President Yaya Jammeh should be kicked out ! Now!

by Fatou Jaw Manneh

Yep. Now . There is no opportunity and better time to kick Yaya Jammeh out of our lives than right at this moment. This idiot with no shame can have the audacity to look into our eyes again and advise Ghaddifi to step down and not shoot at Libyan citizens. What a hypocrite! This brutal idiot who gave orders to shoot dead our school children, kill countless soldiers, maim ,torture and arrest citizens randomly can look into our eyes and play with our minds.Please folks scroll down on Chief Ebrima Manneh's photo, look straight in his eyes and think about what you would have done if he was your son. Do the same for Deyda and countless innocent citizens brutally murdered by Jammeh. What are we waiting for? What more do we want to see or hear?

His paranoid Ass am sure is running hot and cold now but alas, can gambians make a move?This world revolution against dictators is going to pass us by . Looking through and through, blaming Yaya Jammeh is enough!!!Enough theories and blames have flown in his face. One heartless , sick man brutalizing and traumatizing 2 million people! Yet we can do nothing about it. It is unbelievable with the number of gambian citizens living abroad and on the ground, our level of education and travels yet we can leave one uneducated brute, uncultured, indisciplined, arrogant, rude, raw ,wicked, heartless, clownish, stupid , brutal and sick man to rule us for 17 good years is unbelievable. Now the world is amazed by our crude president and equally amazed by the cowardly, naïve, hypocritical and lazy gambian citizens are!!Honestly the leader reflects its people. Just one man holding us hostage.Interesting.

Enough of theories and analysis of foreign governments. Let us talk about our own. A quick fix. Now!!! We have to do our own writings on the wall.Unbelievable. Theories are flying, endless analysis about faraway lands and their political issues yet we have our own monster in our midst and yet we cannot do jack about him. Unbelievable!!This coward brute! Jammeh is no Caesar and we can definitely chase him out of town with a blink of an eye!Warning of countries falling into wrong hands? No Jammeh is a real Yabatteh guy for real! Can any country fall victim of a wrong hand worse than Gambia and Jammeh's rule? Jammeh is kidding, but this smart fool knows we are all going to fall for his fake pathetic speech.

Yet we are ready to tear each other into pieces in a second, the few individuals, organizations, and parties who are willing to do something. Our penmanship and enthusiasm is geared towards tearing each other down and giving sermons without end. This sick man Yaya Jammeh is feeding on our cowardice, our hypocrisy our lack of unity and cohesiveness at the right moment. Jammeh must go. Zeinab can take him to morocco if she loves him!
Yaya Jammeh can be chased out of town within 3 hrs. Between 9 am to 12 noon. Well before our children get off from school. And now is the right time.This brutal bastard will and must leave.He must go! But NOO. OH NO. Satani. We cannot do this or that simply because of one selfish and petty reason to the next. We need to assess ourselves and know exactly what kind of citizens we are.This is the right moment as countries around the world are clearing the scenes of dictators. This stupid bastard (and please no emails regarding the choice of words) who thinks he is smart and can get away with anything in the Gambia., This bastard with no soul or heart. But yes he can because he has tested us in all ways and forms and knows we are impotent and petty beyond doubt so we cannot do anything about him. He has spilled blood accross the country but oh no, we have to be civilized and emabrace the vampire!

Yaya has nowhere to go. No dictator will host him. Senegal will not and even the Gambia and Senegal armies combined, they cannot do jack about people power. This brutal bastard with no regard for human life, justice and no respect for anything must go. Am pretty sure his stomach is running continuously and he is visiting the toilet every 1 hour, but alas Gambians!! We are going to miss yet another opportunity to shove this sick man into the history dustbin!!The man who thinks what matters is his extravagant lifestyle and that of Zeinab Zuma!

Our sons are shot dead and yet we look at this guy as a prophet. A man who cannot even recite Suratul Fatihah nor Iklass. If he refutes ,he can go on TV and recite the shortest Surah iklass on TV and let’s hear.
A festival prone leader who gathers our elders to watch wrestling and continuous nonsense and dancing without their consent. He calls himself a muslim man. A muslim man whose obsession is only with dancing , extravagance and cruelty. I do not know what we need to see again to convince us that Yaya is no good for Gambia or for any country for that matter. But enough of complaints , theories and warnings. WE HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF OUR OWN BUSINESS.Now

The nonsical speech against Ghaddafi should be geared to self-serving Yaya Jammeh. Can you imagine? Over and over again this stupid sick man plays with our minds and we think all is fine and dandy? That without Yaya Jammeh the sky is going to fall on us. More than 2 million people yet we think this one cruel fool is the only one who can rule in the Gambia. We are cursed for real. For real.

Source: maafanta.com

PRESIDENT JAMMEH DESERTS MENTOR PRESIDENT GADDAFI OF LIBYA

The following photos were taken 21st July 2009 as part of the 15th anniversary of the July 22nd Revolution, the President Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya Jammeh hosted a reception at State House in honour of the Libyan President  Muammar Gaddafi, Leader of the Libyan Al Fatah Revolution, Chairman of the African Union, and King of African Traditional Kings.These were the good old days between mentor and  protege.

President Jammeh and his special guest Brother Muammar Gaddafi wave as they join the gathering for the reception at the State House Gardens.

Members of the Diplomatic Corp also get hand shakes with the two leaders.

Brother Muammar Gaddafi shakes hand with Minister of Youth and Sports as President Jammeh and Brother Qathafi take a moment to interact with the gathering

President Jammeh and Brother Muammar Gaddafi gracefully walk along in the Gardens as admirers wave.

VP Njie-Saidy standing with the Speaker of the National Assembly (R), Ministers Fatou Lamin Faye and Nancy Njie and other invitees.

Source:statehouse.gm

Ghaddafi row in The Gambia

afrol News - Gambian Dictator Yahya Jammeh has issued a surprise call for his old ally Moammar Ghaddafi to stop betraying his people and step down immediately. A shocked opposition thinks Mr Jammeh is desperate to avoid riots in The Gambia.

The Gambian government has made the strongest anti-Ghaddafi statement world-wide. A government statement read out on Gambian state television included sharp reactions against the violence used by the Ghaddafi regime against the Libyan population; urged Mr Ghaddafi to step down immediately; and criticised the African Union (AU) for taking no action.

"It is a big surprise, but a shocking reality that in all the happenings, beginning with the crisis in Tunisia to that in Egypt and now Libya and countries in North Africa, the leadership of the African Union neither made a statement nor took action, despite the fact that these were uprisings affecting member states of the African Union," the statement said, lambasting the "unacceptable silence of the AU."

"The fact that the AU has not even called up an emergency meeting of ministers of Foreign Affairs, since the crisis started in Côte d'Ivoire, Tunisia, Egypt, Algeria and Libya, is very worrisome for an institution that is supposed to secure and defend Africa's interest," it added.

On Libya, the Gambian government statement went on: "Given the unacceptable scale of violence in Libya, we hereby call on Colonel Moammar Ghaddafi to spare the lives of Libyans by stepping down immediately. Colonel Ghaddafi has been given early warnings, for the past six years, which he blatantly ignored. Furthermore, not only has he betrayed the trust of the African people, but of his own people by working against them."

"We are appealing to all young Africans not to be used as mercenaries to kill the Libyan people," it went on. "They risk dying without returning home, because what is happening in Libya is an unstoppable revolution."

"Any Gambian that is captured as a mercenary in Libya should not expect any intervention or support from the Gambia government. No noble black African, as a matter of fact, should stand on the side of Ghaddafi after he compared blacks to barbarians, which is an unacceptable insult," it went on.

The unprecedented statement could sound like a dream come true for those protesting in Libya. It is exactly a sharp international reaction like this the wide majority of Libyans is hoping for.

What a paradox, then, that the statement comes from one of Africa's fiercest dictatorships; the most repressive regime in West Africa by far.

Already, the Gambian opposition - mostly based abroad after years of purges against dissident voices - is expressing its shock over the surprise statement, ridiculing President Jammeh's double standards.

The leading exiled Gambian opposition media 'Freedom Newspaper' - all independent media in The Gambia have been shut down - is frowning, saying President Jammeh originally had "copied his style of repression mainly from Ghaddafi." It recalls the ample cooperation and thorough friendship between the two dictators over the years.

President Jammeh indeed has followed the Ghaddafi model since his 1994 military coup, including much of his Green Book ideology.

Opposition sources generally see the surprise statement as a pre-emptive strike to avoid an Egypt-like revolt in The Gambia. By portraying himself as a supporter of the popular uprisings in North Africa, President Jammeh, they claim, wanted to signal that the situation in The Gambia was totally different than in North Africa.

"The people are not fools," 'Freedom Newspaper' noted. The opposition agrees that the same dynamics that caused a popular uprising in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya at any time could start moving in The Gambia. "The regime is fearing this," they agree, insisting there is currently a wave of arrests in The Gambia to prevent dissident voices from organising protests in the country.

ALERT! ALERT! GAMBIANS IN LIBYA NEED HELP TO BE EVACUATED

Foroyaa received information from a Gambian in distress asking us to alert the Gambian authorities that they are trapped in Libya and has no where to go to and no Gambian official to contact. According to them the city is sliding into an ungovernable state.
Foroyaa received information from a Gambian in distress asking us to alert the Gambian authorities that they are trapped in Libya and has no where to go to and no Gambian official to contact. According to them the city is sliding into an ungovernable state.
The Government needs to motivate ECOWAS and The AU to meet and discuss how to collaborate with the UN and other continental groupings to protect those who are not Libyan citizens and help to repatriate them to their respective countries. The AU should also collaborate with the UN to provide a lasting solution to the crisis in Libya. Foroyaa will monitor progress on that score.

Senegal and Gambia consider joint patrols along their common border

APS-Joint military exercises and joint patrols of security forces will be organized by the Senegal and the Gambia along their common border, to ensure the stability of the two countries, announced Thursday in Dakar by the Senegalese Prime Minister Souleymane Ndiaye Ndéné.


Speaking at the end of a two-day meeting of the Advisory Commission on the review of the cooperation between Senegal and Gambia, Mr. Ndiaye said that these initiatives will complement the joint actions that the two countries plan to undertake to fight border crime, drug trafficking and laundering money. The official closing ceremony of the meeting was chaired by the Prime Minister of Senegal Souleymane Ndiaye Ndéné and Vice-President Njie Saidy Issatu Gambia and attended by delegations from the two countries.


The leader of the Senegalese government has also called on customs administrations to accelerate the installation of checkpoints on the border between the two countries. It would be nice to always remember that Senegal and Gambia have a common history, from one family and have the same culture, "said Njie Issatu Saidy.The two sides agreed to do everything to prevent any problem on both sides and to prevent people from finding refuge from both sides of the border, said Senegalese Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Madické Niang.Three Senegalese soldiers were killed and six others wounded on Sunday in the Bignona region, bordering the Gambia. Also,since the end of 2010 a dozen Senegalese soldiers died..


Last November, a shipment of weapons from Iran had been seized in Nigeria said to be destined for the Gambia. Weapons, according to news reports, ended up in the hands of the rebel Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance (MFDC), in southern Senegal .Sénégal, on Tuesday night broke off diplomatic relations with Iran because Iranian made bullets may have caused the death of Senegalese soldiers.In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs states that Senegal is shocked to see that Iranian bullets may have caused the death of Senegalese soldiers.


The text cites a report by the General Staff of the Senegalese armed forces forwarded to President Abdoulaye Wade, on the latest developments in the conflict in Casamance, in southern Sénégal.The report "showed that the rebels Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance have sophisticated weapons that have caused the death of Senegalese soldiers, says this source.


Source:aps.sn 

Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade condemns crackdown on protesters in Libya

(APS) - The Head of State of Senegal Abdoulaye Wade strongly condemns the bloody repression exerted on Libyan demonstrators seeking the departure of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi to power 42 years in his country.

At the weekly meeting of the Cabinet held on Thursday,''Wade expressed his strong condemnation of the bloody repression exerted by the Libyan authorities on unarmed civilian populations,''reports a statement sent to the APS.

Wade recalled his''unwavering commitment to peace, democracy and respect for human rights,''the source added, noting that''the Senegal invites the Libyan authorities to show restraint, engage in dialogue and to initiate dialogue in order to support the legitimate demands expressed by the demonstrators.''

''The president recalled that Senegal has already asked, along with other countries, the immediate convening of a meeting of the Council of Human Rights of the Organization of the United Nations that must decide what Friday on the situation in Libya,''says the statement.

For several days, events are organized in several cities for the departure of Libyan President Muammar Gaddafi power.

According to foreign media, the Libyan security forces have used air power to repress the demonstrators. Organizations defending human rights refer to several hundreds of people killed by security forces.

News Release:OFID today signed loan agreements with the Gambia, Ethiopia,Niger and Sierra Leone totalling US$62.4 million

PR05/2011 February 23, 2011, Vienna, Austria

The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and four African countries (Ethiopia, the Gambia, Niger and Sierra Leone) today signed loan agreements totalling to US$62.4 million to finance projects in key development sectors - energy, education, transport, water and agriculture. Ethiopia will receive US$20 million to pursue an "Energy Access Project"; while the Gambia obtains US$5 million for a "University of the Gambia Project"; Niger, two loans for US$18.36 million for a "Road Rehabilitation Project" and a "Rural Development Programme"; and Sierra Leone, US$19 million for a "Water Supply and Sanitation Project".

More than 105 million people live in these four countries where the projects are expected to benefit a broad sweep of people.

All five projects will be co-financed by the concerned governments and a number of international institutions, including the African Development Bank, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, the International Development Association, the International Fund for Agricultural Development and Banque ouest-africaine de développement.

At today's signature ceremony, OFID Director-General, Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish pledged that OFID's support to Africa "will continue to grow, in view of the needs of the continent." He disclosed that in 2010, OFID's financial assistance to Africa amounted to US$737 million or 54% of the institution's total commitments."

About OFID

OFID's primary aim is to contribute to the socio-economic advancement of developing countries. OFID is present in almost all sectors of development and is effectively contributing to global efforts toward meeting the MDGs and the "missing 9th goal" which is the eradication of energy poverty, a key pillar for sustainable socio-economic growth and poverty reduction.

Since its inception, OFID has committed more than US$13 billion in support of sustainable development. For more information please visit:http://www.ofid.org.

Let the Day of Rage in Libya Be Superseded By the Day Of Freedom to Demonstrate Without Any Hindrance

Never in the history of the political crisis of a state had ambassadors in such large numbers abdicated their loyalty to a government before it is ousted. The internal and external sovereignty of the Libyan state is now under threat because of the failure of the government to secure the sovereignty of the Libyan people. Ghadaffi should have learned one fundamental lesson in his 42 year rule that no government could survive which is no longer regarded and recognised by the vast majority of her people,Since all possible mediators are paralyzed, there is need for the Libyan embassies in the respective Countries who are still in touch with their government to transmit the proposals that are being made by those who recognise the sovereignty of the Libyan people and their right to live in liberty and prosperity.

In our view, Ghadaffi should not allow Libya to be destroyed by civil war before he leaves office.

Nothing was more destructive than to have a whole nation in crisis addressed by the son of a leader who was not elected by anyone to be their head of state. If there is anything that could be considered to have fueled the revolt in Libya, it is the threatening speech delivered by Ghadaffi´s son.

Ghaddaffi should read the situation correctly. Two forces are in direct confrontation, the Government and the people. History teaches that when the people reach a particular level in their revolt against a government, it becomes impossible for them to turn back since that would mean the intensification of their oppression. Under such circumstances they would prefer death to surrender. This is the stage that has been reached in Libya. Any intensification of atrocities by the government would ultimately lead to greater resistance. Eventually the Libyan armed forces would either split and engage in civil war or capitulate to the people and allow the government to crumble.

It is therefore necessary for Ghadaffi to put the atrocities to an immediate halt. His statement on Libyan TV sounds defensive. Any leader who states that he is ready to die has considered that he no longer controls power and is not confident of victory.

It is important for Ghadaffi to know that no government could win by fighting her own people. It is Ghadaffi who is losing the battle and his integrity. There is no honour to die fighting unarmed protesters. All that Ghadaffi has to do to attain peace with honour is to declare a day of freedom to demonstrate without hindrance and then encourage the people to march and state their minds on the way forward for Libya. This should be followed by a National Conference of all stakeholders to prepare a new way forward for the country. Ghadaffi will not be remembered in an honourable light if he goes to his death by killing and maiming the people he has always claim to love. 

Source:foroyaa.gm

Pan-African Parliament condemns Libya unrest

The Pan African Parliament based in Midrand, South Africa, Tuesday issued a statement strongly condemning all forms of violence and the resulting loss of many innocent lives inLibya.

The statement from the continental parliament, which was made available to this paper, called for an immediate end to all forms of violence, urging on all parties to put the highest interest of Libya before any other.

The uprising in Libya is one of a series of revolts that have raced like a wild fire across the Arab world, since December, toppling the long-time rulers of Tunisia and Egypt and threatening entrenched dynasties from Bahrain to Yemen.

Below is the full test of the Pan African Parliament’s statement:

“The Pan-African Parliament (PAP), as a continental body representing the voices of the peoples of Africa, continues to follow with increasing concern the unfolding events in Libya.

“The PAP strongly condemns all forms of violence and the resulting loss of many innocent lives".

“The PAP believes in the right of the Libyan people to express themselves in a free and peaceful manner".

“The PAP calls upon all parties to immediately end all forms of violence and urges them to put the highest interest of Libya before any other, and to resort to a peaceful dialogue in order to overcome the current crisis".

“The PAP also calls upon Libya to honour its commitments under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which it had signed and ratified.

“This situation also calls for all African Union Member States to sign and ratify the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance adopted by the African Union in 2007.”

Source:thepoint.gm

Senegal Government Breaks Diplomatic Ties With Iran Over Weapons Shipments

by Paul Richardson

Senegal severed diplomatic ties with Iran over a series of arms shipments that it alleges have led to the deaths of soldiers from the West African nation, Foreign Minister Madicke Niang said.

Iran delivered “important amounts” of arms to Gambia, Niang said in a statement published in the state-owned le Soleil newspaper today. Gambia borders the southern Senegalese region of Casamance, where separatists are fighting for autonomy. A shipment of weapons seized in Nigeria last year was destined for that country, Niang said.

“Senegal is indignant to find that Iranian bullets have been able to cause the deaths of Senegalese soldiers,” he said. “As a consequence, Senegal has decided to break its diplomatic relations with the Republic of Iran.”

Nigerian authorities in October intercepted 13 shipping containers of Iranian rockets, grenades and mortars and charged an Iranian national and three Nigerians with unlawfully importing the weapons. CMA CGM SA, the French shipping company, said an Iranian company used one of its vessels to illegally transport the arms to Lagos after labelling them as “packages of glass wool and pallets of stone.”

In December, Senegal withdrew its ambassador to Iran citing concern that the consignment may “deeply undermine the peace and security of the sub-region.” Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade return the ambassador five weeks later, after a visit by Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi, who pledged to provide as much as $200 million dollars for joint economic projects.

Three Consignments

Iran’s ambassador to Nigeria, Husseini Abdullahi, said earlier this month the shipment seized inNigeria was the last of three consignments destined for Gambia, the Lagos-based Nation newspaper reported on Feb. 9. He didn’t give the ultimate destination of the weapons.

Members of the Wade administration believe the weapons were meant to be delivered to separatists in the southern Senegalese province of Casamance, Papa Dieng, a special adviser to the president, said in a Jan. 11 interview. The rebels began attacks on military and civilian targets in Casamanace in 1982 to demand independence for the region.

Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who has ruled Gambia for 16 years, is from the Casamance region and is “thought to be quietly and unofficially sympathetic to Casamance rebels’ cause of greater autonomy if not independence for the southern region of Senegal,”Strategic Forecasting Inc., an Austin, Texas-based intelligence group, said in November.

Nuclear Weapons

Trade and financial transactions with the Persian Gulf nation have been restricted after theUnited Nations approved a fourth round of sanctions last June in response to concerns that the Iranian government is attempting to build nuclear weapons.

In a 2009 meeting, Wade voiced support for Iran’s “struggle to contain the proliferation of nuclear weapons,” according to minutes posted on the government website. The country continues to support Iran’s nuclear project if it is purely for civilian purposes, Ndiaye said.

Iran Khodro, the country’s largest car manufacturer, maintains two plants outside of the Senegalese capital, Dakar, from which it seeks to export as many as 15,000 cars a year to as far as Nigeria, according to the company.

Source:Bloomberg.com

Sidia blames Middle East Unrest on failure of parliaments

A prominent Gambian politician, following the seemingly unending revolts sweeping across the Arab world, Hon. Sidia Jatta, the National Assembly Member for Wuli West constituency, has been speaking about the political cataclysm that is currently rocking the Middle East, declaring that this was partly ascribable to the failure of parliaments to assume their responsibilities adequately.

Sidia Jatta of the opposition National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) was speaking last Wednesday, when he gave the vote of thanks during the donors' round-table conference organized by the National Assembly to support the successful implementation of the Assembly's 2010-2014 Strategic Development and Investment Plan.

According to the Wuli West parliamentarian, it is important that parliaments are strengthened in such a way that they assume their responsibilities, stressing that this cannot be done unless parliamentarians are capacitized.

The uprising, latest of which is in Libya, is one of a series of revolts that have raced like a wild fire across the Arab world since December, toppling the long-time rulers of Tunisia and Egypt and threatening entrenched dynasties from Bahrain to Yemen.

"Investing money into parliaments is investing into the empowerment of the people as parliament is the symbol of the authority and power of the people, and the fundamental expression of the will of the people," Jatta said.

In his view, the practice of democracy changes, but the values are universally all the same everywhere.

He noted that parliamentarians are there to promote the essence and the importance of parliament.

"Once upon a time, there was no parliament. Only few elders would meet and take charge of society's affairs. Then 90 to 95 percent of those who generated the wealth of society had no voice," he said.

According to the opposition leader, the development of the human race, each time, corresponds to a certain type of economic order.

Hon. Jatta, who is also a member of the Pan-African parliament, went on to state that, it is a fact that, everybody of mature age in our society has a responsibility and, therefore, must have a voice because they contribute to the generation of wealth of society. These people, he further stated, must have the power, the authority and a voice, and that power and authority is their vote.

"Everybody of voting age is a member of parliament, but there is no house that can be built in any country that can house all the members of parliament in a given society," Jatta asserted.

He noted that since they have employed people to carry out functions without which we cannot live, the same parliament must scrutinize those people entrusted with the responsibility to run the affairs of society.

This, he said, is why institutions come to parliament to account for funds given to them to manage in the interest of society.

Author: Lamin B. Darboe

Source:thepoint.gm

STATEMENT BY PDOIS ON TUNISIA, EGYPT, BAHRAIN, YEMEN, JORDAN AND LIBYA REVOLT OR REVOLUTION?

Issued by Halifa Sallah


Events of far reaching historical and political importance are taking place in North Africa in particular and the Middle East in General. Many people are claiming that a revolution is taking place which is going to consume every serving dictator on the continent and beyond. Some conceive the developments in Tunisia and Egypt as mere revolts whose impact are short-lived and do not go beyond the replacement of one executive government with another one. It is therefore important to focus on events at their moment of happening, draw lessons on their causes and possible outcomes and then map out the way forward.

This is our task as a party which aims to play a major role in shaping a destiny of liberty, dignity and prosperity for the people of the continent in particular and the peoples of the world at large.
Who controls power? How is it exercised? Whose interest does it serve? The answer to these questions determine the type of state.
History teaches that Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen have the same evolutionary pattern of political development. The Kingdoms of Jordan, Morocco and Bahrain also share the same system of Government.
The struggle for self determination and Independence against the French triumphed in 1956 but Tunisia became a Monarchy under Lamine Bey of the Husainid Dynasty. The struggle for Self Determination however did not stop there. In 1957, the Nationalist forces under the leadership of Habib Bourguiba overthrew the monarchy and established a Republic on 25 July 1957. Instead of proceeding to establish the rule of the sovereign people the pioneers of the struggle against the monarchy for a Republic established their own rule which was Republican in name but monarchical in deed. Hence Bourguiba ruled Tunisia until 1987 when infirmity compelled zine El Abidine Ben Ali to take over and establish his own quasi Monarchical rule. A middle class developed in Tunisia which increasingly recognised the control of both power and resources by a few; who suppressed all discontent with an iron hand and who could no longer give them the hope of greater prosperity. This growth of the army of the unemployed middle class whose every manifestation of dissent was suppressed constituted the powder keg that had the potential to explode once ignited.
In Tunisia what ignited the powder keg was the maltreatment of a frustrated street Vendor, who was three years old when Ben Ali took over in 1987, by a female municipal staff. Mohamed Bouazizi saw the confiscation of his commodities as the last straw which broke the camel’s back. Hence on 17 December 2010 he set himself on fire to confirm that he preferred death to life under such humiliation.
This act ignited the powder Keg of revolt among the middle class who began their protests against political, economic and social marginalization. Instead of calling a National Conference of stakeholders to find out what the people really want and accept their demand Ben Ali decided to refer to the activists as trouble makers bent on destabilizing the Tunisian state. He used police repression to confront the protest. This led to the closing of ranks between the middle class and the poorest of the poor. The shooting of the activists led to the transformation of the protest movements into a revolt against constituted authority. The power of a galvanised people with the sole aim of unseating Ben Ali and his government overwhelmed the police force. The army which provides the second and final line of defence for a government considered it impossible to maintain the government by using force, as millions of people rose in open defiance of a government. The army considered it prudent to take the side of the people and thus avoided further bloodshed and allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Hence on the 14 January 2011, Ben Ali’s 23 year old rule crumbled. He left Tunisia with his family in search of refuge abroad. A transitional arrangement was made which created a new cabinet involving some close associates of Ben Ali. This has resulted in frequent protests for their removal. A clear way forward is still not in sight. A truce however exists between the people and the army.
The lesson is clear. Once the vast majority of people in a state refuse to accept one way of being ruled and the constituted authority finds it impossible to rule without killing and maiming the vast majority, a revolt to overthrow constituted authority must the end result. During such revolt the armed forces may take different sides and engage in a civil war until the side that supports the majority of people prevails and the other side is disarmed or the whole military remains intact and withdraw their support of constituted authority. The old regime is no more but the new regime is yet to be. This is what happened in both Tunisia and Egypt.
In Egypt, the monarchy functioned with a parliament until King Farouk and the condescending parliament were overthrown in 1952 and the Egyptian Republic was established on 18 June, 1953. Since then Egypt has known only Four Presidents, Mohammed Naguib, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak who took over in 1981 after Sadat was assassinated.
The 30 year old rule of Mubarak was marked by the concentration of power and wealth in the hands of his close circle of family members and associates. The protests against civil, political, economic and social marginalization in Tunisia served as a reminder to the marginalised in Egypt who began to close ranks in January 2011. By the end of January 2011 it was clear that Millions of Egyptians, from both the middleclass and the poorest of the poor were no longer ready to accept Mubarak’s continuous stay in power. They declared that Mubarak had to go. Instead of calling for a National Conference of stakeholders to prepare the ground to depart Mubarak tried to utilise the police to suppress the activists. He misread the situation which had gone beyond protest and amounted to an open revolt to topple his government. The millions overpowered the police. It was now left to the military to defend his government. The military could not suppress the millions. Mubarak tried to fuel civil war between civilians so that the army will play the role of peace keeper and drive all the civilians off the street. This tactic could not work in the face of a revolt by the millions of Egyptians who preferred to put their religions, origins and status aside and marched as one to oust Mubarak despite all the atrocities.
The army eventually had to come to the side of the people. On 11 February 2011 the Vice President told the Egyptian people that Mubarak had accepted to step down. The revolt to topple Mubarak has succeeded. What next? This is the question.
On February 13 the revolt started to be transformed into a coup d’etat instead of a revolution to reconstitute the civil, political, social, economic and cultural life of the Egyptian people. In short, a high level Military Command dissolved the Constitution and Parliament and promised parliamentary election in September, 2011.
It is important for the people of Egypt to search for the way forward. Herein lies the relevance of the proposals of those who treasure liberty dignity and prosperity for all peoples.
As the Egyptian Military tried to stabilize the country by taking over on 13 February, in Libya all indications pointed to the beginning of a protest movement against the existing state of things. The squares were initially occupied by security forces to prevent people from gathering. Eventually demonstrations in support of the government were organised in Tripoli but could not be organised successfully in Benghazi, Bayda, Dern, Tobruk and Misrata. Threats of a revolt and threats of retaliation were amplified in the public space.
The changed atmosphere in Libya in particular and the greater Sub Region in general, should have motivated the Revolutionary Command Council, the local, Regional and National General People´s Congresses to meet to consider the demands of those who were planning to be in the street to protest and address the demands . It should have been clear that once protests are met with violence public outcry is bound to spread and if the atrocities persist the outcry is bound to escallate. This would ultimately culminate in revolt against constituted authority. The Libyan leadership did not want to be seen to be bowing down to pressure. Hence by 14 February 2010 thousands took to the street. Now Benghazi has become a city where the Libyan Government is undergoing a crisis of legitimacy as protestors claim to have seized control. The people have barricaded the streets to confine the movement of the security forces and there were reports of deaths from firing of high caliber ammunition.Hospitals claim to be overwhelmed by the injured and dead bodies.
History teaches that Libya was under King Idris until his overthrow on 1 September 1969 and his abdication to allow room for the emergence of a new government on 2 September 1969. Now uncertainty has gripped Libya. What is the way forward? That is the fundamental question.
Yemen was a monarchy ruled by the Hamidadddin family. Northern Yemen became a Republic in 1962 and the current President of a United Yemen was the President of Northern Yemen from 1978 up to the period of Unification. Southern Yemen also became a Republic in 1967 and the two Yemeni Republics became united in 1990. Thousands have also taken to the streets in Yemen to call for the ousting of President Saleh. Those protesting are complaining of political repression, corruption, unemployment and the centralization of power in one hand for over 30 years. The Yemeni Government has tried to distance itself from the grenade attacks on tens of thousand of protestors at the central square of the Yemini Capital Sana. Clashes between supporters and opponents of the government did not put an end to the demonstrations; on the contrary, it is leading to revolt. What is the way forward for Yemen ? That is the question.

Bahrain and Jordan
Bahrain and Jordan however are still monarchies. The people of Bahrain have called for the resignation of the prime Minister amidst allegation of discrimination on sectarian grounds. Thousands who assembled at Pearl square continued their night Virgil thinking that the Prime Minister would be pressured to resign. However the sweeping of the square by security forces when protestors were asleep and the killing and injuring of many have ignited the fire of revolt in Bahrain. Now the monarch is accusing Shiites of having ambition to take over. The people however are not talking about the division of the country on Sectarian grounds. They are protesting against the excesses of the monarch and the brutality of the security forces.
Jordan is also a monarchy. The Protest movement drew support from all sectors of society and their call is for limits to be placed on the power of the king which currently enables him to rule by decree, appoint and dismiss cabinet and parliament. Many are calling for a Constitutional monarchy which limits the power of the King and empower people to elect the Prime Minister and other representatives. The injury suffered at the hands of the supporters of the Monarchs had fueled the spirit of protest. Without meeting the demand of the people the protests could eventually fuel revolt.What then is the way forward for Jordan? That is the question.

The Way Forward
It is very clear that when the vast majority of people in a country are no longer ready to be ruled in the old way and the governments are not willing to rule in a new way revolt against constituted authority becomes in evitable. It is therefore necessary for those governments which do not want to be overthrown through revolt to read the writings on the wall and call for National Conferences of all stakeholders to draw up a new compact for political reform.
Those countries where the regimes have already been overthrown, like Tunisia and Egypt should move towards the consolidation of the sovereignty of the people so as not to return to the concentration of wealth and power in few hands. They should demand for the immediate convening of a national conference of all stakeholders representing all sectors of Egyptian and Tunisian societies to discuss the future of the two countries. The National Conference should be charged with the responsibility of selecting people who would constitute a transitional government, which will be charged with the responsibility of releasing political prisoners, opening up the National media to divergent views, restoring civil liberties, stabilizing the economy and preparing the ground for free and fair elections. The National Conference would be given the mandate to consult all sectors of society to come up with a draft Republican Constitution that will be subjected to a referendum along with the election of new representatives who will govern in accordance with such constitution.
Countries like Libya, Yemen and Algeria should also call for a National Conference of all stake holders to make recommendations on how the countries should be reconstituted. The leadership of such countries should endorse and implement the demands of the people..
Monarchies like Bahrain and Jordan should join the ceremonial monarchs of Europe until their people are ready to put the monarchical system as a whole into the dustbin of history. They should convene National conferences aimed at divesting the monarchs of all powers to govern and vest such powers to parliaments, cabinets and prime Ministers elected by the people.

This is the era of the sovereignty of the people. No system has a future which does not aim to safeguard the sovereignty of the people and ensure the fullest realisation of their civil, political, economic, social, cultural and ecological rights. This is the verdict of political and historical science and it is irrevocable.
The second phase of the struggle for self determination and Independence has dawned .It is the phase to assert the sovereignty of the people. The era of the sovereignty of the people is finally here.

Forward with the Democratic Republics
Down with Monarchies and all monarchical tendencies in government
Forward with the Sovereignty of the people
The Future belongs to the people

Gambia:Yahya Jammeh the archetypal bad autocrat

By The East African

Yahya Jammeh  has been President of the Republic of the Gambia (since October 18, 1996).He rules his country like a personal fiefdom, refuse to hold meaningful elections, spends oodles of money on defence while the Gambian population starves.

Political background: A 29-year-old army captain, Jammeh returned with Gambian forces from Liberia in1994 and staged a bloodless coup against the longtime ruler, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara. Has since won three controversial rounds of elections. Among Africa’s most bizarre and colourful leaders, he claims mystic powers, such as the ability to cure Aids and asthma with singledose herbal treatments and a banana-rich diet.

His ability to read at a functional level is doubted by some. He has expressed ambitions of territorial expansion. Carries a sword at all times.Successes in 2010: Managed to quash the second coup attempt against his regime in November,this time pinning the blame on the director of internal security in The Gambia’s feared National Intelligence Agency.International observers predict that a successful coup against Mr Jammeh is “only a matter of time,” especially as he maneuvers to crown himself king.

Failures this year: 

After working since 2006 to build relations with Iran, Mr Jammeh watched this diplomatic foray go down in flames.The Gambia had purchased a shipment of arms from Iran, including weapons as large as 107mm rockets.The 13-sea-container shipment, which potentially violates the UN arms trade ban on Iran, marked as “construction materials” was seized at the port of Lagos, Nigeria.After the seizure, President Jammeh severed diplomatic ties with Iran and declared its diplomats personae non grata. He gave them 48 hours to leave the country.

Moment of the year: 

Notorious for heaping himself with ostentatious titles, the president is gunning for yet another: King of The Gambia.He now goes by the handle “His Excellency thePresident Sheik Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya Abdul-Azziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh” but appears unsatisfied. Traditional chiefs and tribal elders have been fanning out across The Gambia, building support for a coronation, which could well take place soon.

BILLION DOLLAR COCAINE CASE CONTINUES

In the billion dollar of cocaine case on, the trial Magistrate Alagbe Taiwo Ade of Banjul Magistrates’ Court, on Thursday 17th February 2011 ordered the court to be moved to the NDEA premises. 
When the case was called, the Director of Public Prosecutions announced his appearance for the State, while Lamin Camara announced his representation for some of the accused persons and Emmanuel E Chime represented the eight accused person (Ephraim Michel Chiduben).
The trial magistrate then directed that the court will sit at the NDEA premises where the suspected cocaine is kept for the purpose of tendering and possibly admitting it in evidence. This was then done.
At the NDEA premises, Commissioner Yusupha Jatta, a prosecution witness testified that he gave 85 bags of suspected cocaine to the exhibit keeper at the National Drug Enforcement Agency. He further testified that the bags are kept in a store and that they are going to tender it in evidence.
He said he can identify the bags through their contents and where they are contained i.e. rice bags/ sacks. Mr. Jatta pointed at a store with a red door and informed the court, “This is the store as you can see there are about five pad locks. The key to each pad lock is with the sister forces”. When asked by the Director of Public Prosecutions whether he can recall each of the sister forces, Jatta replied in the positive.
Jatta testified that the sister forces are the Customs, Police, NIA, NDEA, and the Army. He called on the sister forces to open the said store, but personnel of the sister forces were unable to open it. The DPP applied to the court for the pad locks to be broken; and the pad locks were broken before the court by using a hammer and chisel after the defence chose not to raise an objection.
After the breaking of the five pad locks, the DPP applied to the court for each of the sister forces to collect a pad lock that was broken which they did.
The bags of suspected cocaine were counted in the store but it was 86 bags that were found in the store. When Jatta was asked by the DPP to explain about how the 86 bags came about, Jatta told the court that at the time they discovered the 85 bags it was in the dark; but that the GRTS was invited to “show the public transparency” because when the photos were shown to the authorities they were not satisfied and they sent GRTS back to the bunker at the warehouse with a more powerful light; that they then found the 86th bag in the bunker and they called upon the Director General of NDEA (Benedict Jammeh) who went and recovered the 86th bag.
“I did not recover the 86th bag. It was GRTS that called my director to go and recover the bag which he did,” said Jatta. He added that the bags shown to him are the very bags and the suspected cocaine is in different colours namely, white, orange, black, etc. When asked by the DPP to tell the court the content of the bags, Jatta said that the substance was analyzed and it was said to be suspected cocaine.
The bag containing orange colour of suspected cocaine was admitted and marked as exhibit S1, The black colour of suspected cocaine was marked as S2 and the white Colour as S3.
At this juncture, the DPP made an application under section 97 of the Criminal Procedure Code concerning the 82 bags of cocaine that are yet to be tendered before the court.
The trial Magistrate ordered that the keys to the store be kept by the registrar of the court while security officers keep on watching.
Hearing continues on Tuesday 22nd February 2011. 


Source:Foroyaa.gm

IS GAMBIA 46 YEARS OLD? The Facts and Myths of Independence Day

On 18th February 2011, the Gambia commemorated its 46 anniversary of Independence. The state decentralized the commemoration to regions. It would be interesting to note how much has been spent by each council on the commemoration. It would also not be difficult to understand why duties have been raised by councils from three (3) to five (5) dalasi. It is important for every Gambian to understand that the clarion call of the movement for self determination and Independence as led by Edward Francis Small was: “ No taxation without representation:“
This provided the most rudimentary justification for the establishment of a democratic order and the sovereignty of the people. In short, it was the view of the pioneers that those who pay taxes into government coffers have the right to entrust their money to public trustees whom they elect and who could be removed from office by them. In this way they would act in a transparent and accountable manner knowing that any abuse of office could lead to their removal.

About 81 years since the National Congress of British West Africa called for taxation to be linked to the establishment of representative institutions in 1920 we have National Assembly members, Governors, Chiefs and Musicians who regard the post of a President as the post of a King.

Interestingly enough, during the commemoration of the 46th Anniversary the TV and National Radio interviewed many people who spoke about the nature of the colonial administration which taxed the people without providing adequate services. All the inadequacies of colonialism are exposed. However, they would not allow people to dwell much on the realities of the people after 46 years of Independence. We cannot continue to nurture our national pride by claiming that our ancestors had a civilisation comparable to all others. We must not continue to count the number of a schools and hospitals and compare it with the colonial days to try to justify that we have done better.

What we need to do is to take stock by indicating the goals of the struggle for National Liberation and gauge how far we have gone to attain them.

First and foremost, the final goal of the struggle for self determination and Independence is to create a Sovereign Nation which can produce what it requires and trade with other Nations on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and mutual interest. Have we attained this? No. Gambia is classified as a Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) after 46 years of Independence. Let the young people be told the truth instead of romanticizing our pre colonial past and post colonial present.

Secondly, the fundamental objective of our struggle for self determination and Independence is to create a Sovereign People whose civil, political, economic, social, cultural and ecological rights are fully safeguarded. Has this objective been attained? Certainly not!

We are working day and night for the people to know that each Gambian is Sovereign and is equal to all others in the civil and political domain. From the President down each has one vote and that is the vote which determines who is President, National Assembly member or Councillor. No Gambian deserves to claim to live in an Independent Nation if he or she is oblivious of his or her sovereignty as a person. This is our message to all Gambians. This is the second phase of National Liberation; the phase of asserting the sovereignty of the people.

Source:foroyaa.gm

Letter from America By Mathew K Jallow

By Mathew K Jallow

As news of popular revolts continue to expand across North Africa and the Middle-East to include Libya, Algeria, Bahrain and Yemen and possibly more, it is becoming evident that the hunger for political freedom is trumping the fears of the repressive regimes. In Libya, the most unlikely place to experience a popular revolution, the regime of Dictator Col. Mumar Ghaddafi is probably in its last days, as the entire eastern part of that country has fallen in the hands of the freedom loving peoples’ revolutionaries. Military installations in the eastern part of Libya have been overrun and are now held by ordinary Libyans who just want to be free. No dictator in the Arab world is sleeping peacefully these days; not even the Saudi Arabian royal family, probably one of the most backward regimes in the world, where medieval practices of cutting hands and limbs and stoning women to death are still practiced. Clearly, the world is turning a new page, but more importantly, turning its back against dictators whose senseless rules have created economic ruin and social degeneration in their countries. It is in this context that Gambians in the Diaspora urge the Gambian military and the civilian population to work together to remove Yahya Jammeh from power through civil disobedience. The Gambian population wants assurance from the military and security forces that there would not be bloodbath of civilians who want to express their Constitutional rights against the regime of Yahya Jammeh. Moreover, by the results of the 2006 election results, Yahya Jammeh is ruling by a minority vote, with less than a third of the popular vote of about 265, 000 votes out of the more than 723,635 registered Gambian voters, and even that, a significant amount of Yahya Jammeh’s voters were Casamance citizens who were illegally registered to vote in our country. With that in mind, and with the wind of revolutionary change sweeping all across the Arab world, there is no better time to free our country than NOW. We therefore urge our military, especially the young army and security officers, to work with the civilian population to save our country, if the senior officers are still too afraid. We are calling on all Gambians irrespective of tribe; Manjago, Jola, Mankanyi, Serere, Mandingo, Wollof, Serahule and Fula to put aside the grievances caused by Yahya Jammeh’s long reign and reunite as one family as we have been before Yahya Jammeh came to separate us by tribe and other social definitions. The Gambia’s popular revolution need not be violent or chaotic and it can happen without a single shot being fired; by taking control of all the military camps around the country, taking and securing the armories, overrunning and locking-down Kanilai village with a robust Gambian force and rounding-up all the Casamance rebels stationed there, and arresting Yahya Jammeh and all his loyal supporters. I am sure the professional military will laugh at my military plan, and they certainly have better ideas. I agree. But I am just a lay military tactician. We can depend on the professional soldiers and security forces working together to carry this out efficiently and fearlessly. Yahya Jammeh has no support among the people and very little in the military, so why everyone so fearful of him is beyond comprehension. After all Yahya Jammeh’s power is in the hands of his only protectors; the very military and security forces who fear him the most, because without them, thousand of civilians would invade the State House and drag Yahya Jammeh out into the street by his ankles in a heartbeat. So let us emulate Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Bahrain, Yemen and other Arabian countries where the militaries are in cooperation with the people. Let us free ourselves NOW. We cannot wait for another farce and meaningless election whose results are predetermined, because dictators NEVER lose elections. LONG LIVE THE MILITARY AND CIVILIAN COOPERATION FOR FREEDOM AND LIBERTY IN THE GAMBIA. In the event of Yahya Jammeh’s popular overthrow, Sir Dawda K Jawara can be offered the presidency again and working with civil society organizations abroad and at home, and the U.S. State Department and the British Foreign Office, he will be charged with the responsibility of organizing a transition to civilian rule within a 12-16 month period. That is enough time for political parties to form and sell their agendas to the people of our country for FREE and FAIR elections. Then our first president can retire in dignity and hand over the mantle of power to the younger generations.

Will sub-Saharan Africa avoid Egypt-style chaos?

By James Shikwati

Nairobi. At 50 on average; many African countries’ ruling elites have found themselves disconnected from their subjects. The leadership is very much similar to an absentee father or mother who turns up decades later to push for national sovereignty. 

Tunisians and Egyptians have said: “No! Where have you been all this time?” Sub-Saharan Africa's leaders assume that since they are insulated by ethnicity, their tribes will not countenance the children of the nation rise up to demand for a home after years of being spectators in their own countries’ economic and political growth.

Will Kenya escape the strong currents sweeping the north? Alas; the quest for sovereignty that apparently serves the whims of the political elite has blinded leaders to the fact that no investment was done on nation building. One leader has publicly referred to Kenya’s flag as a useless rug. 

Others regard the country as a liver to juggle with. Majority simply refer to the country as a “cake” that each must have their turn to eat! The Kiswahili saying: “Sikio la kufa halisikii dawa” (loosely translated: the ear destined to die cannot respond to medication) is clearly exhibited by elites who flaunt money, power and ethnicity and disregard reasons why Kenyans voted for a new constitutional dispensation.

Sense of nationhood
Whereas the northerners have a sense of nationhood, Sub-Saharan Africans are very much like lost sheep. Since the Europeans tore into pieces their kingdoms and chiefdoms, people have been in the wilderness. 

At independence, the 'parents' left without bothering to breastfeed their 'babies.' They shifted allegiance to other 'spouses'; in this case, former colonists, donor countries and their own immediate networks. They used the constitutional infrastructure inherited at independence to create a façade of nations and nation building.

The forces that have driven political seismic  shifts in the north are still deep undercurrents in Sub-Saharan Africa: over 65 per cent of the continent’s young people are aged below 25 years; schools and universities churn out hundreds of thousands of graduates every year; governments are still beholden to the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and other international agencies to determine and drive their visions and goals. 

Sub-Saharan Africa’s majority live on less that $2 a day, witness over $150 billion in mining sector tax avoidance and $200 billion in corruption leakages to foreign banks annually. 
Citizens watch in disbelief as famine disasters turn into annual industries to enrich political elites destroying incentives to invest in a lasting solution.

African leaders be warned – a huge tribe of the unemployed, marginalized and those that suffer indignity are watching  you. You may choose to stockpile firearms, use money and the best public relations in the world, but events in the north show that these cannot stop an agitated population.

Governance programmes
Taxpayers from countries that fund governance programmes in Africa must be watching with keen interest as political seismic plates react with anger to their half a century project on the continent. Demonstrations against governments in the north are a pointer that people have not been part of defining good governance. 

The situation is no different in Sub-Saharan Africa, where determinants of good governance are rammed down the throats of Africans by donor countries.
Donor countries are running scared. Upheavals in Africa will throw populations on their shores. Millions will seek refuge from their countries that were plundered by sponsored political elites. 
A combination of gullible “run away parents” and donor interests have brought the continent to this precipice.

The author,  james@irenkenya.org , is director of Inter Region Economic Network