By Momodou Ndow

We’ve heard the whispers, and the wind has carried them everywhere. The weekend parties at Kanilai and endless functions populated by young Gambian women and other married women who left their husbands behind. Goloh thought he had a free rein on women – young or old, single or married. This is what being a psychopath and heavily intoxicated with power can create. In his twisted head, Goloh was convinced neh mor morm daykabi and everything in it was at his disposal, including all the young women.

Toufah’s case is your classic victim grooming scenario. Victim grooming is when someone builds an emotional connection with a child to gain their trust for the purposes of sexual abuse or sexual exploitation. The installation of plumbing in her family’s home, the buying of furniture, driving her sick relative to doctors, showing particular interest in her project, and the employment offer (protocol officer). These are the emotional tools Goloh used to groom Toufah.

Imagine a president using a Ramadan beauty pageant event as a pretext to lure an 18-year-old lady for sex. Better yet, imagine a president raping an 18-year-old lady at the State House while nyungey wachey kaamil right outside. Just imagine that! And it was all facilitated by Jimbee The Pimp, the number one accomplice in this alleged rape case. This was all about power, not sexual desire. According to Toufah, Goloh told her that a woman has never rejected him and he could have any woman he wants. So sex was not the issues here! Goloh wanted to use the power of rape to punish Toufah for rejecting him, which he claims never happened. The motivation here was the need for dominance and control.

As the saying goes, “what goes up must come down”, and Goloh is on his way down and will crash and burn. He was drunken with power and thought he was flying, but his Chaya is now caught on an electric light pole, and that electric light pole is Fatou Toufah Jallow. In Toufah I see strength, in Toufah I see courage, and in Toufah I see a fighter! I hope more young women will come out and share their stories regarding any horrific encounter they had with Goloh, The Ramadan Rapist! Apparently, there was an elaborate system in place. 

On June 21, 2019, Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo released the 2018 version of the annual Report to Congress on International Religious Freedom – the International Religious Freedom Report – that describes the status of religious freedom in every country. The report covers government policies violating religious belief and practices of groups, religious denominations and individuals, and U.S. policies to promote religious freedom around the world. The U.S. Department of State submits the reports in accordance with the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

This year’s report on The Gambia details a climate of broad religious tolerance and acceptance.  The report includes U.S. Embassy efforts to decentralize and expand outreach to religious communities. In remarks at an Iftar hosted during the Holy Month of Ramadan this year, Ambassador Paschall noted that just as The Gambia is a leader in religious tolerance and acceptance, it can be a leader on many other significant human rights issues.

The full report, including The Gambia country narrative, can be found online at: https://www.state.gov/reports/2018-report-on-international-religious-freedom/the-gambia/.

While it is indeed painful to witness a key perpetrator like Yankuba Touray easily walk out of the TRRC it is necessary to point out that indeed the Constitution, from sections 13 to 17of the Second Schedule have protected members and other persons acting in the name of the notorious AFPRC from accountability. In their criminal minds the junta seemed to have considered that a day of reckoning would one day arrive and therefore they crafted these entrenched clauses to protect themselves. However, it must be noted that these AFPRC members shall not escape justice for long hence Yankuba was ill-advised to invoke those provisions.

What did those sections say?

Section 13(1) clearly protects members of the AFPRC or their ministers or appointees from answering before any ‘court or authority or under the Constitution or any other law’ for anything they did or failed to do in the ‘performance of their official duties’ in the name of the junta. While torture and murder are indeed not an official duty, however the drafters of the Constitution smartly covered up this matter with subsection 4 which states that even if such action was taken not in ‘accordance with any procedure prescribed by law’ it cannot be questioned.

These actions have been listed in subsection 2 as actions leading to or subsequent upon the July 22 military coup which includes the overthrow of the PPP Government, suspension of the 1970 Constitution or the establishment of the AFPRC. Section 13 went further to state in paragraph 3 that no person acting on behalf of the AFPRC shall be questioned for any act in any proceedings and therefore no court or tribunal shall have the power to make any decision on account of these acts. Furthermore, under paragraph 5 it stated that no court or tribunal shall ‘entertain an action’ against any person acting on the instructions or authority of AFPRC even if such action violates any law during the tenure of the AFPRC.

To further concretise their protection from accountability the Constitution went ahead in Section 17 to state that even the National Assembly ‘shall have no power’ to amend or repeal Section 13 and other sections which seek to prevent any court to challenge the decisions of the commissions of inquiry set up by AFPRC (Section 11) or Section 12 relating to the succession of AFPRC to the properties of the former government or Section 14 which also relates to preventing anyone challenging the confiscation of properties or penalties imposed by AFPRC. Only a referendum can amend or repeal these provision!

In light of the above one can see that Yankuba has a firm ground to refuse to testify as that would mean an ‘authority’ or a ‘proceeding’ is questioning his actions and inactions as a member of the AFPRC. While the TRRC is essentially a fact-finding exercise, and not a court or tribunal, as set out in its objectives in Section 13 of its Act, it must be noted that such inquiry focuses on the actions and inactions of individuals who might be members of AFPRC or their ministers or appointed persons. The recommendations of the TRRC are indeed decisions that would may lead to other decisions being subsequently taken by any authority on the actions or persons connected with AFPRC.

Section 14 of the TRRC Act states one of its functions as investigation of human rights violations that took place between 1994 and 2017. These violations indeed would definitely be actions or inactions committed by AFPRC persons who are already protected by Section 13 of the Constitution from being questioned by anyone. The powers of the TRRC under Section 15 of its Act further emphasise the extent to which it can go to investigate including forcing a person to testify as they did with Yankuba Touray by subpoenaing him.

Section 19 of the TRRC Act gives the power to the Commission to recommend amnesty for perpetrators who apply for such. This means where the TRRC does not give amnesty to a perpetrator then such a person stands the risk of prosecution. Therefore, in view of Section 13 (2) of the Constitution this means the actions or inactions of an AFPRC member or minister are potentially subject to question or decision by some authority contrary to the Constitution.

The question now is what is to be done?

We must bear in mind that a review of Section 13 of the Constitution focuses only on acts and omissions ‘relating to, or subsequent upon’ four events. These are the overthrow of the PPP Government before the formation and after the establishment of the AFPRC and the suspension of the 1970 Constitution as well as the establishment of the 1997 Constitution. This means therefore actions beyond 1996 are not covered by the Constitution for which AFPRC members, ministers and appointed persons do not enjoy any constitutional immunity.

In my view therefore TRRC should focus on the period after 1996 for those AFPRC members who refuse to cooperate by invoking Section 13 of the Constitution. This is one option for TRRC to consider. Otherwise arresting these individuals would be unconstitutional and certainly difficult to prosecute. It will serve to derail the Commission and potentially lose its cool. We must avoid that.

The other option would be to challenge the constitutionality of the immunity clauses in Section 13. I do not think this is also a wise option as Section 13 is indeed part of the Constitution as an entrenched clause. Consequently, it would be strange to question the constitutionality of a provision of the Constitution. Constitutional experts may wish to interrogate the idea of how the Supreme Court could question a provision of the Constitution against the Constitution. What I know is that the Constitution is the basic law and therefore it is other laws and actions or omissions by natural and legal persons that are interpreted in their relation to the constitution. But to question the constitution against the constitution would be a contradiction in terms in my view.

Having said that it is important to highlight that after all AFPRC persons cannot escape justice. This is because sooner than later the 1997 Constitution will be repealed as we usher in a new constitution for the third republic. That dispensation therefore opens the floodgates to now prosecute AFPRC persons without any hurdles. This is where Yankuba would now come to realise, albeit too late though that his actions before the TRRC were ill-advised.

I wish to therefore urge the TRRC to order the release of Yankuba Touray and rather subpoena him to testify on other issues beyond 1996. Failure to testify for those issues would directly violate the TRRC Act as he would have no constitutional immunities. Therefore, the Commission would have a legitimate ground to seek his arrest and prosecution of he refuses to testify.

As citizens there is no need to despair or act unlawfully because of the unfortunate actions of Yankuba. Anywhere Yankuba goes in this world he cannot escape justice because he has indeed committed crimes that are against humanity hence international crimes. That Yankuba Touray would act in such a way must not be found surprising. Such actions by perpetrators are a normal occurrence in truth commissions around the world.

For that matter no one would have any reason to question or doubt the power, competence, integrity or relevance of the TRRC. This unfortunate action cannot in any way prevent other witnesses from testifying. I am sure many such persons would rather advise themselves properly to realise that it is in their own personal interest to come forward to testify as we saw how Sanna Sabally, Alagie Kanyi, Alagie Martin and others did.

For the Gambia Our Homeland

Ismaila,

Ismaila my good friend,

We have just completed our obligations for your funeral rites at the Bundung Cemetery with your son Ebrima standing next to me. He looks every inch like you and I have no doubts Allah has endowed him with some form of your own academic dexterity.

I have wept for many deaths but by the time I reach the cemetery my level of acceptance for losses of family and  relatives is always close enough to completion that I have never wept at a burial ground.  But today I could not hold my tears at the graveyard while the final rites were being performed.

The loss is irreparable my good brother, yet the memories of your blessed life shall forever remain our cherished treasury. When I wrote part one of this series I included many econometric terms and decided to reduce a few so that the readership could find it easy to comprehend; Alas, upon return to your family’s residence I met our mutual colleague Alagie B. Gaye (former head of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority) with whom we had our first training at the West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM) in Lagos on Techniques of Economic Analysis; and his first utterance as feedback was your favourite term that I decided to omit from part one “augmented Dickey–Fuller test (ADF) ”. Such was your love of knowledge that when you spoke about technical terms in economic analysis, they took musical notes with your charming baritone.

Ours was a decade-long camaraderie in apprenticeship before we parted ways; I left for the job of Budget Director at the Finance Ministry. You stayed as Research Director until you finally left for the a job of the same title at the multinational sub regional body, the West African Monetary Institute, charged with the responsibility of ‘midwifery’ for the envisaged common currency for Anglophone West Africa.

The camaraderie in apprenticeship was worthwhile largely due to your intellectual acuity and jolly good demeanour. We saw both good times and hard days under very strict but loving and kind supervisors, including Momodou Ceesay, Research Director when we came in, then Basirou Njie and our affectionate brother-in-common the very affable Buah Saidy.

The apprenticeship paid off well, and I state this in this tribute as lesson for that younger ones that look up to us. When the representative of WAIFEM spoke at your funeral earlier today, he commended you for being the first one to remind him about his duty to God while in office when he was elevated to head that prestigious office. He then stated with candour that you, Ismaila Jarju, are an ICON in West Africa for your efficacy and track record of professional excellence in your role as lead economist.

I state the above to share a tiny bit of your story as inspiration for the young ones for you have always used my own life story to inspire your mentees. On the day of your passing, your nephew, Pa Sawaneh, told me he was informing a colleague about how you used to inspire him using my life story. Another testimony to that effect was made earlier today.

But yours is story of excellence not only at home but also at the international scene where another former boss of ours, Bamba Saho, once told us we should aim for: at the ‘premier league’ of Economists and central bankers, mirroring the success of our African brothers on the global soccer scene. And that is why he told us that they had to forge us through fire to prepare us for that next level. You passed that test, my jolly good comrade and passed it well. I bow; I bow to honour your legacy my good friend, father of Ebrima, Kuya and her younger siblings.

The lesson to our younger ones, my good friend, is one of PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE; and the willingness to LEARN and learn to work under expert supervision for a sustained period.

The lesson, can be summed up in the Wollof idiom oft-repeated by our colleague Ismaila Faal (then working at the Standard Chartered Bank) with whom we used to discuss policy measures being implemented by the Central Bank in the mid-2000’s in a bid to stabilise our tempest-tossed macroeconomic framework. His premises were always spiced up with the Wolof saying ‘lor jaangut, dor kor tari’ (you cannot recite what you have not studied).

For many years, we struggled, we studied and we travelled together. We prayed together and fasted together. I saw you in good times and during unpleasant moments but you never lost faith; the vicissitudes of life never changed your beautiful inner core. You remained the kind loving soul that you have always been.

The testimonies at the mosque before heading for the graveyard corroborate the above statements. Your in-laws and neighbour spoke about your generosity and loving care for them. Your personal assistant Sheikh Joof spoke about how you used to give out so much of the money you would bring home on vacation from your job station in Ghana, to the extent that you would be short of money to take care of your own personal matters. Your prayers and gifts at the mosques, both in The Gambia and Ghana were revealed by witnesses on this day. What more can we add to this my good friend? The narrative will never be exhaustive for I am well acquainted with your perennial random acts of real kindness.

Our mutual friend whom you sent 50, 000 (fifty thousand Dalasis) to complete the roof over his incomplete house, told me he still has the receipt of the bank transfer stored in his phone. The mosque you generously supported in Kotu, recited the full ‘Kaamil’ Quran in prayers for you this very afternoon as you enter your new abode.

As I stated in my Facebook post after I first heard about the sad news of your demise: Last time we met you insisted that I order some food to eat at the restaurant and when I said I was not hungry, you insisted that I order a takeaway.

Our last phone conversation was motivated by an article I wrote about the state of affairs of the Gambian economy. You called me from Ghana to express your appreciation and thanked me for sharing  my knowledge for the benefit of the country. You prayed for me for taking that initiative to advise the authorities to take the right measure to correct the imbalances in our economy.

The tone of your voice that night, conveyed the deep love and care you still have for your country even as you worked abroad with comfortable pay. You were never one of those who would turn their back on their country once new opportunities opened up abroad. You genuinely stayed connected to the mother land.

For these and many more kind, generous, selfless acts and thoughts, may Allah forgive you and reward you with the highest Jannah. Jannah is not a place to be earned and you know that better than me, but we pray and will continue to pray for Allah, the Most Merciful, to embrace you with His Eternal Grace and commit you to the company of the righteous ones in the hereafter.

Till we meet again, my dear good brother and friend, this is your man, the one whom you loved and bestowed so much confidence in as to outshoot his own self-trust, the one you affectionately called in drawl: Moe-doo!

Momodou Sabally

Former Presidential Affairs Minister and International Speaker, Momodou Sabally is a former Research Economist at the Central Bank of The Gambia who later became Director of Budget at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.

It is highly concerning that the Minister of Interior Ebrima Mballow would equate protesters with ‘troublemakers’ and to go further to say that the police will use the water canon truck to pour hot water on them. This is indeed one of the most undemocratic and violent statements that should not have come from any minister or government. For that matter I wish to urge the National Assembly to invoke Section 75 of the Constitution to discipline the Minister for making such a violent and unlawful remark against citizens.

The statement by the Minister clearly indicates that he has already perceived demonstrators as troublemakers who deserve to be washed with hot water. Such a statement is against the Constitution which already guarantees the right to peaceful demonstration. Mr. Mballow must be told that he has no powers to deny the right to freedom of assembly, which is one of the fundamental rights of citizens in ensuring transparency and accountability of government, private businesses and other entities in society.

Freedom of assembly is one of the key tools in the hands of citizens to make public institutions deliver public goods and services efficiently and responsively as well as ensure that private businesses do not engage in unethical business practices or sell poor quality goods and services to consumers. Therefore, freedom of assembly is a necessary tool for the building and nurturing of democracy and good governance in any society.

Each and every Gambian citizen has a right to protest for or against any issue of concern to him or her. This is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. A citizen who demonstrates is not a troublemaker or a criminal and demonstrations or protests are not crimes or trouble. What is required is that the Government through the police to protect citizens to enjoy their right to freedom of assembly at all times. Therefore, Minister Mballow must be told that the Gambia Government must not in anyway damage the right of citizens to demonstrate.

What we expect from the Minister of Interior is to, first of all conduct comprehensive reforms of the police. Such reforms should seek to review the Police Act in order to transform the institution from a force into a service institution. Secondly such reforms should address the welfare and wellbeing of police officers and enhance their working conditions. More importantly those reforms should seek to empower the police with the necessary education and skills about human rights so that they are guided by human rights values and standards in executing their job.

The police are one of the leading national human rights protection agencies in any society as the law they enforce concerns the rights and freedoms of citizens. Therefore, the police must not be seen damaging rights in anyway. For that matter the tools, resources and equipment and the training given to the police can only be used in line with human rights values and standards.

As the civilian authority overseeing law enforcement agencies, it is necessary that Minister Mballow is the first to recognise and uphold fundamental rights and freedoms. He must not be seen threatening citizens or damaging rights. We must note that power lies with civilian authorities because they make laws and policies and ensure its implementation. Law enforcement officers such as the IGP and his officers are only enforcers or implementers of the law. Hence if the civilian authority does not believe in human rights it means he or she will order security officers to use force to damage human rights. This is why Minister Mballow’s statement is utterly worrying!

Therefore, it is not strange to see that while the Minister has failed to do the urgent and necessary reform of the police, he went ahead to further equip the police with weapons that can only damage rights and harm citizens physically. After 22 years of Dictatorship it is indeed grossly shameful that this Government will procure an armoured vehicle to purposely harm citizens and then have the Minister of Interior to refer to demonstrators as troublemakers.

I wish to therefore call on the National Assembly to summon the Minister of Interior to first of all disclose the source and purpose of this despicable vehicle meant to unleash violence on citizens. The National Assembly must not sit by while the President and his Ministers publicly release statements that suggest violence and threaten citizens. The Government has the constitutional duty to protect human rights and ensure good governance in the Gambia. Any attempt to damage this duty must be confronted with the strongest resistance.

For the Gambia Our Homeland

Dibba Junior, my good brother,

It was a great conversation we had last night as I sauntered around the precious beaches of Kololi and you, in the hoods of Nema Misra.

I was quite impressed that you mentioned the critical matter of INTENTIONS regarding the above subject, for truly intention is at the very core of this matter. In the words of Abdullah Anik Misra “Make a good intention for Allah’s sake: purify your intention to earn for Allah’s sake, to provide for your family, to not have to borrow and ask from others, and to do works of good for others.”

I shall only hasten to add that once purified, those intentions must metamorphose into ACTION for truly “an ounce of action is worth a ton of good intentions!” As Allah teaches us in verse 105 of Surah Tawba of the Glorious Quran “Wa Qul’imaloo fasa yarallaahu amalakum was Rasuluhu…” (And say: Work; so Allah will see your work and (so will) His Messenger…”

Shall I not not share with you, then, some wisdom from the Persian poet Maulana Jaluddin ar-Rumi? His luminous  words are gifts from the True Source to clarify such matters as we are discussing in this epistle. I have seen many a young lad go astray by misconstruing concepts like barakah and related recondite matters, thereby falling prey to the destructive vice of fatalism. Rumi teaches great wisdom in his poem “On the Limits of Fatalism”:

You have feet – why make out you are lame?

You have hands – why then hide your fingers?

When a master puts a spade in a servant’s hand

He doesn’t need words to make his meaning clear.

Our hands, like that spade, are signs of God;

Understand the signs He flashes into your heart

And give your life to be in harmony with them…

Reflect on the foregoing verses, my good brother, and know that it takes more than one or two readings to fully grasp the gems of wisdom conveyed through  such beams of light reflected unto us my the great sages  of the human race.

Never forget these words of Rumi:

If you really trust in God, then work hard,

Sow the seed, and lean on the Almighty’s help;

Struggle as long as you can in the way of the prophets.

Effort isn’t a war with destiny:

Destiny itself has imposed on us this effort…

Take heed, young man, and keep on keeping on within the spirit of the Quranic and Biblical Injunctions I shared with you in part 1 of this series. You have shown good signs of following those edicts but as our grandmother, the late Mba Jankay, would advise ‘suwo si bori nyaa wo nyaa; fo e saa lafaa buso la.’ (No matter how fast a horse runs, you would still give it a few more lashes for it to keep speeding on.)

I wish you good luck in your upcoming events this weekend of June 7, 2019. Your service to that organisation is also within the spirit of the scriptural advice in this epistle. The great sage Fakhruddin ar-Razi is right: the central teaching of the Quran is: devotion to the Creator; and service to His creation!

Keep up the great service you are rendering in support of the noble aspirations of our people.

Mon petit frère, Bon et heureux week-end! que Dieu te bénisse.

Yours,

Momodou Sabally

The Gambia’s Pen

It is indeed very worrying that given the history and experience of the Gambia in terms of freedom of assembly that the Gambia Government could not think of anything better other than importing an armored riot vehicle. It appears this Government has not learnt from that despicable history or merely wishes to perpetuate the denial or suppression of the right of citizens to demonstrate peacefully. Is this armed vehicle meant to protect and expand rights or is it intended to suppress the right to freedom of assembly?

The argument that the police is poorly equipped to manage demonstrations hence such a vehicle will prevent the deadly shootings is a weak argument. This argument seeks to criminalize protests and protesters as violent hence seeks to deny the right to freedom of assembly. Secondly it is not backed by evidence because protests get violent in the Gambia primarily because of the belligerent approach of the security forces. Almost any time Gambians assemble to demonstrate the response of the police has always been to kick, slap and insult Gambians leading to shedding of blood and tears.

Therefore, the primary challenge the police face in managing protests is not a lack of tools and resources, rather it is, first and foremost, their limited understanding and appreciation of human rights. The solution then should be to provide human rights education and orientation to the police which speaks to the broader issue of security sector reform.  Furthermore, it is about providing the necessary knowledge and skills to the police about how to manage demonstrations. This is what one would have expected any responsible government to do given our history and experience and not to further arm the police.

The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of assembly has noted that States have an obligation to build the capacity of administrative and law enforcement officials about freedom of assembly. This includes training lawenforcement officers to respect and protect the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and human rights in general. This includes equipping law enforcement officers with knowledge, skills, tools and resources to protect assemblies and not to damage them.

When you read the 2016 Manifesto of Candidate Adama Barrow and his Coalition it would appear this was the understanding they had and planned to do when they assumed power. In the Manifesto they promised to conduct legal, institutional and constitutional reforms so as to enhance democracy, popular participation and human rights in the Gambia. They mentioned a number of laws, constitutional provisions and security institutions that would require reform for that purpose.

Yet after two years in power this Government has failed to review the Police Act, The NIA Act or the Public Order Act among others in order to ensure that these institutions and laws protect and expand the rights of Gambians. Thus, without these legal and institutional reforms it means our security services remain with the same mentality and practice since colonial days which is founded on the objective of suppressing the citizen.

What this reality exposes is that in the first place the civilian authorities from the President to the Minister to the Directors and Managers who make the decisions are themselves not either aware of or do not care about human rights. Consequently, they could allow our security forces to use violence to harm Gambians and still go ahead to protect those perpetrators. We saw this in 2001 when the Indemnity Act was amended after the 2000 student massacre. We saw again how Barrow nearly ‘forgave’ PIU officers charged for shooting citizens in Faraba 18 years later in 2018!

It appears therefore our civilian officials as well as security officers are not committed to system change which is why they leave things as they found them. For example, it is clear that the Public Order Act is undemocratic according to Candidate Barrow and his Coalition leaders because they stated it themselves in their 2016 Manifesto. Yet they refused to change it since taking power in 2017 up to today. Similarly, the Police Act states under Police Rules Section 20(a) that PIU officers will be issued with AK47 and pistols as basic tools in the execution of their duties.

Consequently, if you issue such weapons to men and women in uniform who also do not understand and appreciate human rights especially the right to freedom of assembly then the tendency for them to release bullets on citizens will be high. There would not have been any deaths in the Year 2000 or in Faraba in June 2018 if the Police Act and the Gambia Police Force itself were reformed. But why did the Barrow Government refuse to reform these laws and institutions until now?

It is precisely for this reason that it is such a very bad idea to import an armored riot vehicle. It means our Government is refusing to realize the best interest of this country by making the necessary reforms in order to bring about system change. That failure means they are only interested in securing their positions and power. With this armored vehicle it means from now on the Police will be using it to bazooka citizens with hot or cold water or pepper spray or any chemical they choose to load in the vehicle.

It is no exaggeration to say that the importation of this vehicle is directly linked to the security of Barrow’s presidency because he knows that there will be citizens who will demand that he abides by his own promise to step down in three years. Since he is not interested to fulfill his own promise by resigning after three years therefore, he is ready to use any force necessary to suppress dissent.

This vehicle therefore highlights once more that once again Gambia is led by elected and appointed officials who are not interested in the common good of the country but only concerned and interested in their own personal objectives. This must not be acceptable to any Gambian and I urge citizens to condemn the importation of this vehicle of shame!

For The Gambia Our Homeland.

I greet you my dear brother, Dibba Junior, on this blessed morning of the day of Eid we fondly call ‘Sunkari Saloe’ in Mandinka. Shall I not then proceed to do for you the customary prayer our grandmother the late Mba Jankay Njie of Farafenni would do for me during her blessed life on earth: “May Allah bless you with long life, good health expanded provision and a good ending by the honour of the late Bulli of Marchi Kunda.”

Junior, I wish to explain in this  epistle the concept (nay, the reality) of the Arabic term ‘barakah’ that is used in the same vein in Mandinka. The concept of barakah has long fascinated me and I have been doing some research about it of late. I know you would relate to my desire for increased barakah in life because you and I come from a family that appreciates and craves barakah more than anything else; to the extent that the response of our parents and community elders in appreciation of any service we render is in the pregnant Mandinka pronouncement-cum-prayer ‘a barakah’.

I know you have heard your father (my uncle) say about certain individuals that ‘nying barakah ta leh’ and also the reverse about people that seem to be devoid of this blessing. But what is barakah and how can you attract or increase it in your life?

As general introduction, the term ‘barakah’ is “the attachment of Divine goodness to a thing, so if it occurs in something little, it increases it. And if it occurs in something much it benefits.”

One of my revered sacred teachers has this to say about barakah: “Barakah is an invisible wave or field like radiation … But unlike radiation, barakah, brings benefit at every level of existence the longer you are in contact with it.” And the foregoing is very deep thought indeed!

Now how about this explanation of the concept of barakah by the Imam  Al-Haifa Hydara about 25 years ago during a Gamo at our other hometown of Badibou Jajari. He explains the difference between a cow and a dog. When a dog gives birth, the puppies come in groups of 6, 8 or even more at every time that the dog bears her children. In contradistinction is the cow who gives birth to one or two calves at a time. Now throughout the country you see hundreds of herds of cattle. But where in the world have you seen a ‘herd’/pack of dogs? His answer to this conundrum is in one word: Barakah!

So much of theory about this concept of blessednes my junior brother! How does one attract/grow barakah in ones life? This is the question that needs to be answered so that this missive could be of much barakah to you and those who would want to gain practical benefit from it.

There are many ways to attract baraqa in your life, among them these: Live by the divine injunction “wa bil waalidaini insaanan” (and be kind to your parents” as taught in the Quran; and before that, in the Bible:  “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” (Exodus, 20:12). This first step here, will open the doors for that divine goodness called barakah to manifest itself and grow in your life.

Turn your aspiration and frustrations into supplications, as author Muhammed Harris would put it.  Praying about these issues rather than worrying and dissipating energy about them would turn them into sources of barakah.

Now I have to stop here even though I can easily give you 99 ways and means of attracting barakah in your life; but I will stop here because good things are not supposed to come on the cheap. How much are you willing to pay to gain these treasures? Indeed my favourite singer-songwriter and philosophical genius Jaliba Kuyatehnis right: luck is writ with ones birth; prayers are to be sought; but barakah is supposed to be bought.

Make no mistake about the barakah being “bought” as Jaliba would put it. There are so many nuances to the word he used in Mandinka “sang-taa”. It doesn’t have to be a monetary transaction. It broadly means something that is to be EARNED. Here I stop young man while you ruminate on this one.

Eid Mubarak. Alamaa n-na sali siyaa la, Waalimang!

Momodou Sabally

The Gambia’s Pen

International speaker and author, Momodou Sabally is Former Presidential Affairs and Secretary General in The Gambia.

By Madi Jobarteh

Let me say upfront that feudalism and the caste system in any form should be criminalised and abolished by law in the Gambia if we are to truly uphold the Constitution of the country as a Republic. In a republic all citizens are equal which is what the Constitution first entrenched in Section 1 that sovereignty of the Gambia resides in the people of the Gambia. The Constitution considers all Gambians to be equal citizens. Therefore, any other classification of citizens as first or second or low- and high-class citizens is unconstitutional and against the very principles of republicanism.

It is true that our society has a longstanding history of social, cultural and political systems in which people have been categorised into various castes. One will see that such caste system does exist in all human societies in various forms and at various times. Such classifications came about as individuals and societies dominate and control each other through wars for various reasons. The economic and political systems that underpinned societies at the time were rooted in various belief and cultural systems that people live by until today.

But as nations emerged out of feudalism such as in Europe in the 15^th and 16^th centuries or from colonialism such as in Africa in the 1960s many new nations came to create laws to establish the equality of all citizens. In France feudalism and the caste system were abolished on 4^th August 1789 by an act of parliament following the French Revolution in that same year. The Tenures Abolition Act of 1660 abolished feudalism and the caste system in England.

When it comes to Africa and those countries under colonialism such as US, feudalism and caste system became untenable since these new nations are now republics. They are neither monarchies nor feudalist. However, in most of these new nations not enough was done to actively and fully abolish feudalism and the caste system even though their new constitutions did entrench the equality of all citizens as can be seen in the Gambian Constitution under Section 1.

Therefore, the practice of caste system within Gambian society everywhere and anywhere must be criminalised and abolished by law. The Gambia is a Republic in which no citizen is subject to or lower or higher than any other citizen in anyway. Those cultural beliefs and practices that seek to promote caste system must be abandoned. Our new culture should be democracy and republicanism. Anything that seeks to injure, undermine or weaken democracy and republicanism must be seen as gross violation of national sovereignty and the constitution.

I therefore call on the National Assembly, the Gambia Government and the political parties to undertake urgent steps to pass legislation to ban caste system in the Gambia. Until we ban caste system, we cannot build a just, equal and free society. The caste system is against democracy and good governance because caste system undermines and limits empowerment, participation and accountability. With the caste system the governors cannot be effectively held accountable by the governed.

In other words, in a caste system a so-called low or inferior caste person cannot hold to account a high or superior caste person. If that high caste person is now the president or governor or chief or alkalo it will be difficult for him to be held accountable. This is why sometimes one would see how some of our politicians and supporters use caste to make some individuals entitled to leadership even if they are not fit to lead. Caste system has always been used to entrench dictatorship in our communities which is why it is also easy to entrench dictatorship at the national level.

Caste system is discriminatory, exclusionary and unjust. This is why some individuals cannot be leaders of their community while others cannot own land and even others denied being buried in a cemetery or even speak their opinion on community issues. So long as such culture remains then it will be impossible to ensure popular participation and build a democracy and good governance in our country.

It is because of the caste system that gender inequality also persists in our society. Caste system is not only about surnames and in which trade one belongs, but it also creates an imbalance between men and women. Caste system upholds that women are inherently weak, mentally and physically and only good for the satisfaction of men. Look at any person who strongly believes and upholds caste system and you will see that such a person is also a strong believer in the superiority of men over women.

Furthermore, caste system is a tribalist idea in which believers in that system do not belief in the equality and interaction of individuals from other tribes. They always perceive their tribe to be superior, purer and better than the rest. Therefore, caste system only promotes bigotry, prejudice, exclusion and discrimination which are beliefs and practices that are highly unconstitutional and against republicanism.

We need a new Gambia in which not only are all citizens equal before the law but also in our minds as citizen we sincerely believe and uphold that there is no superior or inferior person on account of his or her surname or origin or birth. If we accept caste system to prevail then in effect, we are endorsing and entrenching oppression and exploitation of one another in the name of culture. No human being or society deserves such a culture of oppression and exploitation.

We must recognise that every culture has two elements: oppressive and exploitative elements on one hand and on the other hand empowering and liberating elements. Caste system or feudalism are aspects of culture that are oppressive and exploitative. Civilised societies and informed human beings always seek to abandon oppressive and exploitative elements of their culture in order to promote and uphold liberating and empowering elements of their culture. This is what is called civilization and progress.

The Colonialists had used our feudal and caste systems to dominate and rule us by demolishing our feudal kingdoms only to create new feudal chiefdoms called districts hence continue to dominate, control and exploit us. Therefore, colonialism was possible largely because of the caste system. PPP as well as APRC governments were also able to rule this country for 50 years largely because the caste system created a fertile ground for them.  The caste system beliefs in divine leadership which is nothing but unaccountable leadership. It is this same cultural belief which is also making Pres. Adama Barrow and his officials and supporters to also claim that he was made president by Allah.

For that matter the Gambia must begin to democratise and civilise our culture as other societies have done well before us by abolishing feudalism and the caste system. Let us raise our voices against caste system in any form in the Gambia and put unbearable pressure on the National Assembly, the Gambia Government and our political parties and leaders to abolish the caste system. Anyone who resist abolishing the caste system or continue to believe in the caste system is a person who undermines the sovereignty and the Constitution of the Gambia and injures the dignity and rights of Gambians hence a threat to national unity and stability.

Stand up against Caste System. Protect Citizen Sovereignty. Demand Democracy and Good Governance. Protect the Republic.

For the Gambia Our Homeland.

The Gambian dalasi, like any other national currency, is not only an economic and financial tool but it also represents a social, cultural and political identity of the Gambia. For that matter in producing a new national currency there was every justification for the Central Bank of the Gambia to seek public contributions as to what it should contain and how it should look like. A bunch of officials in a cosy office cannot merely think that they can determine the history of a people.

A look on the faces of the currencies of nations of the world would reflect the presence of their national culture, history and identity that exudes a sense of pride and patriotism in the people. These new bank notes released by CBG do not show that fact about the Gambia. Therefore, these new notes can only be described as a postcard and nothing more. Most of the features represented on the notes do not necessarily speak to the unique culture, identity and history of Gambians.

In the first placed while the Gambia has a rich bird life and a leading world destination for bird watching it does not suffice therefore that only birds should show on our currency!  I am not aware of any bird that is officially designated as the national bird of the Gambia but if there is it is such a bird that one could justifiably place on the face of the currency. Yet apart from birds we do also have other animals on land, sea and air as well as flora that also form part of our identity and culture. If we had a national animal or fish or tree or crop it would make sense to showcase them. Did CBG consider that?

The depiction of a ferry, a fisherman and women farmers are not necessarily peculiar features of Gambian life. Women farmers, fishermen and ferries exist in every society. Hence our currency does not need such features. Thus, apart from the Stone Circle, which is uniquely Gambian in shape and size, even if other nations also have stone circles such as the Stonehenge in the UK, I think all the other images need review.

Therefore, the question we need to ask is why didn’t the CBG consider all of these factors such that it creates a process where it can obtain ideas from Gambians who own this currency after all. For example, our country is not only about birds and farms and machines. We are a nation of people first and foremost. Hence it is important that a national historical material like our money reflect at first the people of the Gambia.

Yes, all Gambians are equal and sovereign citizens, but we cannot show each and every citizen’s face on a few bank notes. Therefore, among us we do have individual citizens who stand out because of their unshakable commitment to our freedom, or their contribution to the social, economic and cultural development of the country. For that matter one can think of Edward Francis Small as one individual whose face deserves to be on our currency. He was a citizen who ignited the fire of liberation in our country well before the new nation was born.

While I will oppose the face of any sitting president to be put on our currency however, I strongly believe that former Pres. Dawda Jawara deserves to be on one of the dalasi notes. In that vein one must also consider the faces of Garba Jahumpa, Rev. JC Faye and PS Njie among others at the political level. Yes, we may have differences with these political figures but there is no denying the fact that they were the people who were there at the very beginning in the fight for independence for which they deserve our recognition.

The reality of having faces of founding political leaders on national currencies is not strange. We see the faces of such individuals on currencies like the Ghanaian Cedi where all of the six founding politicians or the Big Six as Ghanaians call them were collectively imprinted on the 50 Ghana Cedi note. We could also see face of the first US President George Washington on the 1-dollar bill.

When it comes to fighting for rights and freedom, in addition to EF Small, one could also consider a leading trade unionist ME Jallow or journalist William Dixon-Colley who was a strong pillar of freedom of expression and the media in the Gambia and made huge contributions to advance the cause of transparent and accountable governance in the country. In that vein I strongly hold that two persons worthy of consideration are Deyda Hydara and Solo Sandeng – patriots like them serve to remind citizens of the purpose and value of citizenship and sovereignty!

It is also important that we consider the role and contribution of women to reflect in our national currency. Women are huge economic producers as well as major socio-cultural and political contenders in the history of the Gambia. With the help of our historians CBG could have identified some of these heroines to showcase them on our currency. This way we would have also provided mentoring and inspiration to our young girls as they see their fellow women on the national bill!

Finally, cannot we have also considered precolonial or pre-independence historic and legendary figures who had stood up against slavery or colonialism or contributed immensely to the development of our society such as through music, religion, sports, education, healthcare or agriculture among others. In that case why cannot we also think of Kunta Kinteh as a Gambian who unreservedly exhibited human dignity and self-determination even when he was forced into slavery!

In light of the foregoing I wish to ask that the Gambia Government to immediately abandon these new bank notes so that the Central Bank could go back to the drawing board to engage in widespread national consultation in determining our currency. This is essential because we must not create a situation where every new government would come to change our currency at great cost to our economy. We have to have a currency that will stand the test of time because it is relevant, realistic and true. Over the past 22 years this country has changed the face of our currency several times without any value to our economy, culture, identity and history. Such waste of resources must end now!

Scrap these new bank notes NOW!.

For The Gambia Our Homeland

…………………………….

Former Presidential Affairs Minister and International speaker Momodou Sabally, has advised the young people of Liberia to dream big, remain positive and preserve the hard-earned peace and stability of their country.

Sabally made these remarks in a keynote speech he delivered in Monrovia where he served as guest of honour on the occasion of the 45th anniversary celebration of the Federation of Liberian Youth (Fly).

Refreshing the memories of the delegates at the conference about the chequered past of their country in relation to civil unrest and the Ebola outbreak, he asserted

“And that is why your hard-earned peace, stability and health as a nation must never be taken for granted. The foregoing premises are the very reasons for the young people of this country, the ones with the biggest stake in the scheme of things, to resolve at all times and under all circumstances, to preserve the peace and stability of this great country of yours. There is no progress,  no development and there certainly can be no recovery of time lost to war and disease if there is no peace in your country.”

Citing the personal sacrifice of the current Liberian President who played for, coached and partly financed the Liberian national football team during his youthful years, Sabally exhorted the gathering of youth leaders to emulate the great civic leaders of the past and present generation to help them make meaningful impact on their societies.

“The examples abound. But I present  to you the case of the legendary Martin Luther King Junior. That towering giant of a civic leader who climbed against all odds to reach the top of the mountain of HOPE and prophesy a dream. So for you to become a good civic leader, you need to be able to DREAM and to dream big and to dream POSITIVE.

“Yet, my brothers and sisters, let us be civil. Let us imbibe  the ethos of nonviolence and peaceful approach through dialogue in our civic overtures. Martin Luther King Jr. did it. Before him, Mahatma Ghandi did it. No matter how tough the situation and circumstances. No matter how agitated our base and followers. Let us, as leaders, approach issues with caution and with a determined ethos of peaceful resolution of matters dear to us and our flock.”

He concluded by urging the youths to embrace bigger dreams than their perpnsal goals and to strive to make their communities better by serving the people in authentic and genuine manners.

Other speakers at the event included the President of the Federation of Liberian Youth  (FLY) Amos Williams, former Presidential aspirant MacDella Cooper and the mayor of Monrovia.

Sabally participated in the 50th anniversary celebration of the UNFPA in Monrovia, on Thursday, May 30; and he later held a motivation talk and consultation session with the leadership of the Student Democratic Alliance at the University of Liberia. He also addressed a gathering of members of the University of Liberia Muslim Students Association at their ‘Iftarr’ event and led the group in prayers at their Monrovia campus.