By Madi Jobarteh

Special commendation to Modou Njie and his December 30 Comrades for the ultimate sacrifice they took in the sacred and historic duty to salvage the nation! If anyone doubted the legitimate justification of D30 look no further than December 2016 presidential election. The fact that Jammeh refused to accept that verdict such that no amount of appeal from his own fellow heads of state could even make him withdraw such that the world had to agree to mobilize a mighty military force against The Gambia just to make him respect the will of the people of The Gambia indicates that democratic election was not enough to remove Jammeh from office!

There are people who claim that election was enough to remove Jammeh. That is a farce otherwise Jammeh would have conceded the election results abd left office quite peaceful! But he did not! Rather he was prepared to plunge the country into a civil war!

Those who claim a coup is illegal are only speaking in general terms without context! Yes, it is unjustified to remove a government that is democratically elected and abiding by democratic practices. It is not enough to overthrow a government just because there is corruption or abuse of rights! No easy or simple discontent against a government should warrant an overthrow.

But a government that refuses any form of freedom of expression and assembly so that it denies no accountability and redress whatsoever contrary to the constitution of that contrary deserves to be removed by any means necessary. A government that engages in blatant and arbitrary arrest, detention, enforced disappearances and summary executions of citizens without discrimination just on account of their opinion and political activities and for the selfish interest of that president is a government that does not deserve to live! This was why colonialism and authoritarian regimes were overthrown everywhere in the world.

Government is the opinion of citizens in a democracy. Government has a duty to protect human rights as set out in the constitution. Government has a duty to abide by the rule of law in a democracy. Therefore Democracy presupposes that the avenues for accountability, popular participation, peaceful political change, and redress remain open, effective and free without any possibility of reprisal!

Hence a government that makes accountability and popular participation a highly risky activity – a life and death issue – for citizens is a government that intends to kill the sovereignty and the voices of citizens. Such a government does not have the legitimacy and legality to survive for a second!

There is no democratic government on earth which does not have faults. Whether it’s Senegal or Sweden or US or Ghana, one will find lot of things that a citizen disagrees with a government. But so long as a government has created and protected the means for accountability and popular participation and largely respects those avenues then one will have no justification to seek the violent overthrow of that government. For example, there’s no justification whatsoever to overthrow the Government of Adama Barrow despite any disagreement one would have with it!

But Yaya Jammeh’s regime was not a government that ensured accountability and popular participation to take place without risk. Rather his regime had not only failed to abide by the rule of law but had gone further to kill the voices and lives of citizens for peacefully dissenting, with impunity!

Consequently the Jammeh regime did not deserve to exist. It was the duty of all citizens to ensure that that regime was ended by any means necessary. Therefore what our D30 Compatriots did was the highest sacrifice for Republic expected of any patriotic citizen in defense of the Sovereignty and dignity of Gambians!

Let us remember that the primary duty of any government is to protect the sovereign rights of citizens. No elected and appointed public officer or security officer has the right or power or duty to violate the right of any other Gambian. If it happens then that officer must be held accountable immediately! Failure to hold that officer accountable is to therefore compel the victim to employ any means to seek redress!

This is why the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has cited that if people are not compelled to resort to violent rebellion then human rights must be protected by law and enforced by the State! The Gambia is a party to that Universal Declaration of Human Rights!

May the glorious souls of Jaja Nyass, Njagga Jagne and Lamin Sanneh continue to rest in Janatul Firdawsi. Amen.

Bring Jammeh to Justice.

For The Gambia Our Homeland

By Basidia M Drammeh

A soft-spoken leader, President Adama Barrow uncharacteristically toughened his tone as he addressed the nation to outline measures to combat the recent uptick in crime in the Gambia. “This must stop, and it must stop immediately!” the president stressed as he spoke directly to the bandits who have wreaked havoc in the country in recent times. The speech came following persistent calls on the president to address the nation on an issue that has posed a threat to national security, particularly since his Koriteh speech was widely criticized for failing to address the matter adequately.

Mr. Barrow predicated the surge in crime on the prevailing atmosphere of freedom and democracy in the country. “Unfortunately, it is now evident that some individuals and groups among us are taking advantage of the prevailing free and democratic environment to engage in violent-related crimes, such as illegal possession of arms, robbery, burglary, rape and various types of assaults, some of which tragically end in fatalities.”

Though the president has suggested that the rise in crime is contingent on the current atmosphere of freedom, I beg to differ. Factors such as inadequate resources, lack of leadership, abject poverty, high unemployment, and the lack of opportunities, particularly among the youth, need to be duly considered. These issues need to be addressed as part of the Government’s long-term strategy to eliminate crime. People can concurrently enjoy freedom and peace, for one does not negate the other. The most peaceful nations in the West equally enjoy democracy and freedom.

Moreover, the president’s speech, which lasted for about 7 minutes, was bereft of specifics about how to go about putting a definitive end to the menace. Though Mr. Barrow has called on the national guard to be on alert for possible deployment, he did not say where the funding would come from and did not specify the scope of their mandate when they assume the responsibilities of the police. The paramilitary police usually come under criticism for their heavy-handedness in dealing with civilians.

In his speech, the president made no mention of the security sector reform program. I believe that urgent measures should be taken to set it in motion to ensure security and safety in the country.

Nonetheless, the President should be commended for heeding the public outcry by addressing the nation. I hope that President Barrow will take a holistic approach in addressing and resolving security challenges facing the country. As he pointed out in his speech, all State organs must join forces to complement each other, given the gravity of the situation at hand.

By Madi Jobarteh

Indeed, it is not difficult to notice that Gambians are on edge given the rising spate of violent crimes across the country. Burglaries, murders and rapes appear to have increased as never before leading to increasing incidences of mob justice while the police itself have declared war on crime in a so-called ‘Operation Zero Crime’. The irony is that as the police report more arrests every day, it appears the incidences of crime also increases. What is the problem?

In my view this country cannot confront and contain the rise in crime unless the governance framework is put intact. That is, until and unless the Executive and the Legislature, collectively take particular interest and urgent action to strengthen the police, the country shall never be safe. Taking action means the Executive taking the right decisions to modernise and equip the police as adequately as possible while the National Assembly checks the Executive and the police to ensure that those decisions are bearing results.

For example, I have tried calling the Police Hotline 117 on Gamcel, Qcell and Africell only to found it unreachable! It is basic that every police service needs a well-established and responsive hotline and patrol service that people can call at any time when in distress. This is because an armed burglar could strike at 2am in any part of town. In that case one needs a nearby police station, a patrol team and an effective rescue line to call. Without these, lives and property are at great risk. Ask yourself, if such capacity exists within the Gambia Police Force? Certainly not.

Thus, the Gambia Police Force as it is presently constituted is not fit for purpose. This is because since Independence there has never been any conscious and concrete efforts being undertaken to build a modern, efficient, effective and responsive police service founded on and driven by human rights values and standards. Rather government after government continue to neglect the police so much so that poverty and deprivation became the nature of the police. Visit any police station in this country to see how damp, dark and dingy their offices are!

Like any other society, the Gambia is also transforming. Not only is the population increasing and settlements growing in size, but also the people are getting more complex with all forms of lifestyles and tools hence the increase in the numbers and nature of crimes. Such a trend also requires a police institution that is keeping abreast with or a step ahead of criminals in order to detect and prevent crime. This requires that the police are well trained, incentivised and well equipped to respond to the status quo.

To produce such a police institution requires that both the Executive and the Legislature are aware, willing and indeed act with urgency to equip the police. Unfortunately, this has not been the case since 2017, even though the Government has introduced a security sector reform program. The Gambia Police Force Act was created in 1933 that needs urgent amendment but never done until today. The mere name ‘Force’ itself has to change because the police provides public service and not force!

To make the police efficient, effective and responsive would require, first and foremost to recognise that the police station is the foundation for law enforcement and combating crime. Every community in the Gambia needs a police station. The police station is both the first respondent and first point of call for help in case of crime. For that matter, police reforms should determine what constitutes a standard police station, i.e. what personnel, skills, tools and other resources should a police station have. It is when a standard police station is defined that goes to determine the needs of that station.

As human beings, police officers need motivation to secure their wellbeing. As a community-oriented service provider, community policing must be encouraged, built and strengthened. As crime is getting more and more complex, the police need new skills, new tools and new methods. For example, the police need new skills in intelligence gathering, the use of tools like drones and equipped with vehicles, motorbikes as well as the use of police dogs and horses, as effective means of combating various forms of crimes. Not only do the police lack these tools but Gambian police are even not armed in the day and age of violent criminals!

Mounting permanent checkpoints is not only counterproductive but it is also a lazy way of working that only engenders corruption and inefficiency. It is even more counterproductive to use special units such as the Anti-Crime Unit or the PIU for daily routine police work. Special units are for special purposes because they acquire special tools and skills for certain kinds of crimes and criminals. But the fact that these units are used for normal daily police duties is indicative of the failure to build effective police stations in communities.

Therefore, to produce such an efficient, effective and responsive police institution requires that the President, ministers of Interior and Justice and the Inspector General of Police become proactive and innovative in designing such a police force. Furthermore, it requires that the National Assembly Select Committee on Defence and Security equally becomes proactive and interested to check the Executive for results. Unfortunately, since 2017 these institutions only remained reactive and inactive hence the failure to improve law enforcement in the country.

For The Gambia Our Homeland.

I’d reckoned I have heard it all when it comes to Gambian politics. Abdou Willan’s antics today just made me recoil.

Ten days is how long Mr Willan spent in UDP. He joined the party at an event that came with much fanfare with Darboe presiding. UDP for once thought it inflicted the biggest wound on NPP amid a rivalry that is showing no sign of abating.

But, Mr Willan announcing today he is rejoining NPP must be scarcely credible. But not when you see it with your own eyes and hear it with your own ears.

Mr Willan however said his UDP switch was a ruse, that he was on an undercover mission. That’s absolutely rubbish. The man who stood in front of Mr Darboe on May 10 meant all what he was saying. It should not have been difficult for him to disclose what must have changed. In fact I think he did when he pointed out a number of issues he said were going on in UDP.

But what I can say is Mr Willan’s frolics have confirmed how unreliable Gambians can sometimes be. You can never rely on them in jointly holding onto a dangerous snake. They will take their hand off it and it will bite you.

Yet, NPP has every right to celebrate. Their man has returned to them. Indeed.

One of the key refrains in President Barrow’s utterances when he took over the mantle of leadership of this country was that he did not have the knowledge or experience to run this country and that he was going to rely on his team (meaning the coalition members) to do the job; transforming weak institutions and overhauling the policy frameworks necessary for the smooth running of a modern republic.

Now that that ‘team’ has disintegrated, thanks to his own lust for power, it is incumbent upon us as citizens to share our knowledge and concerns regarding the state of affairs of this country. One such key concern is the apparent breakdown of security characterised by rampant burglaries, importation of drugs and guns in mass quantities, and armed robbery, creating an atmosphere of anarchy.

The forgoing reality of our current situation has created genuine fear and consternation regarding the future of this country. But it is also worrisome that this country that has been an oasis of peace and security in a volatile subregion, might render itself as a hub for distribution of narcotics and international terrorism aided by illicit financial transactions.

If we are not concerned about our own safety and welfare, at least we should be alarmed by the potential of our country to be used as a base for such dangerous organisations like al Qaeda in the Maghreb because all the elements necessary for such an explosive situation have now manifested themselves. Mass youth unemployment, the availability of hard drugs in huge quantities, coupled with mass deportation of disillusioned youths from Europe could be fertile ground for recruitment activities of terror groups. There is an alarming trend of voluntary resignation of soldiers from our national army mainly due to unfavourable conditions of service.

It is a fact that our men and women in uniform have been demoralised by a government that does not care about anything expect their own personal safety and financial security. The continued unjustifiable presence of ECOMIG forces is both a bane for the morale of our security officers and a potential weakening of our national security systems due to past nefarious activities  of regional peace keeping forces in countries like Guinea and Liberia.

Our record in terms of importing foreign security forces has not been pretty. The Jammeh-led 1994 coup had a lot to do with the Nigerian command then heading our national army. And before that, the Senegalese forces that guarded former President Jawara left unannounced, creating an unexpected void in our national security setup.

I have heard genuine concerns being raised by some police and military officers regarding the seeming nonchalance of this government about their welfare. It is so bad that some police officers on duty at the President’s own home town of Mangkamang Kunda have decried their poor welfare, especially their feeding at the President’s village; a situation that could have been averted if President Barrow remained content with his palatial lodging at State House powered by a daily fish money of D150, 000 funded by the tax payers. But our President has decided to splurge millions of Dalasis on a grand mansion in his ancestral hamlet thereby inflicting further damage on the national treasury in terms of fuel, extra man-hours and wear and tear among other incidental expenditures.

With foreign troops afforded the privilege and honour of guarding the Commander-in-Chief of our armed forces and our own troops wallowing in the squalor of poor salaries as well as inadequate logistics, how do you expect these men and women to perform at optimum levels.

It is quite evident that the State Security Services (SIS) is now a de facto political wing of the fledgling  Barrow political incumbency called the National People’s Party (NPP). Intelligence gathering and analysis is a relentless tedious time-consuming activity. If the top echelon of this critical national security outfit is busy canvassing support for the President’s political party and arranging audiences for political allies with the President, how can they effectively carry out their official mandate?

There is also a growing trend of politicisation of our security services with The Gambia Police Force being in pole position in this race to the bottom. Past heads of the Police in this transition government have dipped too deep into the political cesspool with mass mobilisation of grassroots support for the fledgling Barrow political bus. A recent land fraud case set for prosecution had to be thwarted by the police command because the accused is a loud mouthpiece of President Barrow’s party. This does not augur well for independent professional execution of duties.

No wonder we still cannot get to the bottom of the multi- million dollar cocaine case purportedly still under investigation after 4 months; yet the police have the nerve to create a storm out of a tea cup with a fishy seizure of a few wraps of cannabis allegedly found in the official vehicle of the leading opposition party in the country.

President Barrow is desperate for re-election and self-perpetuation beyond the two term limit sanctioned by the popular draft constitution that he killed before reaching a referendum. He is trying to use our security services to reinforce his political game plan. His disregard of the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) is now evident. He has already reinstated at least one former top security chief who is regarded as a gross violator of human rights, during the former regime, with close ties to known drug dealers. The reinstatement of this man into the security services was clearly a move to gain political mileage from a particular ethnic group.

The cost of such a drunken adventure is too high. Perhaps Barrow does not know that his own weakening of our national security infrastructure has international ramifications that will catch up with him sooner rather than later.

Shall we then tell our President that there is a natural law that can never be broken: that thoughts and actions have consequences as promulgated in scripture (Both the Bible and Quran); and further elucidated by such luminaries like Sir Isaac Newton (Newton’s Third Law); and the American sage of Concorde, Ralph Waldo Emerson?

May Allah heal and protect the poor victims of our national insecurity nightmare. God bless The Gambia.

Momodou Sabally

Author, Economist, former Minister of Presidential Affairs

By Basidia M Drammeh

When former President Yahya Jammeh surprisingly conceded to Barrow before he made his infamous U-turn, Jammeh implored his successor to prioritize national security, insisting that without peace, Barrow would achieve nothing.

Four years down the line, Jammeh’s prophecy came true with a country once known as a bastion of peace and security entangled in unprecedented insecurity. In his traditional Eid message, President acknowledged the issue, warning that the crimes taking place in the country pose a threat to peace and stability.

The gruesome killing of a 36-year-old lady in Mandinaring, the stabbing of a Senegalese vendor in Westfield and the robbing of a Lebanese businessman at gunpoint add to a catalogue of serious criminal activities that have raised eyebrows in the country, with no end in sight. Though the Gambian police and other security agencies have launched what they have dubbed as Zero Crime campaign in recent times, the crime rate has been on the rise and shows no sign of abating.

Apart from logistical challenges, the security apparatus lacks visible leadership. Despite recurrent security incidents, the Minister of Interior, who is ultimately charged with internal security, has never held a press conference or issue a press release outlining his plans to deal with the dire security situation in the country. Though President Barrow expressed concern over the mounting insecurity in the country in his Eid message to the nation, he fell short of spelling out concrete and tangible measures to combat crime and criminality in the country. Criminals should hear a tougher tone and stricter action.

The insecurity that has rocked the nation in recent times has serious socio-economic consequences for the country. The people of a country that has branded itself as the smiling coast of Africa are fearful of their lives and properties. An economy that heavily relies on tourism stands to suffer as tourists will get scared to be in a country where armed and professional criminal gangs could attack them. Insecurity will equally scare potential investors away. Foreign business people could be mulling over moving out to more peaceful countries.

This is a crucial year for the Gambia as the nation gears up for presidential elections; hence the government needs to ensure that security is maintained to conduct free, fair and transparent elections.

President Barrow and his top security brass must draw up a comprehensive plan to institute law and order. The alarming insecurity is a cause of great concern that needs to be handled with the highest sense of urgency and emergency before the situation spirals out of hand. Inaction in the face of this National security threat stands to scupper the President’s development agenda and plunge the country into the unknown!

By Madi Jobarteh

The President’s Koriteh address and his statement with Banjul Muslim elders falls far short of what is expected of a leader. It is high time that his advisors and speech writers drive the President towards unity, reconciliation and accountability. That is what will serve him as a successful leader whom history will judge kindly.

Engaging in vindictive, divisive and half truth statements can only undermine his own credibility hence weaken his ability to govern this country in such a way that will earn him the trust and confidence of citizens. Good leaders do not divide and speculate about their citizens! They bring their people together.

For example, in his Koriteh speech he talked about the Sanyang riots but only to caste aspersions on the youth and condemn the violence! Yes, violence must be condemned but good leaders go beyond condemning violence, they also seek to understand how and why riots happen and take measures to prevent a recurrence!

But the President did not mention the very cause of that riot. Yet he knows why there was a riot because it was he who set up the Faraba Commission in 2018 when a riot erupted in that community. That Commission brought out all the issues in the coastal areas which are potential causes of conflicts. These are related to mining and the fishmeal factories. Hence the eruption of another riot directed at fishmeal factories should not surprise anyone, more so the President because this issue was raised two years ago in the Faraba Commission Report which was presented to him!

Furthermore the President raised the issue of freedom of expression, but with a threat. To claim that citizens are abusing democracy by expressing themselves is indeed a huge threat to democracy. The President must understand that democracy and good governance are sustained by the free expression of opinions.

Some of these opinions can be pleasant or unpleasant. But regardless of how unpleasant expressions are, so long as they are not hate speech or incitement to violence, we should not perceive them as abuse of democracy. Otherwise who should determine what is pleasant or unpleasant speech; who should determine what is acceptable or unacceptable speech! If we get to claim that there’s abuse of democracy because of speech then the next step is to limit free speech hence close down democracy!

Hence the President should only encourage citizens to express their opinions in decorum and dignity. But he must not speak as if he will close down democracy because he thinks citizens are making unpleasant remarks. Such statements by him are what could also embolden some other citizens, who may be his supporters or opponents to take advantage by attacking other citizens with whom they disagree with.

Thus it would appear that the President is indeed the one undermining national security. We have seen the impact of such remarks in America when President Trump used to ridicule and threaten citizens and media simply because he did not like the opinions and media reportage about his leadership.

Another conspicuous absence in his speech is accountability, especially for the police. While it was good that he recognized the good work of the police and called citizens to support our law enforcement officers, the President failed to also call on the police to respect and protect human rights.

Over the past four years, there have been several instances of police brutality. This needs to be addressed because bad cops are a threat to law enforcement and combating crime. We know that since 2018 a number investigations were opened on issues involving the police yet until today there has been no report and no action.

Furthermore, the President totally ignored the issue of corruption, inefficiency and abuse of office inside his Government. Rather the President spoke as if his Government is perfect with no shortcomings.

But indeed there is lot of corruption and abuse in his Government. There are a number of investigations for these things but no reports or actions are taken to ensure accountability. For example the Faraba Commission Report points to instances of corruption in issuing licenses to mining companies and police misconduct in riots yet his Government never took measures to correct things.

We know that there was an audit report on 7 state owned enterprises in 2018 that exposed massive corruption yet nothing was done to address that. The recent petition by GTBoard staffs against his Minister Hamat Bah and the GTBoard management is another case in point. There are uncountable cases of similar incidents of corruption across his Government!

Therefore it is not enough to emphasize that citizens to be law abiding, yet as the President he failed to also admonish public officers to be also honest and hardworking and shun corruption and abuse.

The height of the President’s show of poor and dangerous leadership is to engage in innuendos and underhand tactics just to dance to the gallery. For example, when the President told Muslim elders that he knew of political leaders who were selling ministerial positions, what was the objective?

Clearly that occasion and the audience are not the appropriate place to report such an incident. If true, that act by those political leaders was criminal and unethical! Therefore, how come the President would notice a criminal act by his colleagues only for him to keep quiet about it for so long and then go to a totally unrelated event and audience to disclose such misconduct?

Gambians should demand that Pres. Barrow discloses the names of those political leaders. He should open an investigation on the matter so that we know who sold the positions and to who and how much did they sell and buy the positions?

Furthermore, citizens need to know which individuals actually ended up obtaining a ministerial position in that manner! I hope the political parties will spare no effort to pressure the President to disclose his claims as he has attempted to soil the reputation of political leaders!

Indeed for the President to make such remarks further reinforce his divisiveness and poor leadership which is, by all intents and purposes a clear and direct threat to national security and unity! I hereby urge the President to withdraw those remarks and apologize to Gambians otherwise let him disclose the truth!

For The Gambia Our Homeland

By Pata Saidykhan

I’ve read the Draft for the Proposed Constitutional Amendment that seeks to add and Reserve SIXTEEN (16) seats for Women in the National Assembly by the next General Elections. In their OBJECTIVE it is stated that:

“… the commitments enshrined in both the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Maputo Protocol, to ensure that women enjoy genuine de facto equality with men at all level of decision making, including representation in the National Assembly… and providing for reservation of specific seats for women. This is to ensure that women enjoy genuine de facto equality on an equal basis with men.”

I have no problem with this. As a matter of fact, I acknowledged and agreed that we should have more female participation and representation in and at ALL decision making tables, eliminating EVERY form of DISCRIMINATION especially where exist in our LAWS. Our point of divergence is at the HOW.

In their BACKGROUND arguing the need for this amendment, the draft validated my insistence yesterday, that this is more a Tokenism than it is Affirmative Action for latter seeks to correct Discrimination. They wrote:

“The CONSTITUTION of the Republic of the Gambia 1997 and OTHER RELEVANT LAWS of The Gambia, including the WOMEN’S ’s ACT 2010, HAVE COMPREHENSIVE PROVISIONS to ENSURE that WOMEN are ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE POLITICAL LIFE of The Gambia, INCLUDING CONTESTING ELECTION for the National Assembly, AND REPRESENTATION AT ALL LEVELS OF DECISIONS MAKING. However, these laws FAILED to take cognizance of the socio-cultural context in The Gambia, which is deeply rooted in the CULTURE OF PATRIARCHY, thus giving rise to de facto LIMITATIONS and CONSTRAINT.”

They continued:

“The 1997 CONSTITUTION GUARANTEES WOMEN EQUAL TREATMENT AND OPPORTUNITIES IN POLITICAL ACTIVITIES, which effectively means that women have the SAME LEGAL RIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES as their MALE COUNTERPARTS with regards representation at the National Assembly. This right guaranteed under section 28, however does not reflect the realities on the ground, vis a vis women’s representation in the National Assembly.”

I’ve never seen a more disjointed contradiction between what obtains and what they seek to correct. Whoever came up with this idea and the drafters need to go back with this bill to either come back with a more reasonable, convincing argument OR SHELVE IT for GOOD. They acknowledge and admit that the Constitution and other relevant laws AND Women’s Act provides and guarantees women eligibility, participation and representation in both Politics and Decision making levels. The problem that they believe to be the hindrance is SOCIOCULTURAL – ‘PATRIARCHY’. How then do you correct a sociocultural deficit with Tokenism in the National Assembly? I am going on a limb to charge fraud and conning attempt by an educated few who want to be served a platter they do not want to work for, notwithstanding the any good intentions.

The Gambia does NOT have Discriminatory Laws that favor Lamin but inhibit or prohibit Fatou from political participation and representation. Dr. Isatou Touray DID NOT fail to secure Coalition nomination in 2016 because she’s a female. Honorables TOUMA NJIE & FATOUMATTA JAWARA did NOT earn their way into the Assembly because they’re women. Conversely, Honorables SANNA JAWARA and Omar Ceesay were not elected because they’re men. 

The remedy or best measures to ensure more women representation in our Nation’s political house is through political parties or sponsoring independent candidates. Political parties should encourage and be encouraged to recruit, sponsor and sell eligible, qualified women into roles and elected positions. What we’re understanding to be patriarchal constraints in our politics can be eliminated by both men and women by genuinely fighting to shed instead of glossing over them. We talk about insults, disrespect, belittling and unfair judgement. Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe fought through and BROKE barriers to defeat her male counterparts to the mayoral seat. So Laws CANNOT fix these. And certainly picking and sending 16 women in the Assembly will not either, because Hon. Mariam Denton does not understand, appreciate and defend the plight of women in the house any more than Hon. Sidia Jatta.

Let Women and Youth join political parties or be sponsored as Independent candidates to earn a right to represent. I’d hate for my daughters to grow up believing they cannot earn a deserved position in a competitive environment because they’re any less capable than my sons. This is not right and it’s an attempt at plastering over a nonexistent issue by creating problems. We wanted to move away from having the President nominate lawmakers to give representation its true meaning. How do we have certain people in the house whose main goal will be to represent a particular group? Matter of fact, how are these going to be selected and elected? Through political parties, Independent groups, community or self-sponsored? I hope Political Parties and the National Assembly members seriously scrutinize this bill devoid of any unreasonable emotions or pressure. You cannot shortcut your way in Democracy in hopes that you’d cure any deficiencies. What are we doing next? Do same for Youth, Farmers, Teachers, Ethnicities?

By Dabakh Malick

Let’s start this piece with a quote by former leader of Burkina Faso Capt Thomas Sankara: “Our REVOLUTION is not a PUBLIC SPEAKING tournament. Our REVOLUTION is not a BATTLE of FINE PHRASES. Our REVOLUTION is not SIMPLY for SPOUTING SLOGANS that are NO more than SIGNALS used by MANIPULATORS trying to use them as CATCHWORDS, as a FOIL for their OWN display. Our REVOLUTION is, and SHOULD continue to be, the COLLECTIVE effort of REVOLUTIONARIES to TRANSFORM REALITY, to IMPROVE the CONCRETE SITUATION of the MASSES of our people.” It’s a statement that’s worth pondering over since it’s pertinent to our reality as a nation.

December 4th will be another important date in the political life of The Gambia. Certainly for various reasons but the most obvious is that it is the date upon which presidential elections will be held for the first time post-Jammeh era.

Elections are integral part of a democratic process. Yet, the December election is a massive event. For the first time in our nation’s history, we are having political pluralism of this magnitude – where you have 18 registered political parties and a number of aspiring independent candidates. And so this election is going to be a litmus test for the many political parties and independent candidates we have. It’s their political viability that stands to be tested.

The million dollars question in the minds of most Gambians is: who is going to go home with the bragging rights? Your guess is as good as mine. But one can safely say the election will be a two-horse race, a race between NPP and UDP. You will have President Adama Barrow on the one hand and Lawyer Ousainou A.N.M Darboe on the other.

But still, any wise person would say a day is too much to risk in politics. A lot could happen or change between now and December, events that could redefine the race. And so until then, your guess is as good as mine.

PDOIS faces a massive challenge in terms of winning but it’s my view the party would make significant gains due to the roles the party played in building the coalition in the 2016 election, the political impasse but also the party’s consistent record in standing up for the interest of the ordinary man when it mattered most. For a very long time, I began seeing the party’s message resonating with not only the educated class but also the common Joe of the everyday Gambian.

And then you have CA. Being a new party with a former political science lecturer at the University of the Gambia as leader, the party can only use 2021 to experiment and gather experience in preparation for 2026.

If you ask me about NRP, NCP, PPP and GPDP, these parties are most likely throwing their weight behind NPP/Barrow. And having at the back of their minds that the political careers of their leaders are almost over including the issue of age on the part of these leaders, their best shot is to form an Alliance to be able to save face.

Let’s then turn to GMC. This is a party that’s a one-man party. Its leader Mai Fatty is more active on social media than his party activities. Will the party put up a candidate  for 2021 at all? I believe they will form Alliance and that is way better for them than putting up a candidate who will end up losing the deposit because they can’t score 5% of the votes cast.

For GDC and its flag bearer Mama Kandeh, I think they’re in trouble. They impressed in 2016 but it’s my prediction they will not be able to replicate their performance in 2016. GDC was able to do so well in 2016 for various reasons. For example, the party was new and many APRC and NRP supporters lost hope in their parties and voted for Mama. These are voters who could not vote for the Coalition’s candidate. A lot has happened in the past four years that continue to change the political fortunes of GDC. GDC is no longer the 2016 power party it once was and I doubt if they will play second fiddle to any candidate. I believe it will be hard for GDC to have a Coalition agreement in which Mama isn’t the flag bearer. Their best shot is for them to try get APRC since GDC is more like the prodigal son coming home.

With the Independent Candidates, for the first time I am seeing these many people who plan to run on an independent ticket but the truth is I think many are just playing to the hype of election year but even if they finally made it on the list, all of them will lose their deposit for not being able to pull 5% and I would be surprised if the performance of all of them combined isn’t up to that mark.

To close, this election will define the future of our nation. The best we can do is to register those who attain the right age, get involved by making sure the right person is chosen.

Do it for The Gambia And VOTE for your FUTURE!

By Madi Jobarteh

It is not only insulting to the citizens but also threatening to national security for Pres. Adama Barrow to allow none other than a leading Dictatorship Denier and Enabler to come to State House to vouch for none other than Tyrant Yaya Jammeh. It is like Pres. Joe Biden of the US inviting an imbecile like Rudy Giuliani to the White House to speak for Donald Trump as a unifier for Americans. I am sure Joe Biden will not spend that night in peace in the White House.

This is simply because, according to their own history there has been no US President ever that has threatened the unity, survival and stability of their republic and democracy more than Donald Trump. In the Gambian context, Yaya Jammeh is worse than Donald Trump because of the blatant and gross human rights violations Jammeh meted out to scores of Gambians with impunity for 22 years. In 2016, just like Trump, Jammeh refused to concede defeat until he was forced out by a foreign military force. It was people like Sam Sarr who defended Jammeh to refuse the verdict of the people and continues to defend Jammeh until today!

But here we are with a President who does not seem to have a basic understanding of history, his role as President and the state of affairs of his country such that he could act in the most insensitive, irresponsible and dangerous manner by inviting Sam Sarr to the State House! This begs the question, what must be going on in the head of Adama Barrow and his technocrats to have the audacity to allow an unapologetic, unconscionable and unpatriotic dictator lover like Samsudeen Sarr to walk into State House to talk about according Yaya Jammeh the status of a former head of state and as a unifier?

Is it that Adama Barrow, as an adult human being, is ignorant of the true history and experience of his own people between 22nd July 1994 and 19th January 2017? Is Pres. Barrow unaware of the fact that until today, Yaya Jammeh remains the greatest threat to our country as he and his desperate supporters continue to deny their crimes, mock their victims and seek to destabilise the Gambia? Has Pres. Barrow forgotten that it was people like Samsudeen Sarr who had vigorously and deliberately aided and abetted Yaya Jammeh to damage every right of our citizens and every rule of our Constitution just to perpetuate one-man rule in this republic? Otherwise, could Adama Barrow ask himself why he still keeps ECOMIG in our country, if not for his fear of Yaya Jammeh and his loyalists!

Clearly Adama Barrow is not unaware of the crimes of Yaya Jammeh and the exceptional role enablers like Sam Sarr played in that national calamity. Why then is Pres. Barrow willing and ready to betray the Gambia by hobnobbing with Yaya Jammeh and his party and enablers in broad daylight? What is Adama Barrow looking for? What does he want to gain such that he would want to lose his soul and destroy the Gambia? For anyone to entertain even slightly the idea that Yaya Jammeh is a unifier of Gambians is indeed insulting and dishonest.

I think all Gambians must now see that the single most dangerous threat to the peace and stability of the Gambia is none other than President Adama Barrow himself. Experts have shown that societies that underwent autocratic rule or violent conflict should engage in a robust transitional justice process if they are to avoid future recurrences of those crimes. The examples of a lack of a robust transitional justice process leading to another round of autocratic rule and conflict are all too many such as the 1994 Rwanda Genocide.

That the Gambia underwent an authoritarian rule for decades is an open secret. In fact, it was precisely because of that, that Mr. Adama Barrow himself and his Government launched a transitional justice program in 2017. Yet even before the TRRC concluded its truth-seeking hearings, we witness how Barrow is so eager to ignore this country’s atrocious past by keeping key Enablers of that regime into his Cabinet and in his party and in strategic positions across his Government.

As if that is just the tip of the iceberg, it is all too clear that Barrow now wants to jump into bed with APRC while seeking to celebrate the Tyrant himself just for power! No wonder he orchestrated the killing of the draft constitution just to perpetuate himself in power indefinitely! If there is anything undeniably and evidently characteristic of Adama Barrow is that he is indeed power hungry. Extremely power hungry for that matter. In his quest to cling onto power, it appears Barrow is ready to continue to betray, sell, undermine and disrespect this republic as he wishes!

That Sam Sarr is a nonentity is clear like the sun at 2pm. He has no value to offer anything to this republic as he has never done so. His life of vanity has been spent only to harm the sovereignty of the Gambia and ridicule the dignity of the people. He has lived only as a parasite to suck the blood of Gambians but never to give anything back to his society. Indeed, Sam Sarr is the epitome of an ingrate and a prodigal son of the land!

But let Sam Sarr be whatever he wishes to be. What is unacceptable is for the President of the Republic to transform that historic and sacred mandate of the people into a weapon to harm the people by engaging with ignoble people like Sam Sarr to undermine the Republic. I consider the meeting between Adama Barrow and Sam Sarr as treasonable for which the President must be held accountable. Like Yaya Jammeh, Sam Sarr is an enemy of the Gambia for the treasonable crimes they committed and then to continue to deny those crimes and mock victims.

One would have expected that Pres. Adama Barrow would tell Sam Sarr in no uncertain terms that Yaya Jammeh bears primary responsibility for the 22 years of gross human rights violations in this country for which he will be held accountable. An honest, bold and patriotic President would have put it to Sam Sarr that the Gambia Government will not reconcile with a tinpot dictator until and unless there is first, truth, justice and accountability. Pres. Barrow, if he were decent, honest and a true leader should have told Sam Sarr that Yaya Jammeh does not deserve the status of a former Head of State for he misruled this country and subjected it to international ridicule and pariah status. Yaya Jammeh deserves nothing other than to be prosecuted and sent to jail for good!

But alas! Once again, as consistently as ever, Mr. Adama Barrow has distinguished himself as the leading betrayer and traitor of the Republic of the Gambia never seen before in the history of this country! This is the most infamous meeting and the most disrespectful act to have taken place inside the House of the Republic, the people’s house. It is as unforgivable as it is disappointing, insulting and nonsensical!

For The Gambia Our Homeland.

This comment is a verbatim quote of Pres. Adama Barrow published in the Standard newspaper today. He is said to make this comment in his speech to former NAMs and governors who came to lodge their support to him at State House.

“NPP is not taking the December presidential election lightly. We are ready for anything as far as the elections are concern and when you are about to start a war, there are two things to bear in mind – death or shame. You either take death or shame and we the NPP will rather take death than shame.”

If indeed this is what the President said then both the IEC and the National Assembly and indeed all relevant stakeholders and citizens must demand that the President withdraws the comment immediately. They must pressure the President to declare his commitment to democracy and to free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections  on December 4.

This comment by the President undermines the very concept and purpose of elections in a democracy. Elections are indispensable tools that enable citizens to choose candidates to hold public office. Election is also an accountability mechanism that makes citizens to return or reject an incumbent in holding public office.  Hence election is a major decision making exercise that empowers citizens to form a government based on their opinion.

In light of this, no politician or citizen should perceive election in terms of war, death or shame, even figuratively! Rather every politician and citizen should perceive election as only a tool and a process that manifest the power of the people. Every politician, more so the incumbent President must speak of election only in terms of peace and a celebration of democracy and encourage popular participation and guarantee fair play in the process. No amounting of campaigning warrants a candidate to use the language of war in elections.

The comment by Pres. Barrow goes against everything that an election in a democracy represents. His language has set the stage for violence and malpractices for which everyone must be concerned. His comment is therefore irresponsible and undemocratic and poses a clear and present danger to the peace and stability of the country.

What the President is indicating is that same Trump-like mentality that he has to win by all means. That if he does not win he will not accept the results. The President is essentially saying that he and his party will do anything it takes to win the election because to him, his victory in the election is a matter of death or shame. Since no one will accept death or shame from enemies then it means Pres. Barrow is saying that he will have to win by any means.

To perceive an election in terms of war is to see the opposition as enemies. In war there are enemies. But in a democracy there are only opponents and no enemies. Political parties are not enemies. Their candidates and supporters are not enemies; only opponents. Hence it is utterly concerning that the President only sees opponents as enemies as he sees election as war!

I know the IEC, political parties, CSOs and indeed most of our citizens are not bothered by these dangerous comments. This is because Gambians are notorious for taking things for granted. We will all claim that this is an empty rhetoric of a desperate President. Therefore we will all ignore this grossly irresponsible statement that has all the hallmarks of electoral malpractices and violence.

But let us remember that it is our continued lethargy, apathy, indifference and silence that we are such a hapless state today after five decades of independence. It is this lethargy that made it possible for tyranny to germinate in our country for 22 years! It is our indifference which is why the nation is betrayed once again in 2017. Because of our failure to be alert and vigilant, this country continues to wallow in bad governance and poor leadership.

Therefore, for how long shall we continue to fail ourselves? For how long shall we continue to allow elected and appointed public officials to continue to bastardize our sovereignty and dignity just to secure their selfish interests? The statement by the President is uncalled for; it’s a provocation and a attempt to undermine free, fair and transparent elections!

For The Gambia Our Homeland