Monitored on BBC – Environmental campaigners have warned that exports of fish meal and fish oil from West Africa are depriving more than 30 million people a year of food.

A report by Greenpeace Africa and the Netherlands-based organisation Changing Markets urges governments to phase out processing of fish which is fit for human consumption being used for fishmeal and oil.

This is especially true of The Gambia, where exploitation of catch landings for the domestic consumer markets are diverted to a network of Chinese fishmeal factories dotted along the coastline – exploitation on a grand scale!

Greenpeace Africa has said the fish extracted by industrial vessels off West Africa are processed and exported, mainly to Europe and Asia, as feed for fish farms, pet food or use in cosmetics.

How does heartless foreign owners justify the practice devoid of any human feelings or their security. Across the region, food insecurity is the population’s common lot from the depths of Timbuktu in Mali, to the heartlands of Benenden, off Gunjur coast.

Will the Gambia government respond to concerns, set quota limits on daily, monthly catch limits with regards to export, ahem exploitation controls?

The report further says the industry is devastating coastal communities and undermining food security in Mauritania, Senegal, the Gambia, Mali and Burkina Faso, among others.

Gibril Saine

There is absolutely no reason why Gambians who live abroad should not register and vote in the December 2021 presidential elections. If it did not happen it is precisely because the will and commitment of the key stakeholders are lacking. That is the President and his Government, the National Assembly, political parties and the civil society at home and abroad, individually and collectively. These are the institutions, organizations and individuals that bear the obligation to uphold the law and fulfil rights of all Gambians.

The Gambian Constitution, in sections 26 and 39, has clearly guaranteed the right of all Gambians – at home and abroad – to register and vote in public elections. Furthermore Section 11 of the Elections Act demand that Gambians in foreign countries be registered for the purpose of elections. The Supreme Court went further to validate these laws in its ruling in January 2021 that citizens in foreign countries are entitled to be registered and vote in all public elections. Therefore, who is there to stop Gambian citizens in the diaspora from voting?

Apparently, while there is so much talk and even visible desire for the Gambia diaspora to vote, no one is taking the matter seriously enough, amazingly. For example, the claim by the IEC that the laws did not provide for diaspora voting is false. In fact, at the beginning of the year the IEC gave the impression that the diaspora will vote. But a few months later, they now turnaround to say diaspora voting will not happen until legal reforms take place. Clearly the IEC does not need any new law or any amendment to make the diaspora vote to take place. The current laws are adequate.

Disappointingly, the claim by the Minister of Finance that the Government did not budget for diaspora voting is untenable. This is because it was the Minister himself who placed the budget estimates before lawmakers in December 2020. Why didn’t he put in the necessary resources to ensure the diaspora vote if he and the President were so committed? But while they failed to cater for the diaspora vote, since then we have seen this Government place supplementary appropriation bills for projects that they wanted to fund. Why didn’t they seek supplementary appropriation for the diaspora vote as well?

The next question is why did the National Assembly also failed to raise the issue of the diaspora vote when they were presented with the estimates of the 2021 budget? As the body that distributes the national cake, and given the important issue of diaspora voting, one wonders why NAMs, who come from different political parties that have called for diaspora voting, have failed to raise the issue? Where is their political will and leadership?

The failure of the National Assembly to ensure that diaspora voting is budgeted, raises the question as to whether our political parties are indeed serious about diaspora voting? This is because we have all of the major parties represented in the parliament – UDP, NRP, GDC, PDOIS, APRC and PPP and several independents. Therefore, why did they fail to make sure that their representatives secure a budget for diaspora voting? Political parties are the leading stakeholders in this matter because they need the votes which they could get from the diaspora. Therefore, why did they fail to do the needful at the right time?

Meantime our civil society, at home and abroad continue to glamour over the issue of diaspora voting, but what is baffling is why they have not taken the necessary steps vigorously? Yes, some civil society actors did well by going to the Supreme Court to confirm that indeed the diaspora have the right to vote by law. But it was necessary that the civil society agitate further to ensure that the Gambia Government and the IEC indeed go ahead to make it happen as ruled by the Supreme Court. This is where the civil society also failed.

Therefore, what needs to be done now is to take action to make diaspora voting a reality in December 2021, as per the Constitution and the Supreme Court ruling. To do this, there are two ways available right now. One, is for civil society and political parties to go back to the Supreme Court to seek an order for the Government to provide the necessary resources to the IEC to go ahead to register the diaspora and make them vote in December 2021. The second option, is for the political parties to use their NAMs to put a motion on the floor of the parliament to require the Government and the IEC to make the diaspora register and vote. It is not late.

Technically, Gambians in the diaspora can register and vote in December 2021 through the use of technology and Gambian embassies abroad. The ability to develop the necessary online app and forms exist in the Gambia for the IEC to obtain. Almost every democratic country on earth – rich or poor – have guaranteed the franchise to their diaspora. How therefore can the Gambia be an exception! The only reason the diaspora is denied the franchise therefore rests squarely on the failure of the Gambia Government, the National Assembly, political parties and the civil society to do what needed to be done. That’s all.

For The Gambia Our Homeland

By Basidia M Drammeh

The extraordinary session of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) on Friday, May 28th, 2021, served as the climax of the Commission’s public hearing that lingered on for 872 days. It was an emotionally charged day for Gambians, including myself, taking stock of what took place in our country for 22 days and coming to terms with the gross human violations committed in a country that has branded itself as the “Smiling Coast of Africa.” The tiny country, instead, suffered and bled in silence. Tears rolled down my cheek as I listened to Lead Counsel Essa Faal make his powerful closing argument.

At least 392 witnesses appeared before the commission availing Gambians of an opportunity to hear horrendous and harrowing accounts of agonizing ordeals of torture, unlawful detentions, extrajudicial killings and forceful disappearances, among other violations that dwarfed and ultimately obliterated Jammeh’s achievements. Many testimonies have made our flesh creep and drawn tears of pain and agony by both the witnesses and the bewildered spectators.

Due to his infatuation with power and paranoia, Jammeh set out to hunt down his perceived and real enemies perpetrating gross human rights violations against the very people he swore to serve and protect. In the last public hearing of TRRC, the witness, Saikou Jallow, revealed that the former tyrant, who once vowed to rule for one billion years, wrote a list containing about 40 names by his hand. Jammeh passed the names to a marabout to help him kill, or muzzle or cripple them spiritually. The Commission went on to call the document “the spiritual hit list.” This suggests that the former leader went above and beyond to cling to power, even if that meant eliminating his adversaries. In the process, nobody was spared, including his blood relatives, close friends and associates, religious leaders, intellectuals, students, journalists, military personnel, women and the elderly.

Jammeh could not have done what it has without the collaboration of enablers from members of society and state institutions. The judiciary, the security apparatus, particularly the National Intelligence Agency were essential instruments for Jammeh to pursue, maim, humiliate, shame, persecute and prosecute his rivals.

TRRC has phenomenally carried out its mandate, unearthing the truth, de-mystifying the despot and unravelling the prevailing perception that Gambians are harmless, with many previously arguing that the atrocities meted out to Gambians were perpetrated by non-Gambian mercenaries only to find out that the culprits are their own brothers, sons, cousins, friends and neighbours. TRCC’s Chairman, Lamin Cise, unleashed his arsenal of experience and knowledge to set the tone and pace of the commission while maintaining decorum when tempers flared. In the same token, the Lead Counsel, Essa Faal, pursued and extracted the truth in a uniquely professional and competent manner hinging on his prosecutorial experience with the United Nations. Other counsels, commissioners and support staff have all stepped up to the plate and proved their worth. The interpreters, especially Alhagi Musa Manneh, have endeavoured to endure that every Gambia was updated with TRRC’s proceedings.

Critical lessons must be drawn from the commission, most notably the urgent need to build strong institutions to keep the powers be in check. We must not worship our leaders; instead, we must view them as our servants who are paid and fed by taxpayers’ money. The military must restrict themselves to barracks and never interfere in politics. We must not be praise singers for our leaders; instead, we must be honest with ourselves and our leaders. The new constitution should be resurrected to ensure that self-perpetuation ends forever.

The Government is due to receive the Commission’s final report in July; hence it is duty-bound to fully implement the recommendations to the letter without fear, favour, ill will or affection. The executive must ensure that justice is served to bring closure for the victims of the Jammeh era amid genuine fears and concerns that the report might meet the fate of the Janneh commissions or the draft constitution. Failure to implement TRRC’s recommendations could plunge the country into a quagmire with the wounds unhealed.

The mantra of TRRC, Never Again, must be jealously guarded to ensure the atrocities committed during the dark episode of the Gambian history do not reoccur.

The TRRC was established by an act of parliament in 2017 to investigate and establish an impartial historical record of human right violations, but to also consider reparations for the victims of abuses, promote reconciliation and promote non-reoccurrence.”

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