Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara: A Statesman for the Ages (#Gambia)

                                     By Mathew K. Jallow

As Sir Dawda K Jawara, Gambia's first and former president due in Atlanta, Georgia, for his book signing, Mathew K Jallow revisits his archives for a fitting dedication to the man of the hour

The term "Founding Father" conjures up mental images of the American Revolution, and applying it to Sir Dawda K. Jawara, has always felt like a stretch for me. Yet, the realism and enigma of Sir Dawda is articulated in the pioneering spirit with which he so ably led The Gambia into the mush-rooming age of political independence. Sir Dawda Jawara was molded in a cast which almost defied definition. The embodiment of a conglomeration of three cultures wrapped into one person, Sir Dawda, out of social expediency developed a redeeming neutral identity that combined his Wollof cultural upbringing in a detribalized Fula family, and set him on a journey towards adolescent identity crisis.

Sir Dawda's character and personality are the products of the refined sophistication of the Aku culture into which he married, the omnipresent Mandinka heritage which loomed large in his background and the Wollofnied Fula upbringing that shaped his early years. And growing up in Bathurst, now Banjul, where his discriminating sense of tribal identity was diffused by homogenizing cultural forces more powerful than the confounding sense of tribe, Sir Dawda, became a product of the environmental circumstances that profoundly pervaded his early life. With the pull of different cultures and the draw of conflicting identities, Sir Dawda learnt to rise above the narrow limitations of tribal identity to escape to a neutral safe-haven and away from the demons of his inner conflict. Even when political demands necessitated a response to the self-interests that consumed the antagonistic tribal forces in his government, he seemed to quietly retreat into the familiar neutral. And more than a decade and half after his fall from political grace, Sir Dawda's story is still being written by the inadvertent paradoxes of history; as the contrast with Yahya Jammeh's murderous regime becomes the true testament of the genius of Sir Dawda's leadership.

There is no a doubt that the verdict of history will cast President Jawara in good light; notwithstanding the economic failures that supposedly led to his political downfall. Throughout his public life, Sir Dawda had remained neutral to a fault, for when faced with competing and antagonistic tribal forces, he show-cased a balanced, if not a non-intrusive quality that often bordered on senile detachment from the natty gritty of the nation's daily political life. Sir Dawda was never given to drama, and even when the nation's capital resources were plundered and depleted right before his eyes, he seemed almost unable to provoke accountability and discipline in response to the exigencies of the moment. And despite his abundant gift of wisdom, Sir Dawda Jawara easily fell victim to his popularity, but more important than that, he never learnt to hold the feet of his subordinates to the fire. And it was this lackadaisical approach to governance that became his undoing. For, even as he drew sharp criticism for the country's descent into the unfathomable depths of corruption and tribal infighting, he seemed to bury his head into the sand. Yet despite his failures as our leader, Gambians today would rather choose to relive the worst of the Jawara era, than remain prisoners in a state of suspended animation that challenges our national conscience and degrades our humanity. The last fifteen years of Yahya Jammeh's brutal dramatics are radically different from the tempered era of Sir Dawda; an era characterized by a dichotomous irony of insidious tribal conflict and manifest political harmony.

As President, Sir Dawda was without a doubt a man of vision both by nature and circumstance, yet he lacked the strength and the force of will to rein in the run-away corruption, looting and the pervasive plunder of our nation's resources. Today, that corruption remains embedded in the body politics of our country, to elevate the level of corruption to a dangerous crisis situation. In spite of this, Sir Dawda has remained the picture perfect embodiment of nobility and grace, a rare breed of politician who exudes a celestial serenity; a man who seems fixated on his unique qualities as a compassion statesman; and a man whose superior morals precludes the need for greed and material wealth. In that regard alone, Sir Dawda has become the true definition of honor.

During his thirty-year long presidency, Sir Dawda provided opportunity for Gambians, yet somehow, the cloud of ethical degradation that hung over his successive governments, failed to alert his good judgment for reason that still leaves many Gambians perplexed and left in wonderment. As president, Sir Dawda Jawara was unlike most African leaders and politicians of his generation; leaders who took advantage of their positions to enrich themselves with the wealth of their people. If there was one negative about the era of Sir Dawda on which there is universal agreement among Gambians, it was that he overstayed as president; even when the signs for his departure were written on the wall for all to see. But, since we cannot undo the past, we must at least find solace in the remarkable achievements of Sir Dawda's long, peaceful reign.

Today, only a few other African countries have had the success of ingraining the values of democracy and the rule of law in their citizens as The Gambia under Sir Dawda. For ours is not merely the romanticized notion of democracy, judging by the plethora of angry voices shouting freedom, not only from behind the ominous dark shadows of the confining walls of our prisons, but also from to the unforgiving distances that separate Gambians from their beloved homeland. Gambians on all continents are forming a critical mass in their opposition to Jammeh's murderous and dictatorial regime, and this is possible only because Sir Dawda gave us a taste of what it was like to live as free people. And today, the narcissism, brutality and greed of Yahya Jammeh stand in sharp contrast to the humility and frugality of Sir Dawda; a man whose humane predisposition is the product of highly cultured personality.

True, Sir Dawda may at some point admit to some of the failings of his successive governments, but he has given us much more than material rewards. He allowed us to retain our inalienable rights and freedoms, and this is more than Gambians could ever ask for. For if truth be told, there is no greater gift Sir Dawda could have given us than the gift of liberty. And now, as age takes its inevitable toll, and Sir Dawda continues his dignified march towards the lonely and melancholic sunset, his legacy will remain etched in our hearts, our souls and all across our land. Sir Dawda has carved out a name in our hearts for himself, as a leader, a humanitarian and a statesman. But no one can tell the story of Sir Dawda K Jawara our first president more than himself, and his book signing in Atlanta, Georgia, next week, will begin that storytelling, and perhaps, just perhaps, for many of us, ignite the nostalgia of a time past under the leadership of a statesman for the ages.

Gambia News: What democracy denies its people the right to vote? (#Gambia)

(Daily News)As Gambians at home register for the 2011 presidential election; Gambians abroad remain disenfranchised, despite fifteen years of empty promises and artificial obstacles by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). The official quotes below say it all:
 “The Commission has been mandated by the Elections Decree (Section 11) to provide a register of voters in foreign countries. Such a mandate is being looked into,” (IEC Website).
“Presently, Gambians living abroad have the option of returning to the Gambia during registration periods and register within their Constituencies of origin. This will mean that it is only in this type of registration that they can vote during National or Local Elections, until such a time that a register of voters in foreign countries become feasible,” (IEC Website).
At this snail-pace, Diaspora Gambians will never have the right to vote in Gambian national elections, because fifteen years after the 1996 presidential polls, the Commission is “still looking into it.”
This is not a case of bad faith on my part- far from it. It is the realization that the words of The Commission are official spin, empty rhetoric intended to satisfy donors, while denying Diaspora Gambians their rights in order to maintain the status-quo.
The Commission and the Jammeh regime have no intention, nor are they interested, in extending the franchise to Diaspora Gambians. This is so, despite readily available funds from the Commonwealth and other donor countries.
In this day of sophisticated computer software registering less than 300, 000 Gambians resident abroad should not be as daunting as it was even ten years ago. Many countries in Africa, and neighboring Senegal, in particular, have extended the vote to their citizens abroad, recognizing among other things, their collective contribution to national development through remittances and investments in land and businesses.
It is laughable to expect Gambians in their thousands to return home to cast a ballot in their “constituencies of origin.”
What an utter waste of valuable resources that could, otherwise, be spent to benefit Gambians at home. Why make it so difficult for Diaspora Gambians to exercise such a fundamental right?
The answer is simple—they need our monthly remittances, not our vote, out of fear that Jammeh would be flushed out; even though he now enjoys considerable support among pockets of Gambians abroad.
What democracy denies its people the right to vote?
The IEC and Jammeh are not entirely at fault. The Opposition political party aficionados are just as complicit. Their parties remain disorganized, splintered and bututless; and for the most part are themselves paralyzed by fear— never attempting to challenge the constitutionality of this illegal state of affairs.
Rather than compromise, which is the art of politics, they are consumed by distrust, as they wallow in trite recrimination against one another- all hoping against all odds that they too shall become president someday.
This is at best delusional grandstanding even though all it takes to win is to form a united front against Jammeh. This is not rocket science but a simple strategy. Get the rascals out and then duke it out amongst yourselves.
Thus, the 2011 presidential election results are a foregone conclusion! You do not have to be a political scientist or bantaba pundit to figure this one out.
It seems all Gambians know this except the party leaders that plan to run and be humiliated. Jammeh and his APRC party will trounce any and all who dare stand his way. He has the money, arms and threatens to use them, which he will, if cornered.
Did he not arrest and imprison Femi Peters with impunity, without a whimper? Does Jammeh not use state media, while denying Opposition political heads their right to do so? Does he not have the IEC in his pocket and hires and fires at will its members? Does the Constitution not favor him and his kind? Need I go on?
How can Gambians at home and those in the Diaspora salvage the 2011 presidential election? If you cannot vote; vote with your wallet, and threaten to withhold the monthly “fish-money.”  Demand that relatives vote and vote for the candidate that stands the best chance of winning.
That happens to be Ousainou Darboe. Demand that all Opposition parties and aficionados rally behind Darboe, this once and see what happens. Darboe must now take a bold move, take the bull by its horns and make deals with the other party leaders- promise them the moon and get them on his side. Once in office, establish a union government to run the country for a one five-year term, while putting the necessary instruments and environment in place for a free and fair presidential poll.
This may well be the antidote to the political impasse that currently grips the country. With this strategy, Jammeh can have all the money, media, IEC and arms on his side and still be flushed out of office. Will the PPP, NRP, PDOIS leadership rally behind Darboe or would they rather see Jammeh be handed a fourth five-year term? This is the question and the choice is clear to all.

Gambia News: Lt. General Tamba Will Not ‘Die Twice’ But Queries Gambian Judiciary after Sentence

Daily News --Lt. Gen. Lang Tombong Tamba, former defence chief said, the Gambia’s judiciary needs to be looked into because he doesn’t deserve a sentence for a crime he did not commit.
Tamba’s query came after the Special Criminal Division of the High Court in Banjul found him and Sarjo Fofana, former navy chief guilty on all four counts of treason related charges, eventhough they had denied the charges.
In a suspense-filled climax of a courtroom saga that has obsessed the nation, the eleven month-long trial yesterday ended with a twenty year jail sentence handed down on both men.
Tamba and Fofana were sacked in October 2009 following which they were put under trial for a coup attempt which occurred in 2006.  
The atmosphere which greeted their conviction and sentence was both chaotic and somber.  The former army Lt general was uptight and teary, yet he unsuccessfully managed to calm down a more teary crowed of relatives and sympathisers.     
“I am prepared to die,” the General cried out, attracting the attention of a blend of uniformed and un-uniformed state security personnel who grabbed their former embattled boss with every strength of theirs, put him into the vehicle and whisked him away.
Denied the allegations
Lt Gen. Tamba, who was the deputy chief of defence staff at the time of the 2006 coup, was widely seen as a key figure in the foiling of the attempted coup in 2006 allegedly led by former defence chief, Col Ndure Cham, now in exile.
His lawyer, Sheriff Tambedou said, Tamba was promoted as Chief of Defence Staff and also decorated by the President with MRG because of efforts he did in foiling the 2006 coup attempt.
 “I did everything to foil the 2006 coup,” Tamba himself said, shaking his head after his conviction. “How can I be part of a coup which I foiled.”
And Sarjo Fofana was the chair of the military court - Court martial - which presided over the case  in connection with the coup.

On the trial
Five state witnesses, including two former military men convicted by a military court in connection with the said coup attempt appeared as state witnesses, but refused to testify.
Major Bah, a military officer who had been sentenced to a 25 year jail term after he was found guilty of the said coup attempt - but later freed on a presidential pardon - had also testified as a state witness.
However, the defense counsel of Tamba and Fofana had argued that the state has no evidence against their clients, noting that none of the witnesses linked their clients to the said treason.
 “The prosecution has proved its case beyond all reasonable doubt and I hereby found the accused person guilty of the charges,” Justice Ikapala, held.
He relied on the testimony of Major Bah and the statement obtained from a treason convict Captain Yaya Darboe by state investigators.
Justice Ikpala agreed on the content of the statement, which he said, states that Tamba and Fofana were involved in the coup attempt.
Lawyers maintained innocence
“Sarjo Fofana did not take any step in the 2006 foiled coup and there is no evidence from the prosecution,” the lawyer for Fofana, Lamin Mboge told court even after the guilty verdict was passed.
He described his client as a finest and a highly responsible gentleman with a wife and children and an extended family who all depend on him.
Lt Gen. Tamba, on the other hand, is a wife to two, a biological father to six and adopted father to fifteen people most of whom are young, according to his lawyer.
He was condemned to death last year alongside seven others, including top security men and business tycoons, also for treason allegations he had denied.
Treason attracts a maximum penalty of death sentence in The Gambia. The presiding judge sentenced Tamba and Fofana as follows: 20 years for conspiracy, 20 years for treason and 10 years for each of the two counts of concealment of treason.
Since the sentences will run concurrently, both men will spend 20 years in jail, unless otherwise.   
However, Tamba is unconvinced that he has done anything wrong and could be heard calling for an overhaul of The Gambia’s justice system, which has come under heavy criticisms over the years.
“Have faith Tamba because one day justice will prevail,” a bloodshot eye old man tried to cheer him up, as if the judge’s decision was unjust.

Author: Binta Bah

Gambia: A storm brewed over The Gambia

By Doko Wato Sita

A storm brewed, and came over our little beloved nation in 1994. At first this impending storm was greeted with much dancing and joy in the streets, in villages throughout the length and breadth of the land ,for indeed a great drought had persisted for many years, where lack of transparency, accountability, and proper administration had made everyone yearn for a day like this, and where everyone thought that indeed the day of reckoning had arrived.

When the dust subsided, out emerged five young army men. They called themselves soldiers with a difference. Out of the core grew a man, reminiscent of Stalin, ignorant, ugly, ignoble, vicious, and calculating, bent on distorting the dream, if there was any; bent on eliminating all those who came with him from that impending storm. Where is Yankuba Touray, Sanna Sabally, Edward Singatey, and Sadibou Haidara? So also must we ask ourselves what happened to these who were with Stalin after Lenin’s death? This man, who is now the spitting image of Joseph Stalin, reflects all that is bad about The Gambian; greedy, selfish, jealous, mean, arrogant and materialist to the core. Now he sits and reigns supreme, over all and sundry, where none dear speak against him, not even cough up words of condemnation against him.

A bandit in sheep’s clothing, a buffoon in alligator shoes, with a name so long, that all hyenas and wolves in The Gambia can comfortably fit into. These hyenas and wolves are none other than the notable mafia clans and families who came to lend support to the dictator. Well educated and well exposed Gambians who have read better, and should know better, but taken with materialism, greed and the urge to ape the colonialist become the extended family to the dictator, working tirelessly in the boiler rooms of his government and administration, pouncing on innocent victims, yet heaping all the blame on the President. Let us take the case of Beatrice Allen. It hurts me so much that I weep as I write this letter.

A noble, clean spirited woman as Beatrice Allen, wanting to just pursue the right way, is maligned, humiliated and brought to court on trumped up charges by a corrupt clique of hoodlums. It would seem that for The Gambia, it is the women who are becoming the true defendants of justice, and the ones crying out for justice. Now we have another innocent victim Mr. Touray of Prestine Consulting, who left his comfortable and highly successful career in the United States to return to his homeland to contribute to that nation’s development. Let us face ourselves and tell the truth, Yaya did not put that man in jail, Gambians did, as they have done with many who came back home with intelligence, a new vision, a new product, or a new business, not of their own and not from their own (the mafia clan that is), and who they then see as threatening to their entrenched status. They are then impelled to seize on that returnee’s idea, concept, or assets. They are the mafia families, and from where Yaya draws all his technocrats.

 It is Gambians who put Mr Touray in jail. You see these morons, have no originality, no new ideas, no innovation, and like alligators, they wait for their next feed in terms of what other expatriate Gambian returnee with fresh concepts or ideas comes to establish himself or herself in The Gambia. These people feel that they are the divine ruling class of The Gambia. Unfortunately, Mr. Touray did not belong to the ruling families of The Gambia; he was neither a son, nor nephew of one of the powerful mafia clans, notwithstanding the fact that the sarahuleh community invested in him. That is the truth behind his arrest and broad daylight attempt to seize his rightful property and investment. Beatrice wanted to do things the right way. No corruption, no diverting of funds, and The Gambian does not like that. You don’t stand in his way to grabbing the money, and this is why she landed in trouble, and one man Yaya Jammeh cannot be responsible for it. It is the Gambians who put Beatrice in jail. How many Gambians have already suffered in the same manner, and how many more will these morons go after. I even venture to say that most of these people languishing in mile 2 were put there by Gambians, either out of jealousy, greed, selfishness, and indifference. What is the reluctance in us to call a spade a spade?. Why do we hide behind these long tirades against the dictator whilst leaving out the mafia ruling families? We shall not advance one inch in our war against the Jammeh regime without exposing these rotten, and evil clans dominating both the public and private sector in The Gambia. Who are these Gambians? A bunch of super morons, perpetuating a mafia clique of “ man am na, yow amu lo, yow bokulo, teh warulo am” mentality. I ask you, who is worse? the dictator, or the perpetrators and advantage takers under his rule, who use the system created by the Dictator to harass innocent citizens.

We must go beyond the realm of “Masla”, and start calling a spade a spade. I am itching to expose some of the members of this mafia clique. When the President pounces on people’s property, he is encouraged and emboldened by the policies of these mafia families, as they greedily line up behind him, waiting for the pickings and the apportioning of seized assets. If Yaya has his way and takes over Libya’s assets in The Gambia, watch how these vultures stay close behind him, to eagerly devour the pickings. There is reluctance with Gambian journalists to write about these mafia families; they remain sacrosanct, untouchable, as all the blame is then put on one man –Yaya Jammeh. Yaya is just head of the pack, and when regime change comes, these same mafia families will adapt and clinch to a new leadership as bees to honey. They will be the first to throw stones at the departing government, and profess their hypocritical allegiance to the new one. Therefore getting rid of Yaya Jammeh would not necessarily solve our current problems. As the noted African economist George Ayittey explains, the “vampire African states” are “governments which have been hijacked by a phalanx of bandits and crooks who would use the instruments of the state machinery to enrich themselves and their cronies and their tribesmen and exclude everybody else.” (“Hyena States” would be a fitting alternative in the African landscape.) Africa is ruled by thugs in designer suits who buy votes and loyalties with cash handouts.” You mafia clan families. We are sick and tired of you and your antics. Your fighting for leadership in the sports business in The Gambia landed Beatrice in trouble. A friend told of how he shared a flight with one of you, a short one from Dakar. There you were with your daughter. I am sure you were not on any official trip, yet there you were being picked up by that stupid status symbol “ VIP car”. It is this bourgeois attitude on the part of the mafia, privileged clan that is holding back the development of our country. You hide behind the dictator; quick to curse him privately, but ready to look like a follower in public. You have imposed yourself as the new colonialist on your people You mafia clan families, and ex-ministers, I am threatening to expose your names in my next article, as you sit there in The Gambia, munching discreetly and quietly on their mountains of wealth; I ask you where have you thought of reaching out to the masses, or contribute your own quota and money to The Gambia’s development? Haven’t you seen what the Bill Gates, the Ted Turners and countless of your counterparts in the Western world, from where capitalism and democracy came, are doing with their wealth? Government is not the sole driver of economic growth. It is the private sector that drives growth, and the wealthy play an enormous role in it.

Africa’s elite, with their burgeoning wealth never benefits the continent’s growth . As Mathew Jallow,our Gambian journalist, writer and Human Rights Activist noted “ African politicians and government officials have engaged in corrupt practices, and a 2004-2005 World Bank Report showed that $148 billion were embezzled out of Africa by politicians and bureaucrats; a significant amount being aid and loans earmarked for development activities to benefit Africa's vast poor”. now how selfish can you get? What did John F. Kennedy say to us, “ if a society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot protect the few who are rich”. But mark the words of our Rasta singers “ a hungry mouth is an angry man” The uprising we see in North Africa will be different when it comes south. Ours will be characterized mainly by “burning and looting”. That’s right. Go ahead and build your mansions, amass your wealth, and continue to ignore the masses.

 Go to your Fajara clubs, play your tennis as the colonialist did, and have your wives drive their cars with stupid vanity plates; spend your time throwing lavish parties; spend your inordinate time in these dark, and dingy “dakas”, drinking and whiling the night away; go to the mosques, dressed in resplendent khaftans exuding false religiosity and see if that will protect you when the mob comes. Who can protect you when the time comes?, when the dispossessed and long neglected youth from the interior of the country lose patience and invade the capital, I ask you where do you run to? A second storm is on the way, mark my words, and none of you backward Gambians shall be spared. Mother Africa shall exact from you, what you have failed to bestow upon her. Mark my words. 


Source:freedomnewspaper

Members of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF)Missing For Months Families in Desperate Situation

(Foroyaa) - Reliable information gathered by Foroyaa has it that five detainees who were or are still are members of the Gambia Armed Forces (GAF) namely, Warrant Officer Class (WO2), Bai Lowe, Staff Sergeant Abdoulie Jallow (alias “Jalino”), Lance Corporal Sang Mendy, Lance Corporal Anthony Mendy and Ex-Lance Corporal Abdoulie Sarr, a former soldier are currently held in detention incommunicado at the Mile II Central Prison for almost a year without trial. All five men were reportedly arrested sometime in July 2010.
According to the Family of WO2 Bai Lowe, a native of Fass Njaga Choi, in the Lower Niumi District of North Bank Region, was permanently stationed at the Kanilai Military post as one of the heads of a Special Unit of GAF. The family said they last communicated with him in late June 2010, since then they have never heard any thing about him, until a couple of months ago when they heard that he is in detention at the Mile II Central Prison. They said they have tried all avenues to have access to him at Mile II Prison but to no avail. The family indicated that any time they visited Mile II Prison to have access to him the authorities there would tell them to visit at another time. The family said they are desperate to have official confirmation of his whereabouts and condition.
The family of Staff Sergeant Abdoulie Jallow (alias “Jalino”), who hails from Giboro Kuta, in the Kombo East District of West Coast Region, said he went missing since the summer of 2010. They said they only heard that he is being detained at the Mile II Central Prison. They stated that they have tried to have access to him at his place of detention, but their efforts bore no fruits as the authorities always denied custody of him. They said they are not aware of any charges against him in any court of law.
The family of Lance Corporal Sang Mendy, a native of Tumani Tenda, in the Kombo East District said he was reportedly missing from his guard post at Kanilai village since July 2010. They said they could not establish the reason for his disappearance, but later realised that he is in custody at Mile II Prison. The family indicated that they are not aware of any charges against him since his arrest.
According to the family of Lance Corporal Anthony Mendy, an indigene of Kandongu Village, in Foni Bintang District, they heard of his arrest and subsequent detention from his colleagues in the Force after a long search. The family said it took months before they could establish his whereabouts. They said they gathered information from some of his colleagues that he was arrested from Kanilai and is now being held at the Mile II Central Prison. They said they have visited the prison on several occasions to see him, but the prison authorities would not allow them access. They asserted that they could not also get any explanation from the prison authorities on the denial of access to him. They said they have constantly visited the prison to have access to him, but to no avail.
The family of ex-Lance Corporal Abdoulie Sarr, a native of Mbollet-Ba Village , in the Lower Niumi District of North Bank Region, said the dismissed soldier was arrested at his residence in Banjul at the early hours of 14 July 2010. The family said Sarr had joined the Army on 4 February 2001, and posted as State Guard up to 8 June 2010, when he was discharged from the Force. They said he has already acquired a job with Gam Petroleum Company and was to commence work a week before his arrest. The family indicated that the dismissed soldier received a phone call at around 1:30am, from an unknown person demanding to know his location. They said Sarr told the caller that he was at his residence in Banjul and within half an hour there was a knock on the door. They said upon opening the door, four armed men appeared in military uniform. They said they recognize the four men as members of State Guard Unit headed by one Lieutenant Buba Bojang. They said Lieutenant Bojang told Sarr that he was under arrest on the orders of the then State Guard Commander Brigadier General Lamin Bojang.
The family said he was told that the reason for his arrest was that his half brother Musa Sarr, also a soldier, had a problem at his guard post in Kanilai and could not be traced. The family said since that day they never set their eyes on him, but only heard that he is being detained at Mile II Central Prison. They indicated that they are not aware of any charges against him neither was he taken before any Court of Law. The family questioned how Sarr could be linked to the problem of his half brother. They said the run away soldier was staying with his family at a separate place from them and has not visited them since his brother was discharged from the army.
The families of all five men said they are not aware of any charges against their loved ones and pleaded with the concerned authorities to release them from custody.
The Position of the Army PRO
According to the GAF PRO, Lt Omar Bojang no army personnel is under detention at the Central Prison at Mile 2. He said the persons mentioned in the article are not current members of the Gambia Armed Forces.

Editor´s Note
The law is clear. No one should be detained for more than 72 hours without appearing before the courts or be released. Charge them or release otherwise the government will continue to be accused of flouting the constitution and the laws of the land. 

Gambia Fails in Freezing So-called Ghadafi’s Assets (#Libya)

(Daily News) - Gambia government’s decision to close down so-called assets of embattled Libyan leader, Ghadafi has failed. Business is instead bustling at Jerma Hotel, Laico Hotel and Dream Park, The Daily News confirmed from official sources.
Gambia government had on Friday, Aril 22, pronounced the freezing of all assets owned by Ghadafi in the country. Laico Hotel, formerly known as Atlantic Hotel, Jerma Hotel, and Dream Park are said to be part of Ghadafi’s assets and therefore freezed with effect from April 22. Over a week on, business is as usual at these places.
The Daily News has confirmed that none of the said investments are owned by Ghadafi. All the three investments are owned by private Libyan citizens.
Gambia’s Tourism Minister has also confirmed that the said investments are neither freezed nor closed down yet.
“I don’t think we can close them down like that,” an unnamed senior government official told The Daily News. “What we can do is to appoint an administrator to oversee the operation of the businesses.”
Eugen Dielthelm is the general manager of Laico Hotel. He stared in astonishment when informed by a The Daily News reporter, who went to him for interview about the development. But he said he wasn’t aware. This was the sixth day after the pronouncement. “It’s a surprise,” he spoke softly, “When was that announcement made?”
“Can I see the press release?” he enquired further, this time looking worried. He logged onto the State house website: www.statehouse.gm to be assured. He then telephoned a person, he said, was the tourism minister, Fatou Mass Jobe.
“Fatou,” he said on the telephone, “I am with a journalist and he told me that my hotel is to be closed-down by the Gambia government.”
After a brief conversation, he looked positive. “My hotel is not closing down,” he said. “If Gambia government is having issues with the Ghadafi’s government that is not my problem and that should not affect my hotel.”
He added: “I am the general manager and I am still the general manager, nothing has changed here as far as I am concerned.”
Mr Muhammed, proprietor of Jerma Hotel, was however aware of the development. But he declined to comment any further after saying the issue has been cleared up with the ministry.
“I can tell you that this [Jerma] hotel is a private investment,” a man who prefered to be anonymous has said. “Yes, the owner is a Libyan, but the ownership has nothing to do with the Libyan government or Ghadifi.”

Author: Lamin Jahateh

Gambia:Yahya Jammeh organizes Prayer Fest to ward-off political unrest in The Gambia

By Mathew K Jallow

In what can only be described as unprecedented and unconventional, Yahya Jammeh over the weekend ordered the Gambia Supreme Islamic Council to hold a two-day prayer vigil in the town of Gunjur 30 miles south of Banjul. According to our sources, the objective of the two days of prayer is to help ward off the turmoil and political upheavals that are ravaging North Africa, the Middle East, Kenya, Zimbabwe and most recently, Burkina Faso.

The prayer vigil, which was performed by over 400 hired Islamic scholars, mobilized from around The Gambia and neighboring Senegal, who each received a cash payment of 1000 dalasis and a bag of rice, and attended by hundreds, were tasked to pray throughout the day and all night for Allah to prevent what is dubbed the “spring of discontent” from taking hold on Gambian shores.

As a benediction of the prayer fest, twelve bulls were slaughtered as sacrifice to the “gods” and two trucks filled with rice were also donated for distribution by the highly superstitious Yahya Jammeh, whose brand of religion combines traditional Islam and primitive African idol worship.

A section of beach where a mosque and a shrine are located was ordered closed to the public, and residents of a nearby beach-side motel were evacuated and relocated. It can be recalled that nearly five years ago, Yahya Jammeh banned pilgrimages and offering of sacrifice at the same mosque and shrine, which were built as a dedication to Shiek Umar Futuyou, a famous 19th Century Islamic cleric from Senegal, whose name the locals attribute to miracles, only to reverse that ban a year later.

Spearheading the prayer vigil was the President of Gambia Supreme Islamic Council, Imam Momodou Lamin Touray, who my sources describe as “Jammeh’s errand Boy. The Gambia Supreme Islamic Council, which consists of 50 Islamic scholars, has over many years acted as a political arm of the Gambian dictatorship, in the process benefitting and regularly accepting large sums of bribe money and vehicles from Dictator Yahya Jammeh. As it is, the political turmoil that began in Tunisia early this year has toppled or are on the verge of toppling many decades-long dictatorships across North Africa and the Middle East, have only recently turned south towards Sub-Saharan Africa. In the West African, Burkina Faso, the first causality of black Africa’s “spring of discontent,” spontaneous and violent uprising demanding an end to the twenty-three year dictatorship of Blaise Campoare, who took over power in a military coup back in 1987, have flared up throughout most regions of that country.

The two day prayer vigil, which according to our sources brought unwanted attention to the seaside town of Gunjur, was marked by Yahya Jammeh’s usual pomp and pageantry, designed to deflect people’s attention from their miseries, if only while it lasts. Ironically, however, the two day prayer fest was marred by one tragedy and mishap after another.

The weekend prayer vigil began with the tragic death of a child, whose life was cut short by Yahya Jammeh’s “presidential” motorcade. Without coming off as insanely conspiratorial as the mad Glen Beck, this fifth child whose death was caused by Yahya Jammeh’s motorcades in as many years, is beginning to look more like “child sacrifice” as practiced by primitive African cultures.

This is not far-fetched for the deeply superstitious Yahya Jammeh, considering that in the early years of his reign in the 1990s, he was known to have fed the corpses of his victims to the crocodiles in his “personal zoo” located in his native village of Kanilai about 90 miles south of the capital Banjul. In another instance, a man carrying a bag of rice was seriously injured after he fell into a well as villagers scrambled and jostled for the rice Yahya Jammeh ordered distributed to Gunjur villagers.

Yet another man was also seriously injured in the process of slaughtering one of the twelve bulls Yahya Jammeh brought as sacrifice to his animist “gods.” But the attention grabber of the weekend’s prayer pomp and pageantry was not Yahya Jammeh, who has become stale news everywhere he travels in and outside the country, but a brave young man who hurled insults at Yahya Jammeh, blaming him for the dire economic and social problems the country has faced throughout the years of his dictatorship.

It goes without saying, the young Gunjur man, whose name is still to be released, was seen being arrested and taken away by Yahya Jammeh’s retinue of bodyguards and security personnel. The weekend prayer vigil itself symptomatic Yahya Jammeh’s fear of the widespread discontent in The Gambia, not just the harsh economic conditions Gambians find themselves living under, but the gross human rights abuses, which over the nearly two decades, have included extra-judicial executions, murders, and disappearances of citizens, tortures, arbitrary arrests and detentions and harsh conditions of incarcerations of political dissidents and members of the military and security forces.

But for now, whether Allah will answer to the town of Gunjur’s weekend prayer fest and immune Yahya Jammeh’s military dictatorship from the spreading political upheavals that have consumed Yahya Jammeh’s friend and next door neighbor, military dictator Blaise Campoare of Burkina Faso, will remain to be seen. But one thing is clear, conditions for a violent uprising in The Gambia are rife, and it may well be only a matter of time before the genie is pulled out of the bottle.

As it is, Yahya Jammeh’s prayers seem sixteen years too late; sixteen years that not even Allah is unwilling to sweep under the rug just for a little prayer and a little blood sacrifice.

Gambia News:Statement by Pamela Ann White, U.S Ambassador to The Gambia on World Press Freedom Day(#WPFD)

The Point -Social media users are playing a starring role in the drama unfolding in the Middle East and North Africa. In many countries in the region - including Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Syria - the Internet is serving as a catalyst for journalists, activities, and citizens alike to connect with each other and share their stories and calls for change with the world.

"We were unplugged for five days, no Internet connection no mobile devices. We were like in a big prison in Egypt," says Egyptian Blogger Dalia Ziada, in explaining what it felt like when former President Hosni Mubarak's regime switched off the power to the Internet and blocked mobile phone communications in an attempt to stifle press freedom and the freedoms of citizens to access information and assemble peacefully.

But the dark did not stop people from gathering in the streets to demand change.

"The civil rights movement is not new," Ziada explained, "but it did not succeed until the Internet appeared and social networks like Facebook and Twitter attracted larger number of Egyptians."

The Internet is the global gate which has amplified demands for freedom of expression, facilitated vibrant and open discussions on a wide range of topics and connected citizens with each other around the world. Indeed, access to information has been profoundly altered with the arrival of the digital age.

As Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said earlier this year: "The Internet has become the public space of the 21st century-the world's town square, classroom, marketplace, coffeehouse and night club.  We all shape and are shaped by what happens there, all 2 billion of us and counting."

In this new public space crowded with news and chatter, journalists play an essential role in searching for truth, analyzing trends, maintaining credibility, and providing reports to serve the public good. Undoubtedly, the arrival of the digital age - the evolution of the Internet, the emergence of new forms of media and the rise of online social networks - has sparked debate as to what it means to be a journalist, what role bloggers play, and what the effect of a blurring of lines between citizen journalists and professionals will be on the media of today and tomorrow. These imperative debates can be highlighted and further discussed through press related initiatives such as World Press Freedom Day.

World Press Freedom Day, observed annually across the world on May 3rd, was established by the United Nations to celebrate the principle of press freedom and commemorate those who died in trying to exercise them. For these reasons, the United States has partnered with the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to hold the official global commemoration of World Press Freedom Day for the first time.

This year's theme could not be more prescient: "21st Century Media - New Media, New Barriers." The establishment and fostering of an independent, pluralistic, and free press is essential to the development of civil societies and democracies across the globe.  

"When a free media is in jeopardy," Secretary Hillary Clinton has said, "all other human rights are also threatened. So in that spirit, let us continue to champion those who stand for media freedom - and expose those who would deny it.  And let us always work toward a world where the free flow of information and ideas remains a powerful force for progress."

We are facing a critical transformative moment in our history. Around the world people are calling out for freedom, transparency, and self-determination. New digital tools are supporting this cause in a way that is faster and more widespread than ever before, and journalists are playing a central role in this effort.  Unfortunately, many of them have been killed or injured as they've sought to report on the grave challenges facing our world today. It is up to each of us to honor their legacy and do all we can - both virtually and in reality - to support press freedom as a fundamental right to be enjoyed by everyone, everywhere. 

Much closer to home, there has been an explosion in mobile phone ownership and internet usage, over the last few years. There has also been an increase in the number of new radio stations and newspaper companies. Gambians, in particular the youth, now have a great opportunity to explore and communicate effectively with their peers across the world through these new flagship mediums. The opportunities presented by the current communication climate are great, especially in supporting press freedom nationally and civic engagement.

Gambia News:Veteran Politician Questions President Jammeh’s Source of Wealth

Daily News -The national president of the main opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), Dembo Bojang alias Dembo By Force questioned Gambian President Yahya Jammeh’s source of wealth.
The veteran politician says President Jammeh dishes out money and other forms of gesture to students, musicians, military personnel and others like a benevolent king without disclosing to Gambians his source of wealth. 
President Jammeh came to power in 1994 through a military coup when he was a Lieutenant with a monthly income of less than D2000.00. But he appears to have amassed enough wealth during his 16-year rule. He once responded to such queries by saying that his source of wealth is God.

However, Dembo is not convinced by this explaination. Addressing a mass political rally at Tallinding on Saturday, Bojang said, President Jammeh should disclose his source of wealth and to make a declaration of his bank account.
According to him, Jammeh is fond of dishing out money to people and delivering vehicles as personal gift, noting that it is about time that President Jammeh tell Gambian where he gets the money he is dishing out. 
“We don’t mind President Jammeh’s enjoyment of his presidential privileges but let the wealth of the nation not be squandered by him,” he cautioned.
Dembo By Force said, Gambian currency has suffered a long depreciation under the Jammeh regime coupled with skyrocketing of prices of daily commodities. 
He said they bear no hatred for President Jammeh, but rather, his system as a result of his comportment towards governance of the country that, he said, leaves much to be desired.
He described Jammeh as the Alpha and Omega of the Gambia who is enjoying all privileges of his position, while the economic situation of Gambians is worsening.
He stated that the president is ‘fooling Gambian’ women by making himself a champion of women empowerment.
“The women that he claimed to have empowered are those adding the numbers of people in his propaganda by involving them in march passes, providing them with “ashobi” (uniforms) just to hoodwink them,” Dembo said.
“I want to tell women that Jammeh is selling all what they (women gardeners) are selling, ranging from vegetables like cabbages and other garden and farm produces and still he claims to be empowering you,” he alleged.
He alleged that landlords and bread winners of families are missing, jailed and others fled the country, stressing the country cannot afford to be governed in such a manner.
He called on Gambians to throw their weight behind UDP to effect, as he puts it, “the desirable change to salvage the country from its present predicament.”

Author: Baboucarr Ceesay