By Lamin Njie
One case of the deadly coronavirus has been confirmed in The Gambia, health minister Dr Ahmadou Samateh said moments ago.
More follows…
On the realities of our current situation: letter to my president (Part 2)
Good Morning Mr. President,
It has been a little over a week since I sent you my first epistle in this series. It is tough to maintain a weekly publication of essays but I had to get back to my keyboard because I made a #promise to write to you on a weekly basis and readers would expect to see my letters. Indeed the saying “a promise is a promise” is worth bearing in mind. We cannot accuse you of breaking your “3-years” promise and renege on our own promises.
I must commend you, Sir, for the moves your government has made since my first letter which was focused on the Coronavirus outbreak and the need for your government to up the game regarding this danger.
I have heard about the collaboration between your Tourism Ministry and the health authorities in a bid to keep our hotels safe. This is highly commendable; moreover, I have seen testimonies from people who have crossed the border into The Gambia by land and sea and they have testified that there is a lot of serious activity by our health authorise in screening and preparing people coming into the country and I must commend you for this.
Another important and commendable decision your government has taken is to declare a travel ban for public servants. This is good not only for our health but also the struggling national budget.
However, the timing of the travel ban is a bit suspect. The ban was declared only after you left with large delegation to Senegal (a country that has confirmed numerous cases of the Coronavirus) for a summit. Travelling with a delegation of 44 people into a country with confirmed cases of this deadly virus is not the smartest thing to do Your Excellency. Declaring a travel ban after you and your team received the hefty per diem allowances that come with such foreign trips could be tantamount to the situation described by the Mandinka proverb ‘ali nga tabaa bula; fulehwo bay daa’ (you are calling on people to stop using snuff while the snuff bottle is dangling in your own mouth).
Anyway, at least you have done something and we only hope that there will be no complacency in the implementation of the measures recommended by your government.
I commend you for all the moves made so far and pray that Allah strengthens your hand in the implementation of strategies to protect our country and her people from the menace of the Coronavirus.
But one more thing Mr. President: you would recall that I pleaded with you to suspend your activities upcountry that brought together crowds for your inauguration of projects. Your colleague across the border has just declared a ban on public gatherings for a month just to make sure the Senegalese people are safe. Media reports have revealed that “President Macky Sall on Saturday announced strict measures aimed at slowing the spread of coronavirus, including banning public gatherings, closing schools and cancelling April 4 Independence Day festivities.” Can you take a lesson from that Mr. President.
Your Excellency, I am not in anyway suggesting that your staff at the Presidency should rush to copy Macky Sall’s declaration verbatim and change the address to “State House, Banjul”; but I am sending a hint that, at the very least, you suspend all your activities that would create crowds and expose your own citizens to unwarranted danger.
God bless you Mr. President and may Allah bless and protect our dear country and all her citizens.
Yours,
In the Service of the Nation
Momodou Sabally
Former Presidential Affairs Minister, S.G and Head of the Civil Service
Madi Jobarteh – Comment: Congratulations to The Heroes and Fatu Network!
Let me first of all appreciate the many Gambians who believe in me and the work I do to the point that they voted for me to be among the only four nominees for the ‘Man of the Year’ award.
For me it is a validation of my convictions and my work that this country deserves nothing other than the promotion and protection of each and every citizen’s human rights and dignity where the State upholds the values and standards of democracy and good governance. It is a recognition of my drive to ensure that transparency and accountability permeates throughout our State and society so that there will be social and economic justice for all. It is an appreciation for my contributions in holding the State as well as political parties, businesses and indeed every individual citizen including myself accountable.
I strongly hold that it is only through accountability can we ensure progress, peace and justice. Only accountability will make our public institutions efficient, effective and responsive to the needs and rights of citizens. It is only accountability that will make our leaders honest, open and productive. Without accountability no individual or society, organization or institution will progress. Therefore, I am utterly grateful to the individuals who nominated and voted for me. I shall remain eternally grateful. You have shown me that the path that I am on is the right path and rest assured I shall never veer off that path. Nyaato dorong!
On that note let me therefore congratulate Fatu Camara and her company, Fatu Network for this groundbreaking initiative. Indeed, private initiative has been at the root of development in any society at any time in history where freedom prevails. The envious Nobel Prize or the Grammy Award and the Golden Globe Awards as well as the Academy or Oscars Awards among other regional and international awards such as the Pulitzer Prize are all products of private initiatives. Hence this pioneering work by Fatu Network is in the right direction in recognizing and nurturing the culture of service, excellence and initiative within our society.
The Heroes Awards night was a great event. The ambiance was scintillating and electric! Period.
If I have to offer any suggestions for improvement, it will be to also have a special category for ‘Sports Personality of the Year’ which if need be can be separated into male and female. Also I would suggest future programs start pretty earlier with strict time management so that it does not spill over to the next day. Furthermore, I would suggest organizers invite various personalities from various sectors and regions of our State, business, academia and society to grace the occasion in order to make it truly national that is worthy of the weight and seriousness such events deserve.
Finally let me express my deep appreciation by congratulating Mr. Abubacarr Tambadou for clinging the maiden covetous award, ‘Man of the Year’. Indeed Mr. Tambadou has made significant contributions to our nation over the past three years as the Minister of Justice. Not only has he led the country to accede to major international conventions on human rights but he has also made the Gambia Government accept rulings of the ECOWAS Court on the violations meted out to our journalists and other citizens and making the Government to compensate them accordingly. The leadership he demonstrated in the creation of the Janneh Commission, the TRRC and the CRC as well as the unequivocal position he took about bringing the Despot Yaya Jammeh to justice as well as leading the efforts for the protection of the Rohingya of Myanmar before the world court are indeed efforts that worth commendation. For these and many other achievements I strongly hold that he deserves this award!
While I commend him profusely for this feat I am sure he will also take this achievement as a further challenge to respond to issues in this country even more strongly and uncompromisingly. For example, it is necessary to highlight that while he led the defense of the Rohingya Muslims against their own government for persecuting them he will also bear in mind that in the Gambia we also have a minority Muslim population, the Ahmadiyya who also face persecution from the society and they need his protection.
Similarly, the incidence of sexual harassment against our girls and women is widespread in the private and public sectors as well as in the wider society. Until today suspected rapists are working in our public offices without being held accountable. Overall the prevention, detection and prosecution for sexual violence, early marriage and FGM remain hopelessly low because law enforcement is weak. This needs his attention.
Furthermore, the tide against democratic norms and human rights violations is increasing and it is perpetrated by the Government he serves. The recent illegal arrest and detention of Three Years Jotna leaders and the blatant closure of Home Digital and King FM and the harassment of their journalists are legitimate issues that the Minster of Justice should have stopped even before they happened.
The incidence of police brutality and corruption are widespread. There have been several investigations announced for several incidents of police brutality and corruption by State agencies and officials yet no report ever comes out hence no accountability. As the Minister of Justice, he is the chief law enforcement officer in this country hence he must enforce the law without hesitation. Therefore, this award must trigger him further to ensure that all those dormant investigations are reignited so that Gambians get to know the outcome and he goes further to prosecute those public officials and security officers found to be liable.
Finally let me express similar appreciation to the other nominees of this category, namely Mayor Talib Bensouda and TRRC Lead Counsel Essa Mbye Faal. These are two gentlemen who equally deserve my personal vote. This is a healthy competition in which everyone is a winner! With this nomination I hope they will also continue on the path they tread.
I wish to commend the Mayor for the efforts he is taking to transform Kanifing Municipality into a decent place to live so that our citizens enjoy their long denied right to quality, affordable and accessible social services. Similarly, I have no doubts that Essa Faal will leave no stone unturned and spare no person in ensuring that truth, justice and accountability takes place as we seek to heal the nation.
Gambians, if you had thought these awards were a joke please I beseech you to change your perception. If they have not inspired you until now please let them serve as an inspiration and encouragement to realize that service to humanity is the highest demonstration of self esteem, faith and patriotism. Therefore, let us all rise up to this opportunity to double up our efforts in serving our society, promoting excellence and celebrating each other. Thank you Fatu Network!!!
For The Gambia Our Homeland
Women leaders exemplify equality in The Gambia
By Kathryn Edwards
On any given Tuesday, in the small West African nation of The Gambia, something unusual in the history of U.S. diplomacy happens; when the U.S. ambassador enters the conference room for the weekly country team meeting, he is greeted by a dedicated team who represent the living, breathing embodiment of progress in breaking down gender barriers.
Around the table, the deputy chief of mission, the management officer, and leaders of the political and economic section, public affairs section, regional security office, and consular section—all one-officer sections, as well as the U.S. Marine detachment commander and executive office management specialist, are all women. They are also joined by the powerful female trio of leaders in the Peace Corps—the country director, director of programming and training, and director of management and operations. These women leaders make up a diverse team of professional diplomats promoting U.S. national security and contributing to the embassy’s integrated country strategy goals to support a successful transition to democracy for a country emerging from the shadow of despotism.
The American diplomatic corps have historically had a shortage of female leaders, due to numerous factors. For example, women serving at the Department of State before 1971 were forced to resign if they married. Many barriers and challenges to the advancement of females within the ranks were historically present, and the absence of female leadership negatively impacted American diplomacy—because of this, American interests suffered.
As time went on, many women and men recognized this problem. They fought for change in order to empower patriotic and gifted women and to ensure the Foreign Service could better reflect the nation that it serves. Today, in Banjul and missions across the globe, women serve without regulated caps on their achievements. Hopefully, the next generation will be able to continue to serve without cultural and gender normative limitations proudly.
This hard-fought achievement, with so many women currently holding leadership positions, is a testament to the fact that the struggle for inclusion, diversity, and fairness is worthwhile. While it may feel like the barriers holding back women, people of color, religious minorities, and other marginalized groups are too deeply entrenched to be moved, the country team in The Gambia proves that with dedication, passion, and vision, change can and does happen, even if progress is slow. This lesson is particularly important in The Gambia, where women are in a far earlier stage of their struggle for equality.
“For me, having gender equality at the top benefits everyone,” said Amie Ndow, Gambian host country national registered nurse and health unit coordinator. “Our key obstacle to women leadership is [a] mainly unconscious or implicit bias which can cloud judgment in ways people are not fully aware of. For the past decade there has been a significant improvement in women leadership in The Gambia, but the ratio is still not balanced at the top.”
In The Gambia, as in many countries, antiquated ideas about the roles of men and women in society are still strongly held. Gambian women are struggling to level the playing field, and they have a steep uphill climb ahead of them, even with traditional and religious beliefs stating that daughters do not inherit as much as sons. Women are and have been drastically underrepresented in the Gambian legislature. Since 1965, only 22 women have joined the ranks of the National Assembly, and only 11 of these women were elected by their constituencies—the rest were appointed by the president. Currently, only five out of the 55 legislators are women, and three of those were appointed.
According to UNICEF, more than half of girls in The Gambia are subjected to female genital mutilation before age 5, and more than 70 percent of Gambian women have faced this dangerous ritual in their lifetime. Domestic abuse routinely goes unreported; gender-based violence is rarely victim-centric, or victim supportive, and is also seldom prosecuted. Gender parity in grade school is roughly equal but drops significantly at the high school and university levels, in many cases due to early marriage and the expectation that young women must be responsible for most grueling domestic tasks. Gambian women face unbelievable hurdles on the quest for full participation in their society.
Local staff at Embassy Banjul recognize the value of removing barriers to women’s participation in diplomacy. The example demonstrated by the changing demographics in the Foreign Service tells a positive story, one that the embassy is proud to share.
“Our demographics, by themselves, reinforce our support for women’s rights, women’s equal opportunity, women’s equal treatment, and changing cultural norms that we, in the states, struggled with and continue to struggle with despite all of the progress made,” said U.S. Ambassador to The Gambia Richard “Carl” Paschall III.
The increased participation of women in leadership roles also offers unique benefits when engaging with target audiences.
“For many, a female regional security officer is unexpected, and it is clear that often people are caught off guard by it,” said Rebecca McKnight, Embassy Banjul’s regional security officer. “But it has afforded me with many unique opportunities to engage with important stakeholders, especially within the law enforcement community.”
Women in leadership positions bring an important perspective to policy, professional activities, and work-life balance. Shelly Seaver, deputy chief of mission, feels that promoting women’s rights and ensuring a balanced perspective is inherent in all of the work of Embassy Banjul.
“The commitment to well-rounded professionalism—a team environment, a focus on balance and perspective, as well as the promotion of personal and professional development—are all important characteristics that our outstanding country team members bring to the table every day,” said Seaver.
As U.S. embassies around the world celebrate International Women’s Day, March 8, it is important to remember that the Foreign Service is a leader in championing equality. The entire Department promotes equality every single day, not just through programs and engagements, but through demonstrating the tangible value of diversity. The composition of the U.S. diplomatic corps in The Gambia and at missions throughout the world demonstrates what can happen when a nation decides to chart a better course for its sons and daughters. Embassy Banjul is leading by example, showing the power of a functioning, diverse democracy that allows all of its citizens the ability to contribute. The American women at the Mission show this not just by being female leaders, but by excelling at their job of advancing American interests while representing the American people, day in and day out.
Editor’s note: The writer, Kathryn Edwards, is the public affairs officer at US Embassy Banjul. This feature article was culled from State Magazine, a monthly publication by the US State Department.
Breaking news: President Barrow sacks army chief Masanneh Kinteh
By Lamin Njie
President Adama Barrow has sacked chief of defence staff Masanneh Kinteh.
More follows…
To ‘Secular’ or not – A perspective
In the summer of 2019, @KMC councilman, Kemo Bojang, had opined that The Gambia should pursue [and nurture] a system of ‘’democracy with Gambian characteristics’’. It came to be one of those memorable quotes of the year given the domestic political scene and trends in the region.
I thought it rather unfortunate that the media hadn’t picked on it unpack what that means with respect to Gambia’s socio-politico history. That disappoints. I trust seasoned observers on [Sene]Gambia society & politics will have understood what he was aiming at.
Unpack the scene
In the Arabic dialect, one of the major frustrations Muslim scholars contend with concern usage of the word Jihad. The term actually originates from the Arabic root word ‘Jahada’ – meaning, to struggle.
According to the renown Islamic preacher, Mufti Menk, anyone in doubt should consult scholarly experts on Jurisprudence before misinterpreting, misquoting sacred Quran text. Islam is a religion of peace, he continues, but there are many out there on social media spreading hateful vice contrary to the values Islam stood for:
Back in 2009, an official from the Vatican, Rome, had called on Muslim leaders & religious dignitaries, to apologise for Jihad. The uninformed church official made the call on assumptions of a dictionary definition of Jihad. The common mistake is the assumption that jihad means holy war – still taught in schools today.
So What does Jihad Mean?
Jihad in Islam, a Saudi scholar explains – When Allah (Almighty God) prescribe Jihad; that Jihad is an Arabic word literally means “Resistance”. It means to resist, and there is a list of things included to be resisted: First on that list is to resist against ones own inner desires. Second, is to resist against the temptations of “satan”. Third, which is the least one on the strength of resistance, is to resist enemies on the battlefield. Enemies here, according to the imam … refers to those who fight you on account of religion. To be clear, Islam is not a passive religion: Muslims are ordered to fight and defend their honour, defend their country against oppressors.
Allah SWT commanded in the Glorious Quran that, “fight (against) those who fight you.” But even where events came to that, the Muslim army was instructed not to transgress beyond limits .. not to harm non-combatants, women & children, nor of unnecessary destruction – international law governing rules of war adopted today.
The Glorious Quran has unequivocally declared the universal equality of all mankind, with emphasis on the sanctity of life. The rights of women is neatly defined, property rights, and of equality before the law. The Quran did warn against hypocrisy, and enjoin “sincerity” in all that one does.
The stress on ethics in leadership is well pronounced, thus paramount. One thousand, four-hundred years later (1,400), Islamic Jurisprudence has influenced policy making on nation-states around the world, as well as supranational at the United Nations.
In similar vein, the word ‘’secular’’ ought to be considered in context whenever apply in discourse circles. You probably have to turn back to ancient Greece or Victorian England examine the ramblings of clergy (church) and state (absolute monarchy) in terms of origin. In concept terms, secularism is the principle of the separation of government institutions and persons mandated to represent the state from religious institutions and religious dignitaries. Are the marabout-loving Gambian politicians able to oblige – your guess is as good as mine.
Secularism today, barely register political discourse in Europe or United States, preoccupied with politics of the ‘right’. Maybe, because, these countries bore overwhelming monolithic white “Christian” populations. Across Europe, churches are closing down in large numbers, hence the young generation either do not trust the “biblical” message, or had grown disillusioned with the church and what Christianity represent in their lives.
The divisions within Christianity itself are major, unable to unite on a single ‘book’ Bible. There is a sharp rise in atheism all across the Western world; and of the “religious” but in name only. Another sect of surprise is that of “Satanists”, devil cult on the dark side. Especially concerned by the proliferation of false prophets, doomsayers, tele-evangelists in it for the money – secularism gives you that too.
Gambian Muslims and Christians enjoys centuries old coexistence exemplified by tolerance & respect for the other. We should never lose sight of that. We have seen people shout barking mad of late – on both sides of the “secular” debate by the way – but have they sort to critically enquire about the type of Gambia we want; for our offspring???
Should we be concerned that outside forces are at play to sow seeds of doubt & enmity among the most peaceful Muslims and Christians to be found anywhere in the world? As a body, Gambian Christians are exemplary for the values it stood, demarcating church from state in its ritual congregational deliverance. Gambia: remember, all mankind originates from Adam: that anyone out there who tries to divide communities on ethnic/religious grounds should be rejected.
Having said that – I however disagree with parts of the country’s Christian-hood calling for insertion of ‘’secular’’ in the constitution. While their concerns are legitimate and real, I write mindful of the future in view of complexities technology imposes on societies. There is a danger importing harm imposing cultures that may injure or grandstand valuable [Sene]Gambia cultural values from stay.
As globalisation takes hold, with the destructive force of Facebook destabilising regimes, creating animosity in society – the institution of marriage is under severe strain – it is incumbent upon government to protect a solid social structure.
Religion, I’d argue, gives a solid base and grounding to a child. It addresses a rather physiological balance in terms of behaviour in the manner states relate in international affairs. The absence of that, in my view, may give rise to the invention of new burdens upon Gambian society losing itself on the big wide web.
For the National Interest
Gibril Saine
Chinese people ditch handshakes and now greet each other by tapping their feet together to avoid contracting the coronavirus
People in China have abandoned traditional handshakes and started to greet each other by tapping their feet together to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus.
Trending videos show residents of the country using their shoes to touch others’ shoes as they meet during the health crisis.
The new form of social greeting has been billed as the ‘foot-touching curtsy’ on Weibo, the Chinese equivalent to Twitter.
One trending video, which was posted by a Weibo account based in Ningbo, shows one man wearing a face mask coming out of a vehicle to meet several people.
But when one of his guests extended his hand for a handshake, he gestured him to stop.
The two then exchanged greetings by tapping their feet twice – once with the right foot and once with the left foot.
Another clip on short-video site Douyin, thought to be filmed in Shenzhen, captured a similar scene when five men gathered to drink tea after an extended Lunar New Year holiday.
China’s social media users have been amused by the unconventional curtsy.
On Weibo, one person joke: ‘Now you need a pair of good quality shoes.’
Another one praised: ‘These people are so creative!’
A third person wondered: ‘Are we all going to greet each other like this from now on?’
But a fourth commenter worried: ‘What if the virus gets passed through the soles?’
Chinese people are not the only ones who have adopted the foot-to-foot way of greeting.
In Iran, a country with the second highest number of coronavirus deaths, a viral video shows people using the innovative approach of greeting to prevent the contagion.
The hashtag StopShakingHands has been widely used on Twitter as the outbreak takes hold and Britons take steps to minimise the chances of catching the illness.
In Germany, even Chancellor Angela Merkel was shunned by her interior minister Horst Seehofer who refused to shake her hand at an event today. Merkel had previously refused to shake the hands of attendees at an event in her district due to the outbreak.
One British doctor today also claimed she has stopped shaking hands with new acquaintances and a Google executive revealed how he has spent hours avoiding the greeting to stop the virus spreading. (DailyMail)
Breaking: Pandemonium in Basse: Fire breaks out at market resulting in traders crying as others scramble to save their goods
By Lamin Njie
Traders at Basse Market scrambled to save what’s left of their goods late Monday following a fire outbreak.
The Fatu Network has gathered firefighters have raced to the scene to battle the fire which has at this hour began to spread. The cause of the fire could not be immediately established.
A Gambian journalist in Basse told The Fatu Network thieves have also joined in piling misery on traders after they began stealing people’s properties. The police have arrested some of the thieves, he added.
More follows…
And he’s 80 years old! Lesotho Prime Minister goes on the run on the day he was due to be charged with murdering his then-wife before marrying another woman (who has also been accused)
The 80-year-old Prime Minister of the tiny African country of Lesotho failed to appear in court of Friday where he was due to be charged with the murder of his ex-wife.
Thomas Thabane was a no-show at Maseru Magistrate’s Court on Friday, a day after police announced he would be charged over the fatal shooting of wife 58-year-old wife Lilopelo in June 2017.
Secretary Thabo Thakalekoala said Thabane had gone to South Africa, but denied he had fled justice and insisted that he had gone for a ‘routine’ doctor’s appointment.
Thabane left the mountainous and land-locked country of Lesotho on Thursday night, just hours after police announced their intention to charge him.
On Friday morning, just hours after he departed, his office announced that he will stand down as Prime Minister in July due to his age.
Police are now investigating his disappearance, and say that if it can be proved he is trying to escape justice then an arrest warrant will be issued.
Maesaiah Thabane, 42, Thabane’s current wife who he married just two months after Lilopelo’s death, has already been charged over the killing.
Lilopelo was gunned down outside her home in the capital Maseru in June 2017, just two days before he took office and following a bitter divorce battle.
Sitting alongside the premier at his inauguration was Maesaiah. He then gave a speech during which he described the death of his wife as a ‘senseless killing’.
Police said Thursday that the premier is suspected of ‘acting in common purpose’ in Lilopelo’s murder.
Her death shook the tiny mountainous kingdom of Lesotho, which is entirely surrounded by South Africa.
Police investigations found that communications records from the day of the murder included Thabane’s cell phone number.
Deputy Police Commissioner Paseka Mokete told AFP that the 80-year-old prime minister ‘will be formally charged with… murder’.
‘It does not necessarily mean he was there but that he was acting in common purpose,’ Mokete said.
The Prime Minister’s current wife Maesaiah Thabane was charged under the same terms on February 4.
‘She was charged under common purpose even though she did not pull the trigger, but people she was acting in consent with pulled the trigger,’ said Mokete by phone.
Sporting a bright yellow outfit complete with a matching headscarf, she sat straight-faced, next to the prime minister during his inauguration that was held at a stadium in Maseru, two days after the murder.
The long unresolved case had plunged the PM’s leadership into question, forcing his All Basotho Convention (ABC) party to ask him to resign.
The ABC had given him until Thursday to step aside but he snubbed their deadline, instead saying he will only go by July 31. (DailyMail)
TFN Heroes Awards: Nominations close as Awards Committee commences review
Press Release
The Awards Committee of The Fatu Network Heroes Awards wishes to inform the general public that nominations for the 11 categories closed on Friday, February 14 at 12:00pm. Nominations received after the deadline will be disregarded.
The Committee is thrilled to report that at the close of the nominations, a total number of 1500 entries were recorded from all categories. More than 50 percent of all entries came from the Diaspora with the rest received locally.
The Awards Committee will now move forward to reviewing the entries in the next few days and select four of the most outstanding nominees in each category. These nominees will be announced on Thursday, 20 February. The nominees’ biographical information and photos will be published before formal voting takes place via Africell text message and the Awards online platforms.
The finalists, The Heroes, will be unveiled on Saturday, 14 March at an award banquet to be held at the Coco Ocean Resort and Spa in Bijilo.
The Awards Committee expresses its appreciation to everyone who took part in the nomination process and counts on your continued support throughout the voting process.
The TFN Heroes Awards is established by The Fatu Network, the leading online news provider in The Gambia with the aim of recognizing and celebrating Gambians who have offered invaluable service to the country and to their communities.
PRESS RELEASE: Clarification on The Africell Unlimited Bundle
Dear Valued Customers,
Africell would like to clarify to our esteemed subscribers the recent change from “Unlimited Bundles” to “Mega Bundles”.
In our relentless quest to always provide our customers with the best possible services at the most affordable prices, Africell launched the “Unlimited” Data Bundle in April 2019. This new bundle became the cheapest and most efficient way to connect homes, businesses, individuals and communities.
Unfortunately, we have recently detected around 800 abusers who were consuming as much as 40,000 data subscribers. We even came across cases where extreme users were opening illegal businesses and connecting entire neighborhoods for a premium, at the expense of our honest and loyal customers. Regrettably, we have received numerous complaints from deserving customers who are unable to enjoy our data service to its full capacity because of those 800 abusers.
During our thorough investigation into the matter, we also found cases whereby single numbers were buying multiple subscriptions of the Unlimited Bundles for different devices in a single month. Most of these users bought over 10 subscriptions while others up to 30 subscriptions. We even found a case where a certain individual bought 52 subscriptions of the Unlimited Bundle in a single month for multiple devices. This is clearly outside the realms of fair usage.
Consequently, this degraded the network at the expense of the fair users.
In our continuous effort to ensure that all customers are satisfied, Africell will be refunding all affected subscribers with the credit used to buy the Unlimited Bundle. These customers can also continue to enjoy for Free the current plan that they are subscribed to.
On behalf of all of us at Africell Gambia, we would like to apologize for any inconvenience. Please know that our customers are always our number one priority, and that we will continue to work hard with honesty and integrity in order to always provide quality services to our Africell Family.
Yours Sincerely,
Management and Staff of Africell
The imam and the journalist: The story of Baa-Kawsu and Taranga FM
Following his appearance at the ongoing Truth Reconciliation and Reparation Commission on Thursday, popular preacher and Islamic Scholar, Imam Baa-Kawsu Fofana became an instant social media sensation and his frequent sips from the football-size silver kettle aka ‘’Tashaalo’’ going viral.
As illustrated by such a rare public display of ‘nonconformism’, the Imam is as humorous as he is controversial. Love him or loathe him, Baa-Kawsu is a master communicator who knows how to penetrate the psyche and dinner table conversations of the Gambian society. Ask some, they would describe him as a bigot who uses his platform to castigate the minority (Jolas) and mock the weak and vulnerable in society (albinos). To many though, he is a highly regarded Islamic scholar who speaks truth to power without mincing his words.
At a time when the Gambian public was suppressing deep dissatisfaction with the status quo and the custodians of the Ummah were dancing with the devil, the ‘Mori-baa’ became famous for his highly charged critical reviews and condemnation of the ruling political and religious class. He would attack Jammeh as Bakary Banjul (which he would be later questioned about during his gruesome grilling at the NIA) and refer to Imam Fatty, one time State House Imam, as the ‘Imam Borabaa’. Such a rambunctious style of preaching attracted congregants from far and wide who flocked his masjid in Sanchaba in thousands. Communities across the country would be inviting him as the Guest Speaker at ‘Gaamos’ and other Islamic gatherings. Quickly, the Imam became a huge center of public attention, and because controversy sells, the local press caught on and also developed an interest in what he had to say.
His popularity coincided with one of the most interesting episodes of my broadcasting career. Around 2011 to 2012, the Mandinka news programme that I produced and presented on Taranga FM called ‘Bitilo Kibaro’ became one of the biggest radio programmes in the country. Being the only independent news programme targeting the illiterate majority at the time, Bitilo Kibaro became the first point of call for news and current affairs for many in The Gambia. It was setting the narrative and driving conversations in the country. Although the radio network did not cover the whole country, I had heard testimonies of people uploading all editions of the week on a memory card and sending them to their families in the provinces to bring them up to speed with current national and global happenings. Another man told me he would listen to the entire 40-minutes news programme on a phone call anytime he traveled to the provinces. Even at the Mile II Central prisons, I’ve heard that the show was religiously followed.
By virtue of its widespread popularity, the authorities turn their attention to Bitilo Kibaro monitoring everything being said there as they did with the Imam’s turbo-charged sermons.
As faith would have it, the popular Imam and the biggest radio programme at the time would cross paths, after severally featuring stories about his comments on current issues like the ever-controversial moon-sighting debacle, the eid days hullaballoo, Jammeh, Imam Fatty, the Supreme Islamic Council, among other hot issues.
The blistering sermons led to the infamous televised showdown with the President of the Republic and the leadership of the Gambia Supreme Islamic Council, which Jammeh declared as ‘the last warning’ for him to either behave or be sent his ‘5-star hotel’. Being the stubborn man that he was, Imam Fofana refused to be silenced but doubled down on critical sermons, and in the process, attracting more people to his Masjid for Jumaah prayers. Before long, he got arrested and tortured for about nine (9) days by officers of the notorious now-defunct National Intelligence Agency. After his release, he placed himself under a self-imposed silence declaring that it wasn’t time to disclose what happened at the NIA. ‘When the time comes, everything will be disclosed’’, I recalled him telling me.
Soon afterward, that was exactly what took place: he granted us an interview and laid bare everything that transpired during his encounter at the NIA. He said he was asked about why he would refer to President Jammeh as ‘Bakary Banjul’ or ‘Banjul Mansa’, and not his right honorific. They also asked about his beef with Jammeh, the Jola ethnic group, as well as the supreme Islamic council, he added. I can remember him telling us that he was taken to a dark room, where huge men, who reeked of alcohol, rained blows and slaps on his face and hit his head with canes. Perhaps more startling for me was his revelation that the torture exercise was being recorded on video. ‘Recorded for who?’, I remember asking myself. ‘Maybe for Jammeh’s own amusement’, I thought. Bakawsu’s detention and torture marked the beginning of a renewed attack on the religious class, especially the ones critical of the regime. It culminated in the unannounced arrest and detention of Imam Baba Leigh of Kanifing South Mosque four months later.
A few days after airing parts of the Bakawsu interview on his ordeal in detention on the Mandinka News programme, NIA agents surrounded BaaKawsu’s home to arrest him again but how that showdown truly transpired remains a mystery to this day. According to reports, family sources said he disappeared into thin air while being arrested and that they could not tell his whereabouts. Months later, the country would hear from him in Cassamance where he sought refuge until Jammeh declared a general amnesty in 2015.
On the same night of BaKawsu’s arrest, personnel of the NIA on board three pick-up trucks stormed the premises of my radio station, Taranga FM, at around 10:00 – 11:00 p.m. ordering the operator on duty to shut down the radio immediately. The Standard newspaper also got shut down in the same week. The closure of the radio marked the start of untold suffering and fear for most of the employees. I could remember feeling that I was being monitored and followed any time I went out.
Our media house would remain closed for about two years and most of us who couldn’t wait any longer had to move on to other media houses. I went to the newly opened Star FM radio where I rekindled the same kind of news programme to empower the masses with information so that they could participate in governance and development.
Thus, on Thursday, when I heard the Imam mentioned the interview in question during his testimony at the TRRC, it brought back grim memories of the personal sacrifices and risks that we took at a time when journalism in The Gambia was a risky business.
On Tribe and Tribalism: Letter to my Friend
Dear Sheriff,
Greetings this early Thursday morning, February 6, 2020 from my little corner in the cool groves of Kerr Serign.
In accordance with our pact sealed a decade and a half ago while you sojourned in the realm of the Hanoverian Lady and I was in the “land of the free and the home of the brave”, I pen to you yet another epistle on a matter of critical national importance.
We live in interesting times; and in this post-truth world, it is a daunting task to deal with sensitive matters in a hypersensitive society like ours. But my mantra is quite clear, a line from the lyrics of your fellow native of Brikama ST: Tonyaa kesso yeh execute (the truth must be executed!)
The issue of tribe has been one of the most contentious matters in what I have been calling our “so called” New Gambia for more than two years. Despite its beauty and enriching quality in our social fabric, the matter of tribe has virtually become a ticking time bomb in our these troubled times.
You are no stranger to this matter for I have consistently seen a quarter page of a advert in your newspaper, The Standard addressing this matter.
First, I must say that in our desire to dent the potential negative aspects of tribal matters, some of us have taken the escapist and simplistic route of coining the false slogan “my tribe is Gambia!” Oh what a farce! Indeed those who pushed this mantra must have some good intention but this type of approach is characteristic of our typical attitude of trivialising complex matters and hoping to attain solutions to difficult problems by taking easy measures. What has been the result regarding the problem this sloganeering has attempted to resolve?
The problem of tribalism is worsening in our country and if anyone failed to notice this, then the week following the January 26 protests about our current leaders contentious mandate has revealed the cancerous nature of this rumour called tribalism.
Indeed this scourge has no place in a nation of believers, Muslims and Christians. For this first time in my life I have heard people calling on their tribesmen and women to go out and attack their perceived enemies that belong to other tribes. This is truly alarming!
Sherif, it is my belief that our ethnic groups and their diverse traditions and customs are a blessing to this beautiful country whose cardinal prayer is “and join our diverse peoples to prove man’s brotherhood!” So why should we sit down and watch this blessing being transformed into a curse that could plague our society for generations? Have we learnt any lessons from the genocide of Rwanda?
Truly we must watch our media space, both traditional and new media; especially social media because the amount of hate speech in this country is flabbergasting. With hindsight, we know that tribal/ethnic wars have always been preceded (and ignited) by hate speech so this is where our task of preventing a dangerous ethnic conflagration must commence.
My morning recitation of the Holy Quran, today took me to the 17th Chapter, called al Isra (the night Journey) but also called Bani Israel (the Children of Israel). The 53rd verse of this chapter stood out for me as Allah solemnly warns us: “And say to My servants (that) they speak that which is good and kindlier; surely the Shaitan sows dissensions among them; surely the Shaitan is an open enemy to man.”
Shall we not then watch our mouths Sherif, or would we continue to read these Holy scriptures without taking lessons/instructions? Are we going to be like the people Allah speaks about in Surah Jumuah when he asserted in the fifth verse “The example of those who were entrusted with the Torah and then did not take it on is like that of a donkey who carries volumes [of books]. Wretched is the example of the people who deny the signs of Allah. And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.”
Is it not interesting that the previous verse quoted regarding dangerous speech comes from a chapter named after a nation that was set up as a confluence of tribes? Am I then wrong, my friend, in an assertion I made some two years ago, that “in our desire to solve the problem of tribalism, we must not risk to attempt to “kill the tribe for the nation to survive” as preposterously postulated by some sloganeering groups egged on by the fuel of irrational exuberance?
Verily my position is that we can manage and conserve our ethnic diversity while preserving the ethos of our oneness as Gambians. To quote my late mother’s Mandinka proverb depicting peaceful coexistence, “nyo kaanaa sosoe faa; sosoe kaanaa nyo faa!”
Is Israel not existing in tact as a nation despite their tribal hues? Why can’t we live together in harmony despite our diversity? Just like the patriarch Israel (or Jacob) and his children produced the various tribes, so have my parents given birth to me and my siblings, blessing me with nephews and nieces who became Wolofs, Jolas, Fulas and Mandinkas. How can I hate my own blood?
Our creation as tribes and nations is indeed for a reason as Allah is never frivolous. In his classic declaration he explained in verse 10 of Surah Hujuraat: “O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.”
Is the reason stated in the above verse not partly captured in the last segment of the verse in the First Book of Samuel, chapter 16: 7: “for the Lord sees not as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”?
Sherif, let us admonish each other that we must eschew excessive judgmental behaviours and learn to love and appreciate one another for only Allah can judge who is better. Yet, He (Glory be to Him) embraces us all in his Mercy and Grace; even those who deny His existence and omnipotence receive His Love and Kindness in this world. Shall we not learn a lesson?
My good friend, I believe that some cynical reader of this epistle will call you or send a message questioning my authority on such a sensitive matter given the fact that I once read an official statement of The Gambia Government that was quite obnoxious and offensive to a particular ethnic group. Yes I did; and I regretted it and apologised for that gross error even though I did detail the circumstances that surrounded that incident in several interviews; I actually explained that I had advised the powers that be at the time against issuing such a statement. I still stand on that apology; but that erratum of mine will never keep me gagged when the nation faces clear dangers and Caesar seems to be fiddling with the distraction of self-perpetuation while the cinders of conflict are being fanned with the waves of hate speech.
Ours is a beautiful country and we have managed to keep our diversity alive as a united country so we should not break this harmony. I have heard some people claim that our neighbouring country, Senegal, is a detribalised society but I think this opinion is both false and misleading. We hear the rumbles of discord beneath the apparent harmony at the surface of that society. At least we have never encountered violent civil strife based on region or language and we pray for our neighbours to sustain and expand the gains made in trying to restore peace and harmony in their own backyard.
Gambia exudes the beauty of diversity as portrayed by our media, a beautiful melange, promoted by our State Broadcaster, The Gambia Radio and Television Services (GRTS). They should be encouraged to improve their role in preserving this heritage and be more proactive in shaping the colour and tone of our national discourse for greater peace and enduring harmony “towards the common good!”
And finally, as we approach yet another celebration of our independence anniversary, my good friend, I bid you bonne fete with these lyrics from our national hymn:
For The Gambia our homeland
We strive and work and pray
That all may live in unity
Freedom and peace each day…
Yours,
Momodou Sabally
The Gambia’s Pen
Breaking news: Three Years Jotna leaders’ release takes new twist as judge shelves bail ruling again
By Adama Makasuba
The bail ruling of eight leaders of Operation Three Years Jotna has taken a fresh twist after the judge adjourned the case to next week.
Amina Saho Ceesay had on Monday said she would deliver a ruling in the bail application of the accused persons today (Thursday). It followed a showdown between the prosecution and the defence over whether the embattled activists should be granted bail.
In court today, Mrs Ceesay didn’t hand a ruling; she instead asked the defence to formally write the court to request bail before adjourning the case to Tuesday.
More follows…….
‘Not guilty as charged’: Donald Trump is acquitted on two articles of impeachment bringing four-month trial to an end
Donald Trump was acquitted on the two articles of impeachment against him on Wednesday, bringing a four-month fractious trial and inquiry to a close.
The final outcome was an almost certainty in the Republican-controlled Senate where it would have taken a two-thirds majority to remove him from office.
Chief Justice John Roberts presided over the the two votes – one for each article – and instructed senators to vote ‘guilty’ or ‘not guilty,’ which is different from the usual ‘yeah’ or ‘nay’ lawmakers say.
The clerk of the Senate called out each senator by name so each could vote, one by one. At the end of each vote, Roberts pronounced Trump ‘not guilty as charged.’
On the first article, abuse of power, 48 senators voted guilty and 52 found the president not guilty.
For the second vote, on obstruction of Congress, 47 senators voted guilty and 53 voted not guilty.
With the votes concluded, Roberts gave the final judgement.
‘The Senate having tried Donald J. Trump – president of the united States – upon two articles of impeachment exhibited against him by the House of Representatives and 2/3 of the senators present not having found him guilty of the charges contained therein, it is therefore order and judged that the said Donald John Trump be hereby acquitted of the charges in the said articles,’ Roberts pronounced. (DailyMail)
Foreign Minister Dr.Tangara Held Audience With Chinese Ambassador H.E. Ma Jainchun
Banjul, 4th February 2020 –
The Honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad, Dr. Mamadou Tangara, expressed Gambia’s solidarity and sympathy with the People’s Republic of China on the novel coronavirus outbreak and the loss of lives during an audience with the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to The Gambia, H.E. Ma Jainchun in his office in Banjul.
The purpose of the audience was to update the Government of The Gambia through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the novel coronavirus outbreak.
In welcoming Ambassador Ma, Minister Tangara said the Government of The Gambia appreciates and is grateful to efforts employed by China in containing the epidemic and the support China continues to render to Gambians in Wuhan among other provinces.
The Minister said that The Gambia fully recognises and highly appreciates China’s effective response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The Minister shared Gambia’s solidarity with the Government and People of China during this difficult moment while highlighting that The Gambia shares the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recognition as well as other collaborating partners’ response in tackling the coronavirus.
Minister Tangara therefore assured Ambassador Ma that The Gambia will abide by WHO’s recommendation for countries not to impose travel or trade restrictions on China. He however informed that as a country, The Government of The Gambia through the Ministry of Health will continue to strengthen its surveillance system in all entry points to ensure the safety of people living in The Gambia.
In light of this engagement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wishes to inform the general public that the Ministry is in close contact with Embassy staff in Beijing who have reported that no Gambian is infected with the virus.
The Ministry will work with the relevant Government Departments and other partners to ensure that the necessary provisions are provided to Gambian citizens living in China.
In order to ensure constant update on coronavirus, the Ministry has created the following service lines that can be contacted: +86 130 0119 5701 for Gambians in China, and +220 932 5988 for residents in Gambia.
For his part, Ambassador Ma disclosed that there are 17,000 confirm cases and 65 percent of which is concentrated in Wuhan province, the epicentre of the outbreak. He said the initial intervention made was to isolate affected persons whilst resource were being mobilised by the Chinese Government. He however said that some of the affected persons were discharged following positive response to treatment. He further informed that the Chinese Government has now mobilised medical teams across China, including military medical personnel to tackle the outbreak.
He said as part of efforts to curb the outbreak, China built 1000-bed-hospital in 10 days; and that another hospital with capacity of 1300 beds will be ready on the 5th February 2020. He said with the on-going efforts, there is optimism that the outbreak will be contained in the soonest possible time.
Ambassador Ma also discussed with the Honourable Minister the WHO’s declaration on the coronavirus outbreak. The WHO Director General has recently hailed China’s decisive and strong measures and expressed full confidence in China’s ability to defeat the outbreak.
Issued by the Communication Unit of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,International Cooperation and Gambians Abroad
Brexit : what does it mean for the European Union and our partners?
Joint Op-Ed
HRVP Josep Borrell & Head of UK Task Force, Michel Barnier
On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom left the European Union. We lost a member of our family. It was a sad moment for us, for European citizens – and, indeed, for many British citizens.
Nevertheless, we have always respected the sovereign decision of 52% of the British electorate, and we now look forward to starting a new chapter in our relations.
Emotions aside, 1 February turned out to be historic but also undramatic. This is largely thanks to the Withdrawal Agreement that we negotiated with the UK, which enabled us to secure ‘an orderly Brexit’. One that – at least for now – minimises disruption for our citizens, businesses, public administrations – as well as for our international partners.
Under this agreement, the EU and the UK agreed on a transition period, until the end of 2020 at least, during which the UK will continue to participate in the EU’s Customs Union and Single Market, and to apply EU law, even if it is no longer a Member State. During this period, the UK will also continue to abide by the international agreements of the EU, as we made clear in a note verbale to our international partners.
So, with the transition period in place, there is a degree of continuity. This was not easy given the magnitude of the task. By leaving the Union, the UK automatically, mechanically, legally, leaves hundreds of international agreements concluded by or on behalf of the Union, to the benefit of its Member States, on topics as different as trade, aviation, fisheries or civil nuclear cooperation.
We now have to build a new partnership between the EU and the UK. That work will start in a few weeks, as soon as the EU27 have approved the negotiating mandate proposed by the European Commission, setting out our terms and ambitions for achieving the closest possible partnership with a country which will remain our ally, our partner and our friend.
The EU and the UK are bound by history, by geography, culture, shared values and principles and a strong belief in rules-based multilateralism. Our future partnership will reflect these links and shared beliefs. We want to go well beyond trade and keep working together on security and defence, areas where the UK has experiences and assets that are best used as part of a common effort. In a world of big challenges and change, of turmoil and transition, we must consult each other and cooperate, bilaterally and in key regional and global fora, such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organization, NATO or the G20.
It is perhaps a cliché but the basic truth is that today’s global challenges – from climate change, to cybercrime, terrorism or inequality – require collective responses. The more the UK is able to work in lockstep with the EU and together with partners around the world, the greater our chances of addressing these challenges effectively.
At the very core of the EU project is the idea that we are stronger together; that pooling our resources and initiatives is the best way of achieving common goals. Brexit does not change this, and we will continue to take this project forward as 27.
Together, the 27 Member States will continue to form a single market of 450 million citizens and more than 20 million businesses.
Together, we remain the largest trading bloc in the world.
Together, at 27, we are still the world’s largest development aid donor.
Our partners can be sure that we will stay true to an ambitious, outward-looking agenda – be it on trade and investment, on climate action and digital, on connectivity, on security and counter-terrorism, on human rights and democracy, or on defence and foreign policy.
We will continue to live up to our commitments. We will continue to stand by the agreements that link us to our international partners, such as the Economic Partnership Agreement between the West African States and the European Union, and we will continue to develop multilateral cooperation frameworks around the world.
The European Union will continue to be a partner you can trust. A steadfast defender of rules-based multilateralism, working with our partners to make the world more secure and fair.
MR. President: CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE IS THE LIFE BLOOD OF A DEMOCRACY
The first point of civility must point to truth – otherwise all its roads to formulate a civil and a vibrant democracy will lead to chaos and disunity.
My hunch is – the folks of the ‘3 Years Jotna’ aren’t on some heroic quest for vanity, but even if they are – it remains their right! The government cannot usurp those rights and cannot criminalize civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is the life blood of a democracy.
Some of us have never been part of the ‘The 3 Years Jotna Movement’ and have never supported it for practical reasons. I’ve always maintained that – it was badly conceived and improbable to attain considering the situation on the grounds. Among those concerns are; the drafting of a new constitution, the pending referendum, the possible fall out of ascending an unelected official into Presidency, and many other obstacles I cannot enumerate here.
Equally disappointed I was when Lawyer Darboe, a man I greatly admired and respected, switched positions on this matter, which seem to be only out of expediency – because his explanations were radically cheap on substance and utterly superficial in context.
Nevertheless, me and many others, stand with all of them in defense of their rights to dissent, to assemble and the legitimacy of the movement.
We cannot go back to the imbecilic trifles of the past brutal regime. We can start exercising the draconian laws of punishing or criminalizing dissent, arresting journalists and shutting down radio stations at the government’s volition.
There is no real substantial argument offered why such harsh measures are being taken against our fellow citizens. The tendency to bring those old techniques to terrorize the masses is repugnant and will never be tolerated in The Gambia. Civil disobedience cannot be criminalized. It’s simply wrong.
The government and the law enforcement can hide behind these foolish draconian laws to use them as penance against our fellow citizens, and they will certainly not suffice to perpetuate injustice for long.
Like it is with individuals, the life of a nation unfolds in series of surprises. Events are often unpredictable but it seems our conducts remain habitual – even as a nation. We must all work to change some habits; to truly love one another and stand for the rights of all our people, especially those we disagree with.
The temperament of a leader can be a gift or curse that accommodates the national impulses and events we know not whence they come. A leader of a nation cannot be contemptuous towards a section of the population simply because they oppose his rule or question its legitimacy. That is antithetical to democracy. It cannot be a crime to be asked to keep your own word. A leader cannot too arrogant to explain why he has to negate on his commitment, arguable within reason and solid legal grounds.
Modesty give you the private entrance into the hearts of the people of this great nation, but arrogance is shutting you out of those solemn entrances. Temperament is the means to climbing the pedestal of the natural aristocracy. It wasn’t bolster, ineptitude and arrogance that brought Barrow to power, and they won’t be the instruments to keep him there either.
His rise to power is the culmination of a million efforts by a million citizen. An honest effort to remove a dictator, to make him a prime custodian of our newly found democracy. That his very position has been conferred to him by the votes, the sweat and tears of many of those he now label as treasonous criminals. Still, many real criminals of the past regime stand erect besides you, Mr. President.
To those making the arguments to justify this aggression again fellow citizens, beware. Just about any argument can be made in the name of ‘love of country’ and ‘national security’- and then go on to insult, assault or label half of our countrymen or classify them as criminals or bad people. If you claim to love your country, try loving all our countrymen. Aren’t those two the same? What is a country without its people?
If a president seeks blind loyalty, he will certainly have it, but it will also ruin his presidency, and will be remembered as just another rascal that betrayed his people. Blind fealty gives thinking a fix direction, it is a killer to authentic discourse and it’s a dangerous double-edged sword that will certainly destroy your legacy.
Mr. President, many doubted your intellectual prowess and competence even at first glance, but admired your modesty, stood with you and prayed for your success from the very start. But I’m guessing lack of self-esteem is not humility. You can’t give up an ego you never had.
Now, it feels like many of us were wrong at the presumption of your humility. Taking the affairs and the security of our nation seriously is wise, but taking yourself too seriously is a sign of folly and overblown ego.
There is no luck in great presidencies and nothing can preserve its legacy beyond it’s intrinsic value. The effect of every great leaders on the minds of their people is in the depth of their own thought, moral integrity and their capacity for good they can render to those they govern. Mimicking a despotic murderous dotard like Jammeh is no roadmap to greatness.
You can’t masquerade your contempt and misgivings with the pretentious claim of national security. A coat of paint over a termite infested wood won’t take away the rot.
If something doesn’t commensurate your values or beliefs it might annoy greatly you but doesn’t necessarily make it wrong or illegal. It might inconvenience you but doesn’t mean they’re subverting democracy.
These trifles of an overzealous government are only transient, we the people shall set our rate and place in the history of our nation.
Onslaught by your security services is not only unacceptable; it is despicable and a stain on your presidency. They act as if we take for granted something that is freely granted to us. Like an immense gift beyond our metrics for valuation that we are abusing. Like an ungrateful child that outrun the sympathy a government afforded her.
The rights of the citizens aren’t your charitable givings. But, any attempts to stifle those rights are your own misgivings.
Mr. President, you and a sod – too drunk to remember his own name have equal stake to this country that we all love. Civil disobedience is the life blood of a democracy. Get use to it!
Website: jamaldrammeh.net
Facebook: jamal.drammeh
Twitter: @jamaldrammeh
Nominations open for TFN Heroes Awards 2019
The Awards Committee of The Fatu Network Heroes Awards is pleased to announce that nominations are now open for the 11 categories. From Friday, 31 January to Friday, 14 February, 2020, the general public can nominate any qualified persons, groups or institutions for any of the categories below:
. Agriculture- Agricultural Leadership Award
. Diaspora-Diaspora Engagement Award
. Disabled- Trailblazer Award (Honouring persons with disabilities)
. Education- Education Prize for Excellence Award
. Environment- The Green Award
. Health- Health Servant of the Year Award
. Man of the Year- Man of the Year Award
. Philanthropy- Philanthropist of the Year Award
. Posthumous- Iconic Gambian Award
. Woman of the Year- Woman of the Year Award
. Youth- Exemplary Youth Award
Nominations will be done via https://tfnheroes.com/
People can also drop off their nomination packages to TFN Office on Kairaba Avenue, opposite the American Embassy.
Once all nominations are received by the deadline, the Awards Committee will review all suggestions and narrow them down to a maximum of four candidates for each category. The winners will be unveiled at an awards night banquet to be held on 14 March, 2020 at the Coco Ocean Resort and Spa in Bijilo.
The TFN Heroes Awards is established by The Fatu Network, the leading online news provider in The Gambia. The Awards recognize and celebrate Gambians who have offered invaluable service to the country and to their communities.
UDP DIASPORA STANDS IN SOLIDARITY WITH YANKS DARBOE & HIS CO-ACCUSED
The United Democratic Party [UDP] Diaspora vehemently condemns the disproportionate use of force against lawfully assembled protesters who gathered on January 26, 2020 after the Inspector General of Police had issued them a permit, and the disproportionate charges preferred against them following their arraignment in the Kanifing Magistrates Courts. Consequently, the diaspora unit of the UDP without reservations, stands by and in Solidarity with the accused particularly its UK constituent member, Mr Yanks Darboe,the 7th accused of the 3 Years Jotna Movement’s executive.
Persons of conscience do not wait and watch injustice, oppression and repression erode their fundamental rights and freedoms and not lift a finger. They do not allow fear of government excesses and its consequences paralyze them to look the other way. Yankuba Darboe embodies that.
It is not lost on any Gambian that Mr Darboe was a strong, recognizable rights defender and activist who was very instrumental in the protracted fight to oust dictatorship, restore rule of law and good governance in the Gambia. As citizen and human rights lawyer, Mr Yanks Darboe had consistently challenged Government excesses with footprints and scars to show for it. He stood up and against abuse of power, state brutality and unjust treatment of citizens irrespective of political, ethnic and religious belonging. He invested his time and resources in ushering in this Government. To see his own Government target and punish him for no just reason, is a shame and indictment of the President who campaigned and won elections on the sweat and blood of victims of oppression barely three years ago.
Most importantly, Mr Yanks Darboe and his co-accused are victims of political vindictiveness. However much one might have disagreed with the movement, let’s not forget that they were not born out of a vacuum. The essense of their cause was to hold politicians – in this case the President – to account for a covenant he had with the Gambian voters to end self-perpetuating rule. It would be redundant narrating how we got here but our very recent history should teach us that the silence of our majority enabled the dictatorship. If there’s one thing that we must learn as a people and country is to resist the emergence of any authority that would curtail or confiscate any of our freedoms and right to dissent, especially.
The UDP Diaspora is reaffirming its National Executive’s position in demanding that these frivolous charges be dropped against peaceful protesters while advising the State to resist any temptation to misuse and abuse its powers. What had happened on January 26, 2020, was reminiscent of President Jammeh’s repressive modus operandi, and it brought back the painful memories of brutal murder of Solo Sandeng and the rights violations that followed. The country has chosen to adopt a ‘Never Again’ slogan with a resolve to never allow dictatorship rear its head again. We implore the President and his Government, especially the security forces to commit themselves to the collective aspirations of Gambians in realizing a free democratic Gambia where all rights are responsibly and deservedly exercised without inhibition.
Free Yanks Darboe and his co-accused.
Pata Saidykhan
For The Chairman
United Democratic Party – DIASPORA