Stop making a fool of yourself

Gambia’s Justice Secretary has made a fool of herself when she told members of the National Assembly that the Jammeh regime is not responsible for disappearance of my colleague, Chief Ebrima Manneh.

When Marie Saine-Firdaus was called to the bar some years ago, I felt glad. Her beaming face on that day was full of hunger, hunger to serve a country we all love and call home.

Today, as I punch my computer keyboard, every respect I had for her has gone out of the window.

Forget about Pap Cheyassin Secka and Joseph Joof. Ms Saine is the worst Justice Secretary the country has seen. Since her appointment, Ms Saine as government adviser on legal matters has turned blind eye on gross human rights violations being meted out on poor Gambians by Jammeh and his thugs.

Jammeh is also using the Justice Ministry office to draft draconian laws that are giving more and more powers to the president through state instruments instead of the people.

Ms Saine has forgotten that the Ecowas Court of Justice passed its judgment in favour of Chief Manneh based on the evidence of eye witnesses who were present at the time of his arrest. The evidences of these witnesses were never contested by the Jammeh regime despite numerous requests by the regional community court.

If the Gambia government is indeed innocent of the charges, then why did it refuse to cooperate with the ECOWAS court?

Former Daily Observer MD, Saja Taal, admitted that he reported Chief Manneh to the authorities after he tried to publish a story authored by BBC's Elizabeth Blunt on the AU Banjul meeting that was critical of Jammeh.

Ms Saine needs to know that Gambians are not small children to be fooled around. So instead of making a fool of yourself, politely ask Jammeh to re-unite Chief Manneh with his aging father- that is, if he is still alive. The old man is crying himself to sleep everyday and waiting for the return of his son.

Charges against Pap Saine dropped

Source(AFP) — A Gambian court on Tuesday agreed to drop charges of giving false information against independent newspaper editor Pap Saine after a request from the prosecutor.

"I want to put an application to the court that all charges against Pap Saine relative to false publication and false broadcasting be dropped," prosecutor Kebba Sadire told the court, without offering any reason for the sudden demand. The court granted the application.

The veteran journalist and co-owner of Gambia's last independent daily The Point was due to go on trial for giving false information in a story about diplomats working for the Gambian embassy in the United States being recalled.

Saine, who is also a correspondent for the Thomson-Reuters news agency, still faces charges of obtaining Gambian identity documents under false pretences in a separate case. But observers expect those charges will be dropped as well in the coming days.
In a separate development, the Gambian justice minister assured parliament late Monday that a journalist missing since July 2006 is not in state custody, as charged by human rights organisations.

In a first public reaction to an Economic Community Of West African States court ruling in June last year ordering Banjul to release Chief Ebrima Manneh, Attorney-General and Justice Minister Marie Saine Firdaus said she had no knowledge of the journalist's whereabouts.

"The position of the government of the Gambia has been made clear ever since this issue was raised with my office and the ministry of interior and to the best of our knowledge, information and belief, Chief Ebrima is not in our custody," she said in reply to an opposition lawmaker's question.

Manneh, who worked for the pro-government newspaper the Daily Observer, disappeared after being picked up in the newspaper building by men who said they were with the Gambian intelligence service NIA.

In June of last year, after the case was taken to the regional grouping by a west African media watchdog, ECOWAS ruled that Gambia had illegally arrested and detained Manneh, and ordered his release.

Banjul is preparing an appeal to have the case dismissed on the grounds that the state can only release a person from custody if he or she is in fact in the custody of the state, the minister told the parliament.

Gambia, a former British colony, surrounded by Senegal on three sides, is often criticized for its poor human rights record and heavy-handed restrictions on the media.

God help the Gambia

Though I am not a Christian but could not stop myself from shouting Halleluiah when I read remarks by Gambian president Yahya Jammeh that Gambians are not suffering from food crisis.

Jammeh’s remarks show how least in touch he is with Gambian people over 50 per cent of who are living on less than one US dollar a day as a result of his misrule. The flamboyant dictator does not know hardship and suffering Gambians are going through because he gets too rich. He is surrounded by a bunch of sycophants and selfish people, who tell him ear-pleasing things that everything is alright with Gambian people.

Gambia’s cost of living is sky rocketing left right and centre far beyond the reach of average families. Many today cannot provide decent meals for their families forcing countless male youth to risk deadly sea voyages in search of greener pastures overseas and young girls compelled into prostitution.

Just take a stroll at night to Westfield junction, Kairaba Avenue, Afra FM or Tourism Development Area and you will see what I mean.

Take for instance, if Fatou Kurubally is to cook a decent benachin; 1 kilo of meat and bone is D75.00; 6 cups of rice is D21.00; 3 cups of oil is D21.00, pepper D10.00; tomato, D10.00; tomato paste D10.00; cabbage, D10.00; bitter tomato, D5.00; garden egg, D5.00; yate, D5.00, firewood, D10.00 costing her D189.00. This is just for lunch.

Now if Fatou wants to make breakfast for her family of six, 6 small loafs of tapa lapa bread cost D18.00, 1 egg for each bread gives a total cost of D30.00, oil to fry the eggs costs D7.00 per cup, onion costs D2.00 and pepper D2.00 giving a total cost of D65. Hence breakfast plus lunch would cost her a sum of D254.00. This represents only 2 meals a day.

The above market prices of basic commodities shows that poor Gambians earning a monthly salary of less than D5,000 will have to spend D7,620 a month in order to put decent food on the table. That excludes electric and water bills, house rent, transportation and children's school and book fees.

The much talked about salary increment as part of the civil service reform programme is put on hold indefinitely due to unexpected revenue shortfalls in 2008 and uncertain revenue prospects for this year.

In fact, Gambian economy was recently facing the danger of collapse and Government having to be bailed out by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The country is still heavily relying on foreign assistance and its tourism industry is being badly hit by global financial crisis. Many people working in the tourism industry are being laid off. A large majority of these people are bread winners of their families and you don’t need to be any rocket scientist to know what their families must be going through at the moment.

Gambia remains at high risk of debt distress, even after receiving HIPC and MDRI debt relief, due to high levels of debt in relation to exports and vulnerability to external shocks.

Gambia's Secretary of State for Finance and Economic Affairs, Bala Gaye recently admitted that in the past year, the current account deficit (including official transfers) increased by about 4 percentage points of the Gross Domestic Product (mainly due to the impact of higher international prices of commodities in earlier part of the year. This is by effects of the global financial crisis and associated economic slowdowns in Europe and the US.

Tourism receipts, remittances and re-export trade have all slowed down, and official transfers have been much lower than expected. Gross official reserves of the Central Bank of the Gambia (CBG) dropped to under four months of imports at December end 2008 compared to 5.5 months of imports at end-December 2007.

Jammeh is never honest with Gambian people when it comes to the economy. He always wants us to believe that all is booming when things are not.

The Jammeh regime has to start investing money in the production base of the economy. This will help generate much needed revenues for the country as well as provide employment opportunities to thousands of unemployed Gambians.

Who owns the money?
This week, almost all newspapers in the Gambia have published stories of Yahya Jammeh giving out 29 million, six hundred and ten thousand Dalasi to the Gambian Under 17 team and officials that attended the junior continental championship in Algeria.

You may not care how much was given to the team by President Jammeh but the big question that needs to be answered is who owns the money? Does it belong to Jammeh or the state?


As far as I am aware, the total recurrent budget of the Department of State for Youth and Sports in 2009 is D 21 million. The development budget is equivalent to D6 million. D5 million of the recurrent budget is reserved for sports and sporting activities and D1 million is supposed to be utilised to support the national football team.

Recurrent budget of the Department of Youth and Sports shows that the amount donated was never set aside for the U-17 and must have been diverted elsewhere if it indeed belongs to the state.

If it indeed belongs to the state, then Jammeh should be honest enough to tell us that the money belongs to the state and not him.

On the other hand, if the donation was from Jammeh’s own coffer, then Gambians would need know how he has acquired it in the name of transparency and accountability and transparency.

Jammeh’s earnings as president for the past 14 years cannot give him such monetary wealth. If he is really serious about eradicating corruption in the civil service then he has to take lead in being transparent and accountable to the people.

Gambia's own Guantanamo Bay

Source: Foroyaa Newspaper, Banjul
The detention of people without trial is still continuing, as we enter the year 200. As we are now in the fourth month into the year, none of those detained since last year has been released.

Foroyaa has contacted some of the families of the persons listed below, who were known to be detained, to enquire about their fate. These families lamented their frustration over the long detention of their loved ones who they said, were neither charged nor tried by the courts. Some of the families expressed frustration and anguish for being unable to see their loved ones or to even establish there whereabouts. Some of them also expressed grieved over the incommunicado of their family members. They told Foroyaa that their loved ones were picked up in their presence by State security agents who they know and can recognise.

Journalist Chief Ebrima B. Manneh of the Daily Observer Newspaper was arrested by security agents at his office in Bakau since 7th July, 2006. His family said they moved both heaven and earth but still could not see him or establish his whereabouts. The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) had sued the government of The Gambia at the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja to release Chief Manneh. The court delivered judgment in favour of the plaintiff and ordered the government to release him, but they are yet to comply with the order of the regional court.

Mr. Kanyiba Kanyi, an employee of the Christian Children Fund (CCF), was arrested by State securities agents in the presence of his family from his house at Bonto Village in Kombo East, since 18 September, 2006. His family said they could not see him since then or know his whereabouts. In late 2006, the family of Kanyiba took a lawyer and went to the High Court to secure his release. Even though the Court ordered for the unconditional release of Kanyiba, the case is still being battled out in the court due to the State’s denial of having him in their custody. The case is supposed to continue today, 6 April.

Mr. Jasaja Kujabi, a former bigwig of the ruling APRC and close associate of president Jammeh, was arrested since in the summer of 2005 at his farm at Dobong Village in Foni Kansala district. The family said he was escorted to his house to change his clothes before been taken away by two State agents whom they know. They said they are yet to know his place of detention.

Corporal Alfusainey Jammeh, a prison warden and a native of Kanilai who was stationed at the residence of the prison boss at Kanilai, went missing since 2006. The family said he was called to report to the Police Headquarters in Banjul and had never returned home. They said he is being detained at Mile 2 Prison but that the family members do not have access to him.

Mr. Haruna Jammeh and Madam Marcie Jammeh, both natives of Kanilai, also went missing together since in the summer of 2005. Their families said since then they could not establish their whereabouts.

A Former Chief of Foni Kansala, Mr. Momodou Lamin Nyassi, Buba Sanyang and Ndongo Mboob, all natives of Bwiam and former bigwigs of the APRC party within the Fonis, were said to have been arrested on the same day in April 2006. Their families said they do not know their places of detention.

Mr. Alieu Lowe and Abdoulie Njie were both arrested in connection with the 21st March, 2006, coup plot against the APRC government. Their families said they are languishing at Mile 2 Prison without any charges preferred against them. Mr. Lowe’s family said they have access to him frequently.

Mr. Samsideen Jammeh from Foni Sutisinjang Village was arrested since 14 January, 2007. He has been in detention at the Police Headquarters in Banjul for almost two years. His family said he is recently moved to Mile 2 Prison without any charges levelled against him.

Mr. Bakary Gassama, the former financial Director of NIA, was arrested on the 13th May, 2008. He was detained for four months before being arraigned in court in late September 2008 and was charged with official abuse and misconduct. His trial could not proceed until on December 3rd when the court discharged him for want of diligent prosecution. He was re-arrested by the Police at the court premises and taken back to detention again. His family said he is detained at Mile 2 Prison.

Mr. Kebba Seckan, a senior NIA Operative, was in detention since 14th May 2007, without any charges preferred against him. His family said he is detained at Mile 2 Prison. They said they are yet to have access to him since his arrest.

Mr. Ebou Jarju, formerly a steward at State House, was arrested on 20th March, 2008. He was said to be first detained at Police Headquarters in Banjul up to 11th January 2009, when he was released unconditionally but only to be re-called on 26th January, and put under detention again. The family said he is currently detained at Mile 2 Prison.

Mr. Modou Manga, from Foni Bwiam, who was a storekeeper at the Kanilai Family Farm Store at Kanifing, went missing since 2006; is believed to be detained at Mile 2 Prison.

Sergeant Sam Kambai, of the Gambia Armed Forces is also being detained at Mile 2 Prison since 2006 without trial.

Alexandra Gibba, the spokes person of the MFDC rebel faction, is said to be detained at Mile 2 Prison. He was last seen amidst MFDC rebels, who were on trial, walking with the help of crutches.

Osseh Abdoulie Corr, Alassan Mbowe and Baboucarr Njie, all arrested on the 9 September, 2008, arraigned in court on 17 October and charged with three criminal counts, were remanded by the court until on the 25 March, 2009, when they were acquitted and discharged by the trial magistrate Edrisa F. Mbai for lack of evidence against them. They were re-arrested within the court premises in the presence of a looking crowd and taken into custody. Their families said they are currently being detained at the Mile 2 Prison.