stitch in time saves nine!

Our rallying call was #GambiaHasDecided…. One is now tempted to ask: #HasBarrowDecided?

Have a Good Day Mr President….

Tha Scribbler Bah

A Concerned Citizen