Now that the die is cast with only 6 presidential candidates endorsed by the IEC, Gambians can now be rest assured that President Adama Barrow will have a second term on December 4th 2021.

Skeptics were concerned about the possible disqualification of Lawyer Ousainou Darbo and its political and security ramifications but after contesting and losing four times in the past 22 years another chance for him to run against Barrow will simply add the 5th notch of defeat in his unflattering record of always losing.

Anything different from allowing Mr. Darbo to contest would have muddied the political waters and probably cause avoidable chaos.

His criminal record upheld by the Gambia Supreme Court and ECOWAS courts was throughout feared to be his Achilles heel and perhaps his dismissal from office as vice president which in our constitution were both causes for disqualifying a presidential contender.

However talking to an independent reporter privy to the twelve points listed by the IEC as their qualification criteria the constitutional interdiction of criminals, dismissed persons and even those carrying dual citizenships were excluded. Why? I sure don’t know and hope that that decision by the ICC is defensible when challenged in the courts.

Notwithstanding we in the NPP-led coalition impressively reinforced by the mighty APRC are not complaining because of our confidence to win big on December 4th 2021.

Sorry that Dr. Ismaila Ceesay really miscalculated the intricacies of the political battleground regardless of his wisdom, education and charm. Failure to secure the required number of cardholders in his nomination process to take him across the most critical battleline only manifested his shortcomings or inadequacies of a political science doctor zealously challenging a humble businessman. In his mandatory assets declaration to the IEC it is reported that he only had D20,000.00 in his bank account. Without enough campaign-donor funs necessarily to win supporters I find it naive of him to believe that Gambian voters will elect him for only his good looks on huge billboards.

Barrow the underrated businessman has ultimately outmanoeuvred the smart doctor this time even before the game began. But the question is, how did Essa Faal with his “mbojombojo” and “katchapan” crowd beat Dr. Ceesay in the game of politics? Think about that folks.

In the case of Mai Fatty the embarrassment of exposing the weakness of his party by his failure to qualify further confirmed the long-conceived notion that the GMC was a briefcase party with no significant number of followers to win him any elections.

But Mr. Fatty may have known his fate on the nomination day and as a result started showning the UDP as his party of preference; along with his party’s flag in his right hand that morning he had hoisted the UDP yellow flag in his left hand after completing his nomination process. I will not therefore be surprised if Fatty in the coming days pledges his alligence to Darbo and the UDP. He could come back to the NPP and will without doubt be unconditionally accepted by President Adama Barrow and his accommodating NPP. But will he do it? I wouldn’t bet on it.

Anyway accordingly to President Barrow the NPP’s doors are still opened for everybody willing to come including Dr. Ismaila Ceesay,  Mr. Mai Fatty and definitely Sheikh Tijan Hydara of GANU and the rest of the disqualified candidates.

The NPP will indeed accept Mr. Shiekh Tijan Hydara whom I understand was these days toying with the idea of either joining the NPP or the UDP.

The NPP will nevertheless win and nothing can stop that in five weeks time. Take it from me that we will converge at the Statehouse the day after for the big celebration. Weew Barrow ?????

Samsudeen Sarr

For NPP-led coalition party

It would have been a shame if the IEC had rejected UDP leader Darboe’s nomination. The election would have been a boring, lifeless event.

When Momodou Sabally marched to the IEC compound with those big envelopes, there was a feeling Darboe wasn’t taking any chances. With everything that had been said, every detail mattered.

A day before Darboe’s confirmation, some of his supporters peddled the false claim the IEC has disqualified him, making good on a conspiracy to stop him from running. You then had others writing that without Darboe, there would be no election. With his clearing now, he is now set to collide with his own son for the most eagerly anticipated political war in Gambian history.

Never mind Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder’s trilogy or Mohammed Ali and George Foreman’s Rumble in the Jungle. This one would be a monumental clash involving pound-for-pound political heavyweights. Darboe has voters behind him but Barrow too has voters behind him.

I want these two men to face each other in December for one reason: it’s about father and son who have accused each other of betrayal. God himself will now arbitrate this feud through the citizens who are set to vote. We will get to learning who is right and who is wrong.

I need not bore you with who I think will come out on top as I have done so, so many times in the past. President Barrow is out to annihilate (retire) an ageing father while Darboe is out to stop a son he believes is wayward. Whatever the result, this family feud will be done for good.

The also-rans in this election is becoming clear. It’s only a matter of time before they’re honest with themselves and coming out to tell citizens they do not have what it takes to compete in this heavyweight contest. It’s also only a matter of time before we learn the handful of contenders in a race that would go down in history as initially boasting of 26 candidates.

Nomination for president is underway with 18 candidates so far presenting their certificates and IDs to officials of the Independent Electoral Commission for vetting. The problem is some have already started conceding even before the race could even start.

I have been at Election House every day since nomination began on Saturday and I can tell you some of these leaders are in this for the buzz. Coming to present your nomination papers with just your taxi driver or five supporters is scandalous. And that’s me being kind.

UDP did well on Monday in terms of crowd. They showed they mean business in terms of the number of people I have seen. Crowd is what makes one win an election. And no wonder Mr Darboe confidently declared that change is coming.

It’s laughable and ridiculous for a leader to dismiss the role of crowd in this election. I repeat: crowd is what makes one win an election. Any leader who says otherwise is fooling no one but himself.

So far, it’s UDP who have made a strong statement intent. President Barrow will be at the IEC on Thursday. He will be looking to answer UDP in kind. This election is surely not for the unpopular and the supporter-less.

By Madi Jobarteh

Following its nomination today, GDC went ahead to hold a rally at Buffer Zone in Talinding where they gave the Tinpot Dictator Yaya Jammeh the platform to address the gathering. In his address, Yaya Jammeh spared no effort but to spew once again dangerous tribal remarks intended to generate hatred between the Mandinka and the rest of the Gambian population. Through disinformation, Yaya Jammeh embarked on discriminatory, hate and dangerous speech intended to alienate Gambians from one another.

The Gambia Democratic Congress and its presidential candidate Mamma Kandeh must realise that they owe an obligation to the Gambia and the Constitution to maintain national unity, cohesion and peace. Hence GDC must realise that it is failing itself, not to even mention the Gambia when they give space to a disgraced tyrant to spread hate and discrimination in our society. Yaya Jammeh’s only wish is to see a failed and broken Gambia so that he can vindicate himself. But should GDC allow itself to be used as the weapon of a disgraced tyrant?

It is obvious to any sensible person that Yaya Jammeh is a failed tyrant who is a disgrace to the Gambia and the rest of the world. Having failed in his 22 years of misrule, Yaya has nothing left but to seek ways and means of circumventing justice and accountability by any means. This is why he is seeking every possible way to destabilise and divide the Gambia so that he can prevent or delay his day of reckoning.

Gambians cannot forget the pain and misery of Yaya Jammeh’s misrule which was characterised by rapes, tortures, disappearances and killings. In 22 years, Jammeh indebted and impoverished the Gambia as never seen before while plundering public wealth and personalising state institutions for his selfish interest.

But today, Yaya Jammeh is trying to hang onto a small community of desperate supporters most of who were even his direct victims or families of his victims. These are people who generally lack political awareness or are consumed by Yaya’s tribal bigotry and false narratives such that they are fooled to believe that they owe him anything! But should GDC and Mamma Kandeh bring itself so low or allow to be fooled? Should the desire for winning the presidency make Mamma Kandeh abandon his obligation to the Gambian nation?

GDC and Mamma Kandeh must be told to pursue only noble and honourable means to gain the mandate of Gambians rather going through a party and a man who are known for only misrule and atrocities. GDC must remember that the people had given their mandate to Yaya Jammeh and APRC on four consecutive times in this country and all throughout that period, Yaya did not only betray the country but also went further to destroy the rights and lives of the people with impunity.

Therefore, why would GDC and Mamma Kandeh pretend to forget or ignore our most recent difficult past only to entertain a man whose victims are also among the very supporters of GDC?

The Gambia Government, IEC and the Inter-Party Committee must tell GDC and Mamma Kandeh that they would be held responsible if Yaya Jammeh succeeds in fomenting tribal war in this country. All Gambians must tell GDC that their decision to embrace Yaya Jammeh is unpatriotic, dishonest and irresponsible and they must be held accountable if Yaya Jammeh sets this country on fire.

For The Gambia Our Homeland

By Lamin HAN Mbye

The December 4^th Presidential Election is a turning point for The Gambia. It determines whether Gambians are eager to make a ‘Turn Around’ from the inept policies of the current government and implement the transformational change we aspired in 2016 for the prosperity of every Gambian, or continue the current path of political depravity and hopelessness for the average Gambian in Dumbutu, Kiang West. The choices are clear, but the onus to make the right decision squarely rests on the Gambian people.

Likewise, the problems of our country are clear for everyone to see. However, I will list a few, just to be specific:

• Skyrocketed prices of commodities that is making nearly 90% Gambians unable to afford two full meals a day
• Youths being neglected and marginalized, which leaves our youngsters with no path for professional development and gainful employment
• Deplorable healthcare system that subjects women, children and the elderly to a heightened risk of poor health and preventable death. Hence the mass exodus of Gambians to Senegal in seek of medical services, and the high cases of maternal and infant mortality in the country
• Constant toiling of farmers every rainy season, without any hope to harvest their crops successfully and sell them at competitive prices
• Substandard public education curriculum that makes Senior Secondary School graduates find it almost impossible to attain college admission in any other part of the World, than the University of the Gambia
• Endemic corruption and bribery that have become customary for survival
• Scarcity of basic needs such as water, electricity, and food that forces a citizenry to fetch for themselves at any cost
• The list is long, but you get the gist…

As I have often shared, these problems, which typify our current society are neither ordained, nor destined. Instead, they are well-established by our own actions. They are the direct consequence of feckless and irresponsible leadership. Like many countries in the Continent, the root cause of Gambia’s political decadence and social stagnancy is simply inept leadership that is immune to discipline and accountability. As the dictum commands, although leadership traits can be acquired, they should never be imitated. Therefore, it becomes a no-brainer that whenever a nation entrusts leadership in ineffectual individuals who have no interest in serving the public but their own gratification, what generally ensues is unaccountability, poor governance and subsequent haplessness for its youths, women and children. The current situation in our country fits this scenario quite aptly.

The role of any government is to create opportunities for its citizenry to unleash their God-given potentials and engender a decent living for themselves and their families – through good governance, political stability and institutional continuity, underlined by an auspicious environment for intellectualism and innovation. On the hand, any government that fails to provide these pre-requisites – by high-jacking the State’s resources for the benefit of just a few, is planting the seeds for its citizens to take matters into their own hands and forcefully snatch their equitable share of the national ‘cake’; it is that simple! Hence, the recent spike of armed robbery in The Gambia. Indeed, Sociology dictates that when the law and conscience do not coincide, then it is the responsibility of citizens to promote justice by disobeying the law, to paraphrase.

Therefore, if we want to solve our national problems and tilt the development trajectory of The Gambia to its right course, we must tackle the root cause of our predicaments by electing capable and competent individuals in public offices – most-importantly, the Presidency. This will then ensure good governance, probity, and institutional reforms, which will ultimately usher the socio-economic and cultural transformation that will put The Gambia on a similar path of Singapore in the 1960’s, China in the 1970’s, and next-door Senegal currently.

In an open letter sent to President Barrow on February 2, 2017 – two weeks after his meteoric ascend to the Presidency, I congratulate him and offered my humble views on how his newly-formed government should thread its development agenda to ensure that we maneuver through the post-twenty-two-year dictatorship of Yahya Jammeh successfully, and provide a new beginning with a new sense of hope for Gambians (https://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/an-open-letter-to-president-barrow-and-party-coalition-of-the-gambia). In that piece, I admonished that Africa continues to occupy the bottom of the totem-pole for human development and social progress simply because of its leaderships’ insatiable thirst for power. I specified that to successfully emerge from the political debauchery of Yahya Jammeh’s past government, his new administration must first, safeguard the transitional agreement of the 2016 Coalition and second, conform to the basic tenets of democracy characterized by constitutional, institutional, and social reforms. I implored Mr. Barrow to beware of sycophancy (being a political amateur), because it merely degrades conscientiousness and prompts demagoguery. I reminded our novice president the unique opportunity at his doorstep to add his name to the coveted list of the ‘Aden Addes’, ‘Toumani Toures’, and ‘Nelson Mandelas’ of Africa. I then wished Mr. Barrow well, and expressed my keenness to re-visit his scripted-version of our national history.

Although I was heartened by the formation of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparation Commission (TRRC) to provide closure for Gambian victims brutalized by Yahya Jammeh, I was more saddened by Mr. Barrow’s failure to simply do the right thing, by catalyzing the ‘Turn Around’ and reform we so desperately yearned for during the 2016 elections. Instead of upholding the Coalition’s gentlemanly agreement, spelled-out in a well-orchestrated Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Barrow brazenly undermined the MOU (aided and abetted by his ilk), scrapped the transitional agenda, and dashed the fateful hopes of Gambians for national reform and transformation – essentially reeling the country back to its political stagnancy and societal decrepitude.

It is therefore, unsurprising that the current political landscape in The Gambia is inundated with twenty-six Presidential aspirants. Many among them perceive The Gambia as a sweet pie without much dough in its crust. Thus, the size of one’s share is not determined by how deep in the pie you cut, but how wide on its circumference you split. As a result, a toady ‘Ch(J)eetah’ will find it necessary to call upon Gambians to pick up arms if NPP loses the election, while a savvy ‘pigeon’ with a PhD sits quietly in the West, hoping that everything will fall in their right places. To these same candidates, if Adama Barrow can regulate who gets what size of the pie, while Gambians meander along the Atlantic coast smiling, then everyone gets a shot at having the same leverage over the pie. Fortunately, few of the presidential aspirants possess the moral character to remember the poor woman toiling at the Jahaly Pacharr rice fields who has been patiently hoping to get her fair share of the pie.

To fulfill such hope, these level-headed candidates must realize the common goal in this election, which is to set aside their individual ambitions and rally under a unified coalition to get rid of Barrow from the State House. This will avert a much-disastrous likelihood of Barrow’s entrenchment in power and a possible chaotic Gambia where people will have to disobey the law to feed themselves. If we are truly serious about saving The Gambia from its current clutches of political greed, this ‘bigger picture’ must be non-elusive. We orchestrated such mechanism to jettison a twenty-two-year giant in 2016 and should be able to do the same to discard a five-year dwarf in 2021, realizing that there is much greater strength in unity.

It is important for every Gambian to realize that the stakes of this year’s election are higher than ever before. It will literally determine whether we are genuine with our clarion call for a ‘new Gambia’, or willing to recoil to the backwardness of political entrenchment for Mr. Barrow, and utter hopelessness for Gambians. We must therefore, stay vigilant by recognizing the common goal of rescuing our country once again, and entrusting leadership in the capable hands of Gambians who will prioritize competence, integrity, and efficiency in administering our nation’s affairs, and equity in disbursing our State’s resources. We have the capability of creating a better country for our people, and providing them with a dignified livelihood. Per capita, the Gambian is just as pragmatic as any other national in the world. We undergo training in the world’s finest institutions and excel in every professional discipline we engage. Among us are academics, intellectuals, clinicians, technocrats, and entrepreneurs, to name a few. Through visionary leadership, we can reform our education structure, build an industrious human capital, and revamp our cultural mindset towards discipline, work ethics, and national transformation overall.

Since we are taught that the multitude of the wise is the welfare of a nation, we must stand together as one people, with one goal, and for one country. For if we insist on pursuing our selfish interests through sycophancy and toadyism, we will indeed wallow. Let us renew these promises we made to ourselves and to our nation at the time of independence, as enshrined in our National Anthem.

Thank you, and may God bless The Gambia!

Disclaimer:

Lamin HAN Mbye, PhD is a Gambian-American Neuroscientist, and a current member of the Strategy Group for the Essa Mbye Faal “Turn Around – ‘Sobeyaa’” campaign.

The views expressed in this op-ed are Dr. Mbye’s independent perspectives, and not an official representation of the “Turn Around – ‘Sobeyaa’” campaign. Any reaction or input can be directed at Dr. Mbye. He can be reached at 502-545-3766.

By Sainey Darboe

In what constitutes a clearly desperate and poorly executed attempt at image-laundering,UDP recently put out a documentary on the life and times of its perennial candidate, Ousainou Darboe.

A trained eye is left deeply shocked UDP honchos think reputation-enhancement has been achieved with such an effort shorn of candor, imagination, freshness and creative mastery.

I watched the documentary and what I gleaned beyond the uncritical acclaim is a missed opportunity for UDP to achieve purchase on the public mind with their policies and a stated ambition to do better for the country

Instead of leaving it to viewers to decide for themselves whether he is a legend or not;the documentary makers who are pellucidly no supreme geniuses cheaply declared him one without properly submitting him for extreme vetting.

Significant aspects of his later contributions to Gambia’s political evolution as well as his part in the current mess we find ourselves in have been grossly overlooked.

Adama Barrow,in his current iteration,is a creation of Ousainou Darboe who emboldened him to tear up the 3-year transition consensus and seek self-perpetuation in the service of his political ambitions.

Darboe’s calculation for scuppering the momentum of protests for Adama Barrow to quit after three years was to set the stage for himself to take over.But his scheme failed in spectacular fashion; and the relationship between father and son soured creating an internecine political atmosphere.

The documentary conveniently ignored the fact that Darboe invited Jammeh enablers into the system by championing the appointment of former speaker Abdoulie Bojang as ambassador, among other catastrophic high-profile hiring decisions.

What’s even more galling is the callous indifference to the plight of people who went to prison with Darboe.Unable to afford required medical treatment abroad,six of Darboe’s fellow inmates have succumbed.

It took a public appeal and online fund raising for Nogoi Njie to be able to seek life-saving treatment abroad.In bitterness at being left in the cold after sacrificing their lives in prison with Darboe while he relentlessly worked on his personal political ambition to their detriment,many switched allegiance to Barrow.

Darboe’s deafening silence in the face of Chinese devastation of the environment in Gunjur while openly accepting political contributions from their Gambian partner Alagie Conteh is telling on what sort of leader he will be.There is no evidence to refute the assumption Darboe is seeking the presidency more for what it means for him than what he could do for The Gambia.

This is an awful attempt at presenting a fundamentally flawed human being as the solution to our problem.If UDP can’t competently produce a documentary on their undeservedly deified leader,I’m afraid they can’t be trusted to run a complex country like Gambia with its complex array of challenges.

NB:Next time UDP geniuses wanna make a documentary,they should come to me bucolic and open-mouthed and I shall teach them till I have nothing more to teach them.It’s my fervent hope I extracted a laugher with that, except UDP folks can always be counted on to be extremely humorless.

Sainey Darboe

Vancouver,Washington,United States

By Amara Thoronka

Though it may sound archaic to nationals of many countries which swapped from marble ballots to paper ballots half a century ago or even older, The Gambia [a highly touristic West African nation with 2.5 million people] is on record as the only country in the world still conducting elections using marbles to cast ballots.

With the marble system, each voter receives a marble and places it in a tube on top of a sealed drum that corresponds to the voter’s favoured candidate. The drums for respective candidates are painted with different colours corresponding to the party affiliation of the candidates and their pictures affixed to their corresponding drums. The system is practically considered to have the advantage of low cost and simplicity both for understanding how to vote and for counting. It also settles the issue of invalid votes which is evident in most paper-ballots-based elections, especially in poor countries with high illiteracy.

Notwithstanding the advantages of the system, there are looming or potential logistical challenges particularly in the forthcoming presidential elections. Because there have been less than five people contesting in Gambia’s presidential election since 1996, each polling station has been having less than five drums.

Just a month to the 4th December 2021 election, there are over 15 presidential candidates vying for the presidency. This means that over 15 drums are anticipated in each of the country’s 1,422 polling stations. Nomination for presidential candidates for the position of President of The Gambia is ongoing and is expected to end on 5th November. Though there are expected coalitions and some independent presidential candidates dropping out of the race, however, Gambia’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has on it list 26 candidates going through nomination. If over 15 candidates are to contest for the presidency, it means the IEC would need about 25,000 drums or more to conduct the said elections. This is in addendum to the logistics and transportation challenges in conveying and handling other electoral materials in all polling stations across the country.

This will be logistically challenging for the Commission as getting, keeping and transporting [to and fro] such huge number of drums couple with other sensitive electoral materials has the potential effect of overstretching the Commission.

The prevailing circumstance has presented Gambia with the consideration of reconciling  between opening the democratic space by encouraging people [no matter the number] to participate in presidential, assembly and local council elections on the one hand and making the electoral job less weighty for the IEC on the other hand.

For many pundits and observers, switching from marble ballots to paper ballots is a viable option to widen the democratic space with ease. The paper ballots system can also realise the incorporation of diaspora voting which Gambians residing overseas have been yearning for two decades now. Though the 4th December 2021 elections will be conducted with the marble ballots system, due to huge increase in candidates for Gambia’s presidency, it is anticipated that subsequent elections will embrace the paper ballots system.

It doesn’t take much to understand Jammeh is looking for someone to use to get out of the pit he currently is in. Jammeh wants to break loose from his confirmed fate and is looking for someone to help him do it.

Until October 15, nobody really knew what Jammeh was up to. His role in APRC’s alliance with NPP and this election remained largely unclear. His address on that Friday is what actually gave one an idea.

Jammeh saying he did not approve of the APRC’s alliance with NPP caused a lot of loyal Jammeh supporters to quit. These are the people who make up his No Alliance Movement.

But I believe Fabakary Tombong Jatta that Jammeh was indeed aware of the party’s decision to form an alliance with NPP. Jammeh changed his mind only after realizing he is not coming to the country any time soon.

One thing you must give Jammeh is that you have people who still love him. Even Dodou Jah whom he has fired as one of the ‘traitor’ leaders of APRC still loves him.

Regarding Sheikh Tijan Hydara, he only became a beneficiary of Jammeh’s lunacy, even if briefly. It was a moment of pride for Mr Hydara when Jammeh said he had gone on a winnowing of all the parties and it was only GANU that passed. And no wonder he gave it every commitment and even vowed that he would win.

Yet, Jammeh asking his supporters to rally behind Mr Hydara was huge as it took the soft-spoken Brufut-native to a whole new political level. A man who struggled for support even in his hometown could now sit at the negotiation table.

Yet, Mr Hydara’s new-found political eclat was fleeting. That was confirmed on Friday when Jammeh’s supporters penned a deal with GDC and chose Mamma Kandeh as their flagbearer.

And the fact that Mr Hydara did not show up at the event showed this man is done for this election. Kandeh has overthrown him. And I can only feel sorry for him.

But the lesson is that in politics, one must get a base first before one would be respected.

By Madi Jobarteh

From today my sympathies for GDC as a party has reduced to minus zero because of their unconscionable and unpatriotic alliance with a faction of the APRC on the orders of Yaya Jammeh. The only thing I can read from the decision of GDC is that the party does not consider Yaya Jammeh as a tyrant; they deny the gross human rights violations perpetrated under the watch of the AFPRC/APRC regimes and on the orders of Yaya Jammeh; they do not recognize the TRRC; they are not ready and willing to implement the recommendations of the TRRC hence GDC is not interested and committed to a Democratic Gambia in which justice, equality and freedom prevail!

All Gambian citizens, political parties, businesses, CSOs and any other institutions, organizations and communities in this country have a duty to uphold the demand for justice and accountability for the human rights violations and acts of corruption and abuse of power perpetrated by the APRC regime and the Tinpot Dictator Yaya Jammeh. This is non-negotiable.

For any Gambian political party to ally with Yaya Jammeh and any faction of the APRC to seek political power can only mean that that party is not willing to ensure justice and accountability. This is indeed concerning for a political party to decide to ignore the gruesome past of the country due to the misrule of the APRC regime.

What each and every political party must be speaking is to demand truth, justice and accountability for that past. Therefore the decision by the NPP, GDC and GANU to ally with the APRC is a direct threat to the peace and stability of The Gambia. Hence the decision by GDC to form an alliance with the APRC faction which is in fact the very one under the direct control of the Tyrant speaks to the height of betrayal by GDC!

NPP, GDC and GANU have amply demonstrated that they care more about gaining power at the expense of the life and future of The Gambia than to ensure justice and accountability for the misrule of the APRC Government. They have demonstrated that they do not care about the rights and welfare of fellow citizens from whom they seek power. This is the most dishonest act any party and politician can commit. How can you seek power from a people yet you are not interested to defend the rights of those people by ensuring justice for the violations meted out on them by a party you are now seeking partnership?

I wish to therefore call on all Gambians of conscience not to support or vote for Adama Barrow, Mamma Kandeh and Sheikh Tijan Hydara and their despicable political parties. These are politicians who do not see or feel nor care about what we went through as a people. They have shown that they love the Tyrant more than they love The Gambia. Barrow, Kandeh and Hydara have clearly shown us that they don’t care about human rights, justice and democracy in any way or form. Rather they are putting it into our face that their selfish interests matters and Gambian lives don’t matter!

If you are therefore a member of NPP, GDC and GANU and you claim to love The Gambia, then today is the day you should resign from these parties. If you claim to believe in Allah or God and you are patriotic and care about truth and justice then from today you should resign and stop supporting these three political parties and politicians, lest you can only be described as unpatriotic, unconscionable, dishonest, hypocritical and an unjust person.

Let Mamma Kandeh, Sheikh Tijan Hydara and Adama Barrow realise that by their alliance with the APRC, they have indeed soiled their hands with the blood of Gambians. From today Mamma Kandeh, Adama Barrow and Sheikh Tijan Hydara are direct accomplices in the rape, torture and murder of hundreds of innocent Gambians and non-Gambians because they have demonstrated their willingness to not only deny these atrocities but also to obstruct justice for these crimes. This is the meaning of their alliance with Yaya Jammeh and APRC – to cover up for Yaya Jammeh and the APRC regime.

At least, increasingly Gambians should now know which political parties and politicians are for or against The Gambia. For now, it is abundantly clear that GDC and Mamma Kandeh, NPP and Adama Barrow and GANU and Sheikh Tijan Hydara are enemies of The Gambia and must be perceived and treated as such!

No to APRC. No to NPP. No to GDC. No to GANU.

Gambian Lives Matter!

For The Gambia Our Homeland

By D. A. Jawo

The biggest topic of discussion this past week had no doubt been the much anticipated address by former President Yahya Jammeh to his embattled APRC. While what he was about to say could have been easily anticipated considering the fact it was the faction against the coalition with the NPP that had been mobilizing people for the address, but it’s impact on the APRC and it’s much-hyped coalition with the NPP was not quite obvious.

While several people have given different reactions to Babili Mansa’s rejection of the proposed coalition with the NPP, but what he seems to have succeeded in doing is to virtually dismantle the APRC. While there is no doubt that President Barrow’s own reputation had been dented in the process, especially when he defied public opinion and went to visit the former dictator’s family in Kanilai, appearing to ignore the plight of the victims, but the biggest loser in the whole imbroglio is no doubt Babili Mansa himself and what had been left of the party that ruled this country for more than two decades. He did not only succeed in splitting the party right in the middle and making it almost completely irrelevant in the Gambian political terrain, but he has also seriously destroyed the high reverence that he was held by many of his supporters. We have all been witnesses to how most of them had been worshipping him like a god and referring to him as the Supreme Leader, making him the only other ex-leader with such a revered title after Kim Il-sung of North Korea.

However, after his rabble rouser address in Kanilai last week, a majority of those who used to worship him are now publicly trying to distance themselves from him. These include some of his most obedient “Bai Faals” like Colonel Samsudeen Sarr and Ebou Jallo, as well as members of the APRC national executive committee, who had always given the impression that they were ready to do anything in order to defend his honour and reputation. We have also seen how some of his lieutenants like Dr. Njogu Bah, who were so scared of him, suddenly coming out of their holes to pledge allegiance to President Barrow.

Therefore, one would also tend to ask where the address has left the secretive agreement signed by the APRC with the NPP in which we have been told that granting amnesty to Babili Mansa and disregarding the TRRC report were among the top agenda items? Now that its proponents have denounced their Supreme Leader, should we expect a revision of the agreement? We cannot now imagine those same people still demanding that Babili Mansa be granted amnesty or the TRRC findings against him be thrown into the trash bin when they no longer revere him as their Supreme Leader.

This is indeed why it is said that in politics, even a day could be quite long. A few days ago, people like Fabakary Tombong Jatta, the interim APRC leader, his deputy Ousman Rambo Jatta and others like Col. Samsudeen Sarr and Fatoumata Jahumpa Ceesay were hero-worshipping Babili Mansa and even ready to die in order to defend his honour and legacy, but today, they are doing everything possible to distance themselves from whatever he stands for.

After the Kanilai address, most political pundits have come to the conclusion that instead of harming President Barrow’s chances in the elections as what the address was no doubt intended to achieve, Babili Mansa ended up shooting himself on the foot and in the process, shattering his very own legacy amongst those who were hero-worshipping him. It appears that, as typical of Babili Mansa, he never sought any advice from anyone before arriving at a decision to address his supporters because from the negative reaction, it would have been much better if he had maintained his silence and left everyone guessing what his position was on the APRC/NPP coalition agreement.

Therefore, even his claim that he has replaced the APRC executive with people of his choosing showed how out of tune he was with the reality on the ground. Does he really have the power and authority to replace an executive committee that was elected in a party congress that was sanctioned and approved by the IEC? That certainly was the height of arrogance and self-delusion.

Even his decision for the APRC to form a coalition with the Gambia Alliance for National Unity (GANU) which virtually exists in name only, was another death knell on the coffin of the APRC. One would really wonder what he hoped to achieve by such a decision when he knew quite well that it could only quicken the demise of the APRC.

Of course FTJ and his executive committee can continue to maintain the symbols of the APRC and make Babili Mansa’s new executive irrelevant, but the reality is that the APRC as we know it, is just as good as dead. All that they would now continue to hang on to is their nostalgic glory.

On 15 October 2018, Pres. Adama Barrow launched the TRRC. In his launching statement, he said, “the TRRC was born out of the aspirations of a people who decided that they want a society where truth and justice prevail.” He went further to state that, “For the perpetrators, it provides an opportunity to come clean, face their victims and seek forgiveness,” noting that our common experience, which he said was bitter, should be our greatest teacher in building a ‘New Gambia’ of respect for human rights and rule of law.

The President concluded his launching statement with these words, “

“To conclude, I urge all Gambians to work together to promote reconciliation and justice and to heal and rebuild our nation. Let us stand together to say: “Never again shall a few people oppress us as a nation. Never Again! Never shall this beautiful Smiling Coast experience the oppression and tyranny of the minority against the majority.”

Therefore, three years later I urge all Gambians to go back to that speech once again to see if the words uttered by the President back then march with his actions today, after three years?

Hence, if civil society has called for a #NeverAgain March, it was not that they were just happy to do so. Rather, this march was born out of genuine and clear concerns that the transitional justice process is being severely delayed and derailed. For example, in his launching statement, the President highlighted some of the achievements of the transitional justice program which included the setting up of the CRC to write a new constitution. He also cited the creation of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) as well as embarking on legal and security sector reforms.

But today in 2021, we know that the President and his allies in the National Assembly killed the draft constitution. We also know that there are no significant legal reforms for the past 5 years while security sector reforms were never undertaken at all. Meantime, while we appreciate the creation of the NHRC, it is concerning that the same Government has begun flouting the recommendations of the NHRC as in the case of Gorgui Mboob, head of the Anti-Crime Unit who was returned to head the Unit against NHRC recommendation!

Therefore, when the Minister of Justice claims that this Government is committed to transitional justice and victims in particular, it should be taken with a huge pinch of salt. For example, after all that the President said in his TRRC launching statement, we saw Barrow form an alliance with the APRC. As if he did not notice how irresponsible and insensitive that act is against victims and undermining transitional justice, he went further to also visit the extended family of the Tinpot Dictator Yaya Jammeh. He claims his actions are driven by the need for reconciliation.

Yet the President noted in his speech that TRRC offers an opportunity for perpetrators to “come clean, face their victims and seek forgiveness”. Can the President ask himself if Yaya Jammeh and his family, and APRC and the host of perpetrators ever came out to accept their acts of violations and seek forgiveness? Rather what is evident is that Yaya Jammeh and his APRC have dedicated their despicable lives to ridicule, insult and mock victims while at the same time seeking to discredit and rubbish the TRRC and the entire transitional justice program. If the perpetrator is refusing to accept the truth, much more seeking forgiveness from victims, how come forming an alliance with APRC and visiting Jammeh’s family serve the purpose of reconciliation and justice?

If the Minister of Justice is indeed moved by the #NeverAgain March to the point of issuing a press release, one wonders why the same Dawda Jallow was not moved by Pres. Barrow’s party, NPP forming an electoral alliance with APRC? Is Mr. Jallow saying he did not see the President visiting the Jammeh family in Kanilai? Why have these two shameful events that directly undermine transitional justice not trigger the Minister to issue a statement against them?

Furthermore, the Gambia Government provided only D50 million dalasi to TRRC for reparations for victims so far. This money is understood to be even from the Senegalese Government. There was information that another D50M was to come but which never did. Hence, for the Minister to claim that D150 million is allocated to victims in the 2022 budget is hugely inadequate.

Can we ask the Minister of Justice to tell us the whereabouts of the D1.2 billion raised from the sale of the so-called assets of Yaya Jammeh? Why cannot the Government dedicate all of that money to the transitional justice program in order to ensure adequate funds for reparations, prosecutions, memorialisation, reconciliation and other activities geared towards achieving the objectives of transitional justice.

Therefore, I ask Gambians to take the press release from the Ministry of Justice with a huge pinch of salt, if not a bowl of salt! The greatest threat to transitional justice in this country so far is President Adama Barrow and his entire Government. Not only has Barrow saturated his Cabinet with former dictatorship enablers but he has also maintained a host of human rights violators across the public service including the security sector – after having caused the failure of the draft constitution and as well as failing to conduct the necessary constitutional, legal and institutional reforms in the public service and the security institutions.

Let CSOs and citizens in general not be carried by the press release of the Minister of Justice but to continue to vigorously engage. Let us realise that the Gambia Government has the necessary resources to put into transitional justice if they wanted to do so since 2017. Secondly, Barrow does not need to and should not have formed any alliance with APRC, much more perambulating around Yaya Jammeh like a fly in a toilet. Barrow does not need to keep Yaya Jammeh Enablers in his Cabinet and in his party and across the public sector and security sector institutions. Hence, after having done all of these, how can anyone be convinced that this President and his Government are committed to transitional justice!

In fact, why would the Minster wait until after the march to issue a statement and not come to the march himself and deliver the statement right there? This shows that this Government does not care about victims and transitional justice. A responsible Government would have ensured that the President himself together with his Cabinet are present at the march to show practical solidarity, seriousness and commitment to victims and transitional justice.

For The Gambia, Our Homeland

……………………………………………..

Madi Jobarteh

Skype: madi.jobarteh

Twitter: @jobartehmadi

LinkedIn: Madi Jobarteh

Phone: +220 9995093

By Zakaria Kemo Konteh

Bottom line is: Fabakary Tombong Jatta and Co in the erstwhile APRC Executive were nothing without Yahya Jammeh. They enjoyed their public profile/ status through Jammeh and the party he founded. From 1996 to 2016, these people were gainfully benefitting from Yahya Jammeh and APRC. Their campaigns, lifestyles and livelihoods were financed by Yahya Jammeh. In short, their loyalty was handsomely rewarded. Whatever they did for Yahya Jammeh and APRC was in fulfillment of the various debts they owed Jammeh and his APRC.

APRC was not into Congress. Yahya Jammeh handpicked and appointed them into various positions as he deemed fit through pronouncements that were accepted by the party without questioningtheir legal basis or whether they were derived from the so-called APRC Constitution. He would use the same methods to fire party members who did not toe the line. Again, these unconventional moves were accepted and implemented by APRC members without hesitation.

Together, they worked for the exclusive interests of Yahya at the expense of Gambia. APRC National Assembly Members would pass legislations to shield, protect and provide legal cover for Yahya Jammeh’s nefarious agenda even when these activities were tangential to the core benefits of the country. They did these to further manifest and prove absolute loyalty to Yahya Jammeh.

Today, the same people are prepared to defy Yahya Jammeh’s order and pronouncement because their means of livelihood have been taken over by Barrow. They will go to any length to serve their current pay master even if that means insulting and ridiculing their former cash cow or throwing him under the bus.

So, Fabakary and his team should simply do the needful. Resign from APRC, handover the party to the new executive appointed by Yahya Jammeh and join NPP as individuals and continue benefiting from the money stream available to you. They have never challenged Yahya Jammeh in any way under any circumstance before and they shouldn’t do it now. Give him back his party. He said he doesn’t need their services anymore effective yesterday!