Global justice derailed

By Hassan Nafaa*

Ahram Weekly: Human societies either live in a "state of law", or what Hobbes used to call a "state of nature", where anything goes and the winner takes all. To live in a state of law you need an elected government, a parliament with oversight over the executive and a judiciary independent of both. In other words, you need a democracy.

In the absence of democracy the government is selective in its implementation of laws, the judiciary is beholden to the government, and parliament is manipulated by special interests and even foreign powers. In short, you live in a "state of nature", where not everyone is equal before the law.

What about the international community? Until recently experts in international law argued that the world started to move away from the "state of nature" and towards a "state of law" following World War II, when a sufficient number of countries agreed that a means of settling international disputes was needed that did not involve war. It had become glaringly obvious that international interests were so intertwined that giving up some sovereignty for the sake of peace and security was not a bad idea.

Many international organisations were born to manage international relations and steer the world away from deadly conflicts. The trend started with the League of Nations then, after WW II, was picked up by the UN. In theory the UN had the seeds of an international global system, if not an international government.

Many expected the International Court of Justice to develop into the world's ultimate legal authority. Some wanted the General Assembly to act as a world parliament, overseeing the Security Council. The international system, at least in theory, could function as a democracy.

This is what many believed until the Cold War dashed their hopes. Abuse of the power of veto, by the Soviet Union then others, undermined the credibility of the Security Council. As a result the International Court of Justice was unable to maintain its authority.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union things changed. The UN Security Council began to assert its power and a new organisation came into being: the International Criminal Court (ICC). But instead of helping upgrade international law the ICC became a tool for its destruction.

The ICC cannot act fairly unless: (a) all countries ratify their statutes; (b) the Security Council is overhauled; and (c) the International Court of Justice is given a much wider mandate. As it turned out, the US and Israel didn't ratify the ICC statutes, the Security Council retains the political bias of the post-WW II dispensation, and the statutes of the International Court of Justice remain narrow.

Theoretically, any UN member state can remain beyond ICC jurisdiction as long as it refrains from ratifying its statutes. Practically, and this is the good part, the Security Council can refer any crimes to the court, even if the country in question hasn't signed up. What this means in practice is that if a country is strong enough, or has friends in the right places, it can get away with anything. To get away with murder all you need is to be either a UN permanent member or a close friend of one. If that's not a recipe for international blackmail, I don't know what is.

Let's say that Israel decides tomorrow to deport Palestinians from their homes, or starts killing Israeli Arabs. Far fetched, perhaps, but with Netanyahu in power nothing can be ruled out. What will the ICC do? Nothing. Because the US and Israel's other friends on the UN Security Council would never refer the case to the ICC.

Sudan, however, is different. The Sudanese government may not be above abusing its own citizens. But what it is facing in Darfur is basically an insurgence that threatens to rip the country apart. While the Sudanese are grappling with this admittedly thorny situation, the ICC stepped in with a warrant to arrest the Sudanese president. Now how selective can justice be?

The way I see it is that, instead of the ICC taking us away from the "state of nature" it is pushing us further into it. For the international community to have a credible legal mechanism a lot of today's global institutions will need to be reformed.

The UN General Assembly should turn into an international legislative body with the power of political oversight over the UN Security Council. The Security Council should become more democratic. The International Court of Justice should acquire a larger mandate, even to the extent of overseeing the constitutionality of Security Council resolutions.

Only then will the ICC be able to look us in the face and speak with authority on war crimes and other forms of abuse. Global justice is a good thing, but first we have to ensure that all members of the international community are equal before the law.

* The writer is secretary-general of the Arab Thought Forum, Amman, Jordan.

Algeria, Gambia in U-17 semis

Hosts Algeria and Gambia have qualified for the semi-finals of the African U-17 Football Championships.

Algeria beat Guinea 1-0, courtesy of a strike from Nadir Bendahmane 14 minutes into the game.

Gambia beat Cameroon 2-0 in today's game in Group A.

Dawda Ceesay opened the scoring halfway through the first half.

Alasane Camara made it two for Gambia 15 minutes from time.

Gambia and Algeria both have six points in Group A, while Guinea and Cameroon have none with one game to go.

By reaching the last four, Algeria and the Gambia also qualify for the Under-17 World Cup in Nigeria in October.
BBC Sports

Woman raped by Jammeh's witch hunters

A resident (name witheld) of Makunbaya who was abducted by witch hunters in the early hours of Tuesday, on the 25th day of February 2009, at about 11:00am in Makumbaya village has alleged that she was raped by one of her captors.


According to her, she was raped by a young man while she was in captivity in a compound they called Baba Jobe’s compound. The victim who was in an angry mood, said she was at the Makumbaya village garden when she and her colleagues received a messenger who claimed to be sent by the Alkalo, Alhagie Kujabi; that all the Gardeners should immediately go and answer to a very important guest from the president.

She said whilst on their way to the Alkalo, they met with the so-called witch hunters that were accompanied by armed personnel and young men and women in green clothes. The woman added that after she was abducted by the group, she was told that she was possessed by demons that “gave her their shirts without her notice”, and that being the case, she had to go to Kololi with them in order for her to be cured of the spell.

The distraught woman said upon their arrival at Kololi, she was told by the witch hunters that she should drink the concoction so that they could start her treatment. She said her captors forced her to drink the concoction; and shortly after drinking the liquid that night, she said she fell down and went into a trance and did not know where she was or what was happening to her.

She said a young man raped her while she was under detention at Kololi; that she was raped during the second day of her detention at Kololi. She said while in captivity, this young man would come to her and ask her to take bath; and that while she was taking bath; the young man would stand and look at her while she was naked. She said whenever she planned to go to the toilet to urine or defecate; the young man would insist that he was going to accompany her.

She lamented that it was during one of those instances that the young man wrestle her to the ground and forcefully raped her.

The victim said after undergoing this ordeal, her daughter who is a police at the Banjulinding Police Station came to Kololi and requested for her release. She said that was how she regained her freedom. She said if she sees the man who raped her, she would recognise him.
Foroyaa Newspaper

Ghana to unravel deaths of Ghanaians in Gambia

Ghanaian vice president, John Dramani Mahama on Friday re-echoed the commitment of his government to work towards unravelling the circumstances that led to the death of 44 Ghanaians in the Gambia.

Meeting with a joint United Nations – ECOWAS Commission Mission which is investigating the incident at the Osu Castle, Vice President Mahama stated that in as much as Ghana would like to improve her relation with its West African neighbour, it would, nonetheless, not gloss over alleged killing of her citizens.

A known advocate for the victims, dating back to his days as a Member of Parliament, Vice President Mahama reiterated the desire to work towards ascertaining the reasons that led to the death of the victims so as to assuage the pain of the distraught family members.

Ghanaians woke up to the unpleasant news on July 23, 2005, of the alleged killing of 44 of their compatriots and nine other West African nationals in the Gambia.

The news generated a national furore against The Gambia, compelling the then government to press the ECOWAS Commission and the United Nations to conduct an independent investigation into the case, so as to establish the complicity or otherwise of the Gambian security apparatus in the melee.

Subsequently, the two institutions did set up a joint mission on August 15, 2008, tasked with investigating the issue under the chairmanship of eminent Jamaican diplomat, Ambassador Curtis Ward.

The presence of the mission in the country was to enable the team interview some surviving victims and collate additional information from other sources that might help to shed some light on the incident.

Vice President Mahama expressed government’s confidence in the expertise of the team, assuring them that Ghana would respect their verdict, although he also conveyed the anxiety of the generality of the Ghanaian populace over the issue.

He said Ghana wants the “unfortunate” incident investigated so that those found culpable for the dastardly act would be brought to book and also allow for a thawing in the relationship between the two countries.

Vice President Mahama also expressed delight about the cooperation received from The Gambia, which he said, would enable a successful closure of what he described as a “sad chapter” in the relation between the two countries.

Ambassador Curtis Ward told the Vice President that some headway had been made in forming some conclusions as to what happened, although he conceded that it would still take some time before a definite report would be issued.

Ambassador Ward said the team had received cooperation from the two countries and has received similar support from surviving persons, and families of some of the victims.

Other members of the mission included Justice Ariranga Pillay, President of the South African Development Community Tribunal, Justice Albert Redhead, a retired Appeal Court Judge and Mr Morie Lengor, a security expert with the ECOWAS Commission.

Source: GNA

Halifa’s Release is Great News but Witch-Hunting Must Stop!

GPU – USA PRESS RELEASE

The Gambia Press Union-USA welcomes the unconditional release of NADD flag bearer and Foroyaa editor Halifa Sallah by the Gambian authorities.

The arrest and detention of Mr. Sallah was an act of senseless criminality that has received its fair share of condemnation both at home and abroad. We commend Mr. Sallah and all those who raised their voices to condemn his arrest and call for his immediate release. We also commend all Gambians and friends of The Gambia who took the time to read and sign our petition on stopping the madness in our country.

But while we welcome Mr. Sallah’s release, we continue to demand that the senseless arrest and detention of civilians on bogus charges of witchcraft must stop now. President Jammeh’s bizarre act of paranoia and blatant disregard for human dignity and the rule of law in ordering the raiding of government offices and villages and the arrest of thousands of innocent civilians including women and the elderly on bogus charges of witchcraft must be immediately brought to an end.

There is no law in our constitution or law books that define alleged witchcraft as a crime. Despite this fact, Jammeh orders innocent men, women and the elderly of both sexes to be rounded up by armed soldiers and supposed sorcerers from Guinea, and forced to drink concoctions which cause them to faint, vomit, urinate or even defecate on themselves in the presence of other people, an extremely humiliating experience in Gambian culture. GPU–USA strongly condemns these outrageous violations of human rights and human dignities and calls on all Gambians, friends of The Gambia, the international community; human rights organizations, and other interested groups to bring pressure to bear on Jammeh to put an immediate halt to these senseless persecutions and humiliations of innocent people.

The GPU-USA specifically calls on President Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Representive Susan Rice, U.S State Department agencies, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the British Parliament, the United Nations, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, the European Union, the Commonwealth, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, the VOA, the BBC and other international media and human rights groups to intervene and help rid the Gambian people of a regime headed by a mentally unstable president who is subjecting the Gambian population to unprecedented levels of oppression and persecution. The senseless witch-hunting must stop now!

Signed on behalf of GPU-USA
Demba Baldeh, Public Relations Officer
Baba Galleh Jallow, Secretary General

Gambia frees 'spying' politician

Gambian opposition leader Halifa Sallah has been released from jail and all charges against him dropped.

Mr Sallah was arrested earlier this month and charged with spying, sedition and holding illegal meetings.

Shortly after his release, Mr Sallah told the BBC he had no idea why he had been detained because all the charges were false.

Mr Sallah, who leads the National Alliance for Democracy and Development, has been imprisoned many times before.

During elections three years ago he stood against Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, who has been in power since a coup in 1994.

A report by Amnesty International released in November said opponents of Mr Jammeh were subjected to daily rights violations, including torture and unlawful arrest.
BBC

Africa's water crisis: a quarter of a billion dollars down the drain

Press Release
Hundreds of millions of dollars have been wasted on rural water projects in Africa , threatening the health and livelihoods of millions of vulnerable people according to a forthcoming briefing paper by the International Institute for Environment and Development. The announcement comes ahead of the UN’s World Water Day (22 March).

Tens of thousands of boreholes in rural areas have fallen into disrepair, depriving poor communities of water because donors, governments and nongovernmental organisations have built infrastructure but ignored the need to maintain it.

The paper provides a 30-point checklist of features that rural African water supply systems need to succeed. They include the right technology, community ownership and local capacity to repair and maintain wells.

"The water community has often focused on building infrastructure, rather than on maintaining it. This failure is forcing women and children to carry water over great distances with serious impacts on their health and education," says Jamie Skinner, the paper's author. "It is not enough to drill a well and walk away. Water projects needs to support long term maintenance needs and engage local communities. Without this, it is like throwing money down the drain."

Tens of thousands of new water points - such as boreholes with motorised or hand pumps - are created in Africa each year but many fall into disrepair after just a few years. Of 52 deep water borehole and supply systems built by the charity Caritas since the 1980s in Senegal 's Kaolack Region, only 33 still function today.

The Global Water Initiative has found that 58% of such water points in northern Ghana needed repair. In western Niger , it found that of 43 boreholes, 13 are abandoned, 18 are non-functional for more than three days once a year, and 12 are non-functional for more than three days, more than three times a year.

"Across rural Africa , some 50,000 water supply points have failed, representing a waste of US$215-360 million," says Skinner. "It seems simple and obvious but it needs to be said: there is little point in drilling wells if there is no system to maintain them. Every day that a borehole does not provide safe water, people are obliged to drink from unclean pools and rivers, exposing them to water-borne diseases. "

The paper says donors, governments and nongovernmental organisations need to realise that funding infrastructure is just part of the solution. Also important are better investments in knowledge, community-led management and government capacity to sustain water supplies. It says local communities must take part in choosing and maintaining appropriate technologies, and how much they are willing or able to pay to maintain them, rather than having them imposed on them by outsiders.

Hundreds accused of witchcraft and poisoned in government campaign

Amnesty International today revealed that up to 1,000 people in Gambia have been kidnapped from their villages by 'witch doctors', taken to secret detention centres and forced to drink hallucinogenic concoctions.

Some have developed kidney problems and two have died after these attacks.

Reports suggest that officials within Gambia including the police, army and the President's personal protection guards are accompanying 'witch doctors' as they carry out their campaign.

Victims and their relatives told Amnesty International that 'witch doctors' have visited villages with armed security and forcibly taken people they accused of being 'witches' to secret detention centres. Many of those taken were elderly.

At the secret detention centres, where some have been held for up to five days, they are forced to drink unknown substances that cause them to hallucinate and behave erratically. Many are then forced to confess to being a witch. In some cases, they are also severely beaten, almost to the point of death.

Amnesty International UK Director Kate Allen said:

'These horrific attacks and kidnappings are part of a witch-hunting campaign that's spreading terror throughout the country. Already hundreds of Gambians have fled to neighbouring Senegal for safety after their villages were attacked.'

Eyewitnesses and victims told Amnesty International that the 'witch doctors', who they say are from neighbouring Guinea, are accompanied by police, army and national intelligence agents. They are also accompanied by "green boys" - Gambian President Yahya Jammeh's personal protection guards.

The most recent incident took place on 9 March in Sintet village in the Foni Jarrol district, where up to 300 people were forced to go to the President's farm in Kanilai.

According to one eyewitness:

'At 5:00 am the paramilitary police armed with guns and shovels surrounded our village and threatened the villagers that anyone who tries to escape will be buried six feet under...Fear gripped the village...children were crying and traumatised. They randomly identified over 300 men and women who were forced at gunpoint into waiting buses and ferried to the President's hometown.

Once there, they were stripped and forced to drink dirty water from herbs and were also bathed with these dirty herbs. A lot of these people who were forced to drink these poisonous herbs developed instant diarrhoea and vomiting whilst they lay helpless. I stayed there for five days. I experienced and witnessed such abuse and humiliation. I cannot believe that this type of treatment is taking place in Gambia. It is from the dark ages.'

The incidents have taken place in the Foni Kansala district, an area near to President Jammeh's farm of Kanilai. However, many people are telling Amnesty International that the 'witch hunting' campaign will spread throughout the rest of the country.

Witch doctors were invited to Gambia early in 2009, soon after the death of President Jammeh's aunt. The President reportedly believes that witchcraft was used in her death.

Kate Allen continued:

'The Gambian government has to put a stop to this campaign, investigate these attacks immediately and bring those responsible to justice.'

On 8 March, Halifa Sallah, a prominent opposition figure who has written for the main opposition newspaper, Foroyya, about the activities of the witch doctors, was arrested at his home. He has since been charged with sedition and spying, and is currently in Mile II, the Central Prison in the Gambia. His next court date is set for Wednesday 25 March. Amnesty International is concerned that he is at risk of being tortured or ill-treated and that his trial will be unfair.

In response to Imam Fatty

This Monday, while reading the Senegambia Newspaper, I came across their lead story in which the imam of State House, Abdoulie Fatty was quoted as describing the on going state sponsored witch hunting exercise in the Gambia as nothing but wild rumours aimed at discrediting the government of Yahya Jammeh.


In as much as I respect Imam Fatty's right as a Gambian to express himself, I think he should as a man of God have the fear of God in his heart and must always speak the truth and nothing but the truth in his sermons.


Imam Fatty should be burying his head in shame for he have lied to his congregation and Allah when he choose to defend Yayha Jammeh instead of condemning the criminal activities of his witch hunters, which is tearing many Gambian families apart.


And it makes me wonder where the hell the Gambian is heading to when I see respected religious scholars such as Imam Fatty choosing to tell lies instead of the truth in their blind support of Yahya Jammeh.


Every Gambian know that the stories of witch hunters arresting elderly men and women in the privacy of their homes and detaining them in Kanilai and other secret detention centres across the country are 100 per cent true. The Gambian people also know that the arrested men and women are forced to drink a mysterious concoction by the witch hunters. The Gambian people are aware that some elderly people were tortured by the witch hunters and at least five people have died as a result.


So, if Imam Fatty thinks he can fool the Gambian people by lying on the pulpit in order to save the battered and bruised image of his adopted son-Yahya Jammeh- then let him think again.


What is happening in the Gambia is unacceptable in any civilised country-more so a religious country like ours that is totally against homosexuality and skin bleaching. Imam Fatty may choose not to speak the truth, but the Gambians whose families are being torned apart by Jammeh's thugs will always speak out.


Imam Fatty should know that no matter how hard he tries, he cannot hide the true picture of Jammeh's savagery and thuggery from the Gambian people. The more he tries, the more laughable his efforts will be to the Gambian public.


Imam Fatty has made himself look so stupid in the eyes of the Gambian public and his attempts to distort the truth, can be compared to that of a person trying to hide from the sun with his hands.


Imam Fatty have always been a stooge of Yahya Jammeh. And I think becoming Jammeh's right hand man has corrupted his mind and blinded his eyes. His long association with Jammeh may have made him fall into temptation thereby ignoring all the brutalities being meted out to Gambians by President Jammeh and his regime.


In recognising the dangers of religious scholars associating with kings and rulers, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is reported to have said: "Whosoever lives in the jungle becomes hard hearted; one who is fond of hunting becomes neglectful (of everything else) and one who visits kings frequently falls into temptation."


Imam Fatty needs to take a serious look at himself. He is allowing himself to be used by Jammeh in his dirty political game thereby compromising his responsibilities as a man of God. His blind support of Yahya Jammeh is preventing him from heeding to Prophet Muhammad's (SAW) warning that ".....You people must preach the truth and prevent the sinners from doing forbidden things and check the tyrants to bring them to the right path, otherwise you will be accursed and your hearts will be corrupted just as Allah did with Bani Israel."


In his book Faza'il Sadaqat, Shaikhul Hadith Hadhrat Maulana Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi, said: " Religious scholars who are concerned about the life after death keeps away from the company of princes, lords and rulers, and do not associate with them unless it becomes unavoidable. For their companionship may involve seeking their pleasure and winning their goodwill. Besides, rulers often indulge in cruelty, injustice and other sinful deeds and it is incumbent upon religious scholars to forbid them from doing evil, expose their injustice or cruelty and admonish them against transgressing the commandments of Allah. Observing reticence in such matters (instead of voicing one's disapproval) amounts to compromising one's religion. Furthermore, if one is obliged to praise the rulers with a view of gaining their favours, amounts to telling lies. Our worldly minded religious scholars are worst than the Devines of Banu Israel for they go to the rulers and tell them how to evade the law (shariah) and thereby seek to win their favours. If the scholars were to tell the rulers about their responsibilities in plain words, they would never like them (scholars) to visit their palaces frequently, but their truthfulness will be a means of eternal salvation in the of Allah."


Imam Fatty needs to know that the Gambian people are fed up with Yahya Jammeh and his calls for them to rally behind a man who is responsible for their sufferings is nothing but an insult. While he may be driving a flashy car and enjoying all the privileges as State House Imam, Imam Fatty needs to open his eyes and look at the poor conditions of the Gambian people 53 per cent of whom are being born in poverty, growing up in poverty and dying in abject poverty.


Gambians know that the APRC leadership is a complete sham. It is a bunch of corrupt and selfish individuals who are using their positions to enrich themselves.

Imam Fatty, Jammeh has everything to do with the witch hunters. If indeed he has nothing to do with them, then why the hell is he using Kanilai as a concentration camp to detain suspected witches and wizards arrested from Sintet and other neibouring villages? Why is Jammeh having Halifa Sallah detained at the Mile Two Prisons for speaking to the people of Makumbaya whose lives were rudely turned upside down by the witch hunters? Why are Gambian security officers being used by the witch hunters to intimidate and arrest our poor elderly parents?

Imam Fatty, the Gambia under Jammeh is not developing but retrogressing. And if things can be that bad for the country when Jammeh is doing his best as you have said, then God help us when Jammeh start doing bad.

President Jammeh may be a great guy to Imam Fatty, but to me and many Gambians, he is nothing but an evil monster who is ruining the hopes and aspiration of the Gambian people.

Let Halifa Go

by PK Jarju

Mr President, its well past mid-night here in the West Midlands and I should have been fast asleep in my bed. But my conscience cannot allow me to enjoy the comfort of my bed without condemning the arrest and prosecution of Halifa Sallah and demanding for his immediate release.


Mr Sallah is currently remanded at the Mile Two Prisons after he was unable to meet the stiff bail conditions imposed on him by the Brikama Magistrate Court. The harsh bail conditions were imposed by your state control judiciary in order to keep Mr Sallah away from his loved ones as long as you wish.

The charges against Mr Sallah are a mockery to our judicial system. They are a well calculated move by your despotic regime to jail Mr Sallah like you have always done, there by silencing him in your quest to become king of our land.

Mr President, you told us last month that you will always interfere with the judicial process of the country and Mr Sallah's arrest and prosecution exposes you and your government's lack of respect to the democratic values of our country and its people.

Mr President, Halifa Sallah was arrested on Sunday following his return from Makumbaya Village were he spoke to people who were recently harassed and mistreated by your witch hunters. He had intended to bring to your attention the mistreatment meted out to these poor villagers by the witch hunters thereby bringing an immediate end to such barbaric practices.

Mr Sallah, who is the secretary general of the People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS), coordinator of the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) and a member of the Foroyaa Newspaper editorial board has every right to visit any Gambian village as well as to hold conversation with any Gambian he wish.

Mr Sallah never forced those villagers to speak him neither did he forcefully entered their homes. The villagers spoke their hearts out about the sufferings they went through and if you are not happy with that then so be it.

Mr President, having Mr Sallah arrested and charged for speaking to villagers whose rights and dignity as sons and daughters of the land were trampled underfoot in their own backyards by foreign witch hunters, tantamount to an admission that you and your regime are condoning the criminal activities of these witch hunters and never want the Gambian people to know the true extend of their brutality.

I am not surprised by the step you have taken because I have since 1994 witnessed a breath-taking rise of your evil regime that lives and rule by the gun and shows no mercy in crushing its political opponents and critics.

Mr President, let me remind you that as man who likes to show anyone who cares what a devout Muslim you are, you have sworn by the Qur'an, the holy book of Allah, to govern the people according to the dictates of the Gambian constitution. But instead, you are abusing the Constitution and treating Gambians like a piece of dirt.

You have transformed yourself into a god that all Gambians must worship or die and have confused yourself with the believe that you love the country more than every Gambian.

Mr President, you have to know that you may have all the powers you want, but people will always see you as the son of Asombi Bojang. People like Halifa love the Gambia a million times more than you. Their love for the country is not driven by selfishness and greed. That is why they refused all the ministerial offers you made to them.

Halifa is a true servant of the Gambian people and if you think having him remanded in stinking Mile Two Prisons will kill his desire to free the Gambian people from the clutches of your dictatorial regime, think again. Like all true freedom fighters, Halifa knew that fighting against dictatorship is never easy and that he has to past through pain and sufferings like Nelson Mandela in order to free the Gambian people. The more you persecute him, the stronger and more resolute he becomes.

That is why he told the Gambian people who gathered in Brikama on Wednesday that he is willing to become a sacrificial lamb to ensure the liberty and dignity of the people and that he is ready to suffer for others not to suffer, but what is going on [activities of the witch hunters] must come to a stop.

Mr President remember that it is easier to move mountains than the heart of men. And despite being the commander-in-chief of the Gambian armed forces you can only do three things to people like Halifa- arrest and detain him, kill him or set him free.

Wise men earn the respect of people not because they are wise, but because they do the right thing. So let Halifa go!
Have a nice weekend your Excellency.

Hero to Weirdo

Every time I take a look at our president, Yahya Jammeh, I find it hard to convince myself that the man is really fit enough to continue running the affairs of our blessed country.

Am not trying to be disrespectful to Mighty Jammeh. But his conduct and actions are increasingly making me worry.

Over the years, Jammeh, once regarded by many as a liberator of the Gambia, has being slowly transforming himself from a hero to weirdo. And his weird behaviour is living me worried by the uncertain direction in which the Gambia is going.

To be precise, I am scare of what the future holds for the Gambia under Jammeh.

In this 21st century, while many world leaders are busy building their countries and laying a bright future for their people, our leader is doing the complete opposite. He busies himself in ridiculous controversies that bring nothing but shame to our country.

Jammeh portrays himself as a special creation of God. While we humans have two eyes, he has four, which enables him to see both the natural and supernatural world. He is blessed with so much powers which enables him to communicate directly to his Creator and devils.

He carries a praying bead and the Muslim holy book, the Qur’an, 24 hours a day, which helps to facilitate his direct communication with God. Through the Qur'anic verses, he is able to find cure for HIV/Aids, tuberculosis, impotence, barrenness, ulcer, cancer, asthma, among others.

Jammeh also armed himself with a sword, which he uses to fight demons and other evil spirits. Above all he claimed on national television that God is his banker and that he is ruling the country with the support and guidance from devils.

Jammeh also claimed that devils vote for him in general elections because of his love and development programme for the Gambia.

To further add to my worries and fears for the future of the Gambia, Jammeh have recently hired a contingent of witch hunters from Guinea Conakry to wage a war on suspected Gambian witches and wizards.

Many Gambians are being rounded up in the privacy of their homes by these witch hunters and detained in Jammeh’s home village, Kanilai and other secret detention centres across the country.

One Ceesay Jatta, a school caretaker in Kanilai was recently reported to have been beheaded by the witch hunters, who identified him as a local commander of the witches and wizard.

Two women from Makumbaya and Foni Funtang are reported to have died after being tortured and forced to drink a mysterious concoction by the witch hunters.

Many Gambians are today living in fear wondering which community is going to be invaded next by the witch hunters. Some villagers in Foni are reported to have fled the country into neighbouring Cassamance living behind their their houses and livestocks.

Despite the actions of these witch hunters being unlawful as it violates the rights and freedoms of the Gambian people enshrined in the 1997 constitution and other laws of the Gambia, only a few Gambians have come out of their shells to condemn them.

These is indeed pathetic and unfortunate. And If Gambians have not been concerned with Jammeh’s behaviour and conduct in the past, I think it is time they do. Our country is fast plunging into a lawless state, where the weak are bullied and oppressed.

Members of the Gambian National Assembly should act now. They have to stop their selfishness and live up to their oath of office by starting an impeachment proceeding against Jammeh. They have to remember they that they have a duty to the Gambia and her people. They also have to remember that the Gambia is bigger than Jammeh and that while Jammeh will be history whether today or tomorrow, the Gambia will and will always remain until the end of time.

Jammeh has brought disrepute into the highest office of our land and Members of the Gambian National Assembly should invoke Section 67 of the 1997 constitution which empowers them to remove a president for:

(a) abuse of office, wilful violation of the oath of allegiance or the President’s oath of office, or wilful violation of any provision of this Consultation, or (b) misconduct in that- (i) he or she has conducted himself in a manner which brings or is likely to bring the office of President into contempt or disrepute; or (ii) he or she has dishonestly done any act which is prejudicial or inimical to the economy of The Gambia or dishonestly omitted to act with similar consequence.

Members of the National Assembly should also remove Jammeh for being mentally incapable of executing the functions of President and head of state by virtue of section 66 of the constitution.

Impeaching Jammeh now is the sensible way of stopping our country from sinking. Our country is in the hands of a president who can be likened to a drunkun and confuse captain in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. He have lost his sense of direction and we are all bound to drown if continue to sit and fold our hands.

No country in the sub-region would have allowed a man like Jammeh to continue being President. Why should we?

May God save and protect the Gambia and her people from the mishief of Jammeh and his witch hunters. Amen.

UPD breaks silence on Gambian witchraft

For the past few weeks The Gambia and Gambians have been preoccupied with the strange story of unknown and unidentified people engaged in hunting witches and cleansing them of their devilish disposition. Banjul, the Kombos, the Fonis and Niumis have so far been the areas in which the witch hunters have operated or been operating.

The average Gambian believes that witches and witchcraft do exist. Labelling any person a witch attaches to such person stigma that he/she will live with for the rest of his/her life and this stigma continues to stick to all members of that person's family particularly his children.

Those involved in the ritual of administering whatever stuff it takes to expose a person as a witch and those aiding and abetting them by giving them full protection against resistance are not only committing the crime of abduction and/or kidnapping but they are also defaming the character of so-called witches.

It behoves the Government of The Gambia through the law enforcement agencies to arrest this horrible and un-heard of situation which is causing extreme uneasiness in every part of the country. Any responsible Government would on the first time that the issue of witch hunting came into the public domain mount the necessary investigation and apprehend those involved in these criminal activities. The inaction of the Government is incomprehensible in the face of revelations that unmarked vehicles under the control of security agents have provided escorts for the so-called witch hunters.

It is regrettable that those who are expected to investigate the veracity of this saga of witch hunting are now obstacles and hurdles for the unearthing of the truth.

The arrest of Mr. HALIFA SALLAH the spokesperson for the National Alliance for Democracy and Development and a member of the Editorial Board of Foroyaa and his subsequent arraignment before the Banjul Magistrates Court are a naked misuse of the power to arrest and the criminal justice process.

The United Democratic Party condemns in no uncertain terms Mr. Sallah's arrest for the reasons revealed to us in the media. His arrest is nothing but an affront to democracy and the right of every Gambian to receive information on what ordeal if any the victims of the witchcraft hunters went through.

The United Democratic Party is concerned that Mr. Sallah has been indirectly denied bail because the conditions of bail imposed by the court are so onerous as to amount to a denial of bail. It is regrettable that the administration of criminal justice in The Gambia is being exposed to ridicule and suspicion by the imposition of bail conditions such as the surety being the rank of a retired Inspector General or Brigadier General.

The United Democratic Party with other individuals and organizations that firmly believe in the free and unimpeded flow of information stand in SOLIDARITY with Mr. Sallah in this trying times for justice and rule of law. The United Democratic Party does not only call for Mr. Sallah's bail conditions to be reviewed and replaced with conditions that will augur well for his fair trial.

The United Democratic Party

Secretariat

11 March 2009

Halifa Sallah remanded in Mile Two

Halifa Sallah, former NADD presidential candidate and Foroyaa Editorial Board member, told supporters and sympathisers at the Brikama Magistrates Court, that he is willing to become a sacrificial lamb to ensure the liberty and dignity of the people. He made this remark at the close of his first appearance in court since he was arrested on Sunday 8 March, 2009.

“I am ready to suffer for others not to suffer, but what is going on must come to a stop,” he told his audience. He told them that there is no need for them to despair. He asked them to go home, but they need not worry that he could not possibly meet the conditions of the bail granted. He indicated that he was looking for their strength and not their weakness. He stressed to them that they needed to be strong.

These words evidently touched the audience and the grim faces soon became bright.

Shortly after the adjournment of the case he was whisked to the Remand Wing of Mile Two Prison.

Many people in court were dumbfounded when the Magistrate imposed the following bail conditions:
(1) A bail bond in the sum of 1 million dalasis to be signed by three sureties;
(2) Two of the sureties must be Ex-Inspector General of Police or Ex-Brigadier of the army who have been retired for at least eight years;
(3) One of the sureties must be an Alkalo (village head) from Western Region

When he appeared in court, three charges were read to him:
(i) Spying, in that while at Makumbaya, he had obtained confidential information which he knew is useful to the enemy
(ii) Control of processions in that he held a procession while in Makumbaya
(iii) Seditious intention in that he unlawfully assembled the people of Makumbaya in order to collect information that would bring hatred or contempt or excite disaffection against the Government of The Gambia.

He pleaded not guilty to all three charges.

The police prosecutor then stood up at this point to oppose the granting of bail. He argued that they took a lap top from Halifa Sallah’s home which is in their possession and if Halifa is granted bail he may tamper with the ‘website of the lap top’.

Halifa Sallah, who was unrepresented, submitted that the offences alleged are bailable. He further submitted that every accused person is presumed innocent until he/she has pleaded or proven guilty. He also submitted that the hearing of the case should be free and fair. He concluded that the court should not restrain his ability to defend himself.

He opined that what is significant is for the court to ensure his appearance whenever it deems it fit. He pointed out that he had sought the highest office of this land as a presidential candidate in 2006. He assured the court that he would comply with whatever condition the court imposes to ensure his appearance at an adjourned date as long as the conditions are reasonably justifiable in a democratic society. The magistrate did not like the last bit of the statement and after a brief exchange Halifa amended it to: “I will comply with whatever the court deems just.” He therefore asked the court to grant him bail.

He pointed out that the submission of the prosecution regarding the lap top is neither here or there in that in the first place the lap top does not belong to him but his wife.

Fishing Expedition
He asserted that the prosecution were simply engaged in a fishing expedition. He emphasised throughout his detention that he had never been confronted with any witness.

Culled from Foroyaa

Gambia's Obama

Readers,
I have just finished reading Lawyer Mai Fatty's, address to Gambians and its just great. This guy is very talented. For me, he is our very owm Obama.


I am thankful to Allah, for your prayers and concerns during my hospitalisation for life threatening injuries. In particular, I am profoundly grateful to my family and colleagues at the Bar for their timely intervention in help saving my life. Let me report that my recovery has been phenomenal, thanks in large part to them. Many thanks go to my friends as well, for their care and support during this traumatic life-changing experience. I would love to be amongst your midst today, but my doctors have not yet given me the final nod to completely abandon care and return home, even though the confidence in my health condition has never been so real like now. Therefore, I am obliged to heed medical advice, and that is why I am conditioned to communicate to you through the media in this way, and at this time, and not in person. I miss you, I love you Fellow Gambians, and I look forward to returning to our Homeland.

I would like to introduce to you your new political Movement, The Gambia Moral Congress, which I am fortunate to lead at this challenging time. You will also get the chance to know, hear from our other Leaders on different occasions. We intend to share with you our Enduring Values to serve as some of the reasons for our formation. We urge you to read on.

Today we witness a new beginning in the annals of Gambian history; a new beginning that shall usher in a new era of hope, freedom and prosperity for all Gambians. Today, we proclaim the dawn of a new era; an era that shall be defined by the genuine triumph of the will and aspirations of our peoples who have for too long endured under a political system characterised by cult patronage of apocalyptic proportions. More importantly, today, at this historic moment, we declare the ferocious imminence of total victory against the malignant forces of organised political deception in our Nation.

Today, we embrace the coming into effect of our Future which is NOW, and the rise of this Great Land to towering heights of inconceivable possibilities — a people who firmly believe that the purpose of government is to act as the SERVANTS of the people and NOT as their MASTER; a people who are staunch in the irrevocable conviction that freedom and independence are priceless, and must be pursued persistently and valiantly till conclusive victory, knowing that power never concedes anything by itself. Today, with sombreness, we draw inspiration from the fundamental principle contained in the historical lessons of Sankandi — the lesson that freedom based on popular but discretionary loyalty and consent of the governed is worth the ultimate sacrifice. Today, we re-affirm our unwavering faith in the might of reason over raw power.

Today, we seek to accelerate the celebration of the triumph of Democracy — a day when journalists shall be free to practice their creed without fear of persecution; when Judges and Magistrates shall be subordinate only to the Constitution of the Land without the wanton desecration of the concept of judicial tenure; when the people’s elected deputies shall accord due prominence only to the people’s business in Parliament instead of compulsive partisanship without fear of retribution; when all law enforcement agencies shall collectively practice allegiance to the Constitution and Sovereignty of The Gambia.

Today, Fellow Gambians, we proclaim the dawning of a transformational era, when teachers in our schools and lecturers in our centres of higher learning shall be free to teach in accordance with the highest academic values — to unleash the noble pursuit of intellectual and scientific excellence from pernicious political bondage; when the civil and public services shall be the hallmark of objectivity, ingenuity, innovation, discipline, patriotism, service and sacrifice in the over-riding national interests; when freedom itself shall be expanded, and the gates of equal opportunities for all Gambians opened for good. This we DECLARE for and on behalf of generations of Gambians here at home and around the world. Together, we shall make leaders and elected representatives truly accountable to the people, instead of the whims and caprices of the few; and to take purposeful steps in redeeming our sovereign reputation.

Today, we proclaim our Friendship with the world, to join the global community in the fight against poverty and disease, tribalism, xenophobia, civil strives and its diabolical impacts on civilians, the building of strong sustainable economies, the integration of African economies into the world economy, food security, the fight for peace, security, international diversity, the environment, and cooperation with civil societies around the world to achieve global values such as democracy, good governance, the rule of law, racial harmony, gender issues, child rights, globalisation, etc. Today, we connect our hearts to our fellow Africans everywhere and declare that securing and strengthening the interests of Africa shall be the primary focus of our diplomacy, and relations with the Republic of Senegal at the fore-front. Together, we shall work towards rapid bilateral economic cooperation, political concord, and finally resolving for good the diplomatic impasse massively accentuated by a sustained policy of insincerity, propaganda and indifference.

Together, we shall bring peace to The Gambia’s southern frontier settlements that are the constant victims of armed incursions, and other violent crimes. Together, we shall ensure that The Gambia-Senegal basin is weapons free, and free of armed bandits masquerading, and those who harbour them or patronise them. We believe that it is in The Gambia’s national security interests to work for and support the speedy, but peaceful resolution of the Casamance imbroglio as a first measure, prior to other measures. We shall induce firm confidence in our Special Preferential Relations with Senegal, not only because both Nations have no better options to the contrary, it is equally the persistent demand of peoples on both sides of the border as the only right thing to do. This unique preferential relation must be based on unwavering sincerity, demonstrable mutual respect for sovereign independence and integrity, and sovereign equality for it to endure.

These are the vital elements which must inspire and command our attitude towards each other at the highest level. We believe that The Gambia’s national interests are best protected and advanced by promoting peace and cooperation rather than confrontation and conflict.

Above all, a GMC government foreign policy shall be citizen-centred by which we shall not flinch to utilise the full effects of our sovereign diplomatic goodwill to protect every single Gambian on foreign shores. We consider our diplomatic resources a formidable national asset, and shall empower capacity, enhance and expand the role of the Department of State for Foreign Affairs, with increased resources and facilities. Let each and every Gambian, where ever you may be at this hour, and no matter your condition, circumstance or status, be confident that we are always on your side and we shall always be with you. In particular, those Gambians who are compelled or impacted by the circumstances of on-going political practices, or sought refuge elsewhere, be informed that indeed help is on the way. You shall once gain reunite with your families, loved ones and friends here back home, in dignity, freedom and prosperity.

Today is also opportunity to express appreciation to Hon. Ousainou Darbo, Leader of the UDP for his patriotism, in the growth of pluralism. Gratitude is owed to Hon. Hamat Bah NRP, Hon. Halifa Sallah & Hon. Sidia Jatta NADD, Hon. Omar Jallow PPP, and Hon. Henry Gomez GPDP, for their commitment to the national cause. Albeit GMC has fundamental philosophical differences from them all, our message is one of cooperation and consultation within, NOT confrontation. Our approaches to politics may differ, but we should share the common goal of providing prosperity for our citizens. This shared objective far exceeds any artificial differences that may be invented by some. However, The Gambia Moral Congress believes that prosperity is not to be measured by wealth or worldly gains alone. There is a higher prosperity — the health of the mind and the spirit and the quest to lead a righteous and sober life.

We believe that leadership is inspiration, not just by example. We cannot demand sacrifice and defiance from our people when we could be found wanting in that regard; when we fail to unite for a common cause, we lost all justification to anticipate loyalty; when we exhibit addiction to Party power for its own sake without giving others opportunity to experiment, we lost our bearing and when we militate against new thinking instead of embracing change, we get swept away by the tide of historical irrelevance. These are vestiges of the failed past, and today, this new Movement spearheads a bold new direction radically different from business as usual.

It is now our time — to confront long term challenges that have been neglected; to restore the balance; to invest in our future; to set a realistic vision for ourselves to become the best educated country, the most skilled economy in the region, and best trained work force in Africa; to build modern infrastructure that lays a platform for future growth, laying the foundations for long term prosperity. This emerging Leadership can get us there with your support, and our enduring values will help set our course for the future, and united by a common hope for our future. We are committed to building a modern competitive economy that competes successfully in the global marketplace for agriculture, resources and services. We believe that our long term prosperity will be at risk if we rely too heavily on one sector of the economy for our economic growth. We believe that in the long term, building a modern competitive economy is the best way of securing good living standards for Gambians. By building long term prosperity, we can also ensure that our Nation will be able to create and sustain high quality public services and a generous safety-net for those in need.

Our commitment to a fair and equitable society is at the foundation of our approach to government. Fairness will be a guiding principle for a GMC government in all aspects of government policy and initiatives, whether dealing with labour matters, access to educational opportunities, justice delivery, entrepreneurial aspirations, health-care or community services. As a Nation, we will be at our best when we can work together for the common good. We believe that governments should play an important role in building stronger relationships at each level of our society. A GMC government will strengthen the strong role played by community organisations in both helping individuals in need and in building a sense of community. We are committed to building communities that embrace cultural diversity — a society that celebrates diversity, tolerates and respects divergent views.

Today, we extend our solidarity to members of The Gambia Labour Union, the Teachers Union, the Transport Union, The Gambia Press Union, the National Union of Gambian Students, the Dock workers, and The Gambia Bar Association. We recognise and accept your rights to organise, collective bargain, and act as responsible interest groups and strategic partners to government. Together with your help, we shall ensure that the right to organise, to belong to a union and to effectively exercise such rights shall be clearly guaranteed by legal provisions, and enforceable by the courts of the land.

Together, we shall make freedom of association, which is currently under siege, truly liberated and relevant. GMC assures you that whenever your rights are threatened, and in consequence if you rise to defend or enforce your rights, we shall rise with you rain, shine, storm or torture. Our Movement’s policy is to treat human rights abuse as a threat to The Gambia’s national security.

Today, above all else, let us applaud the Farmers of The Gambia, the forgotten heroes/heroines and the neglected constituency that comprised the majority of the extreme poor in our Nation, a situation that remains a horrendous scar on the national conscience. GMC government shall, together with your help and support put an end to this dismal and unacceptable phenomenon. This is their struggle too, and the imminent victory shall be theirs as well. It is utterly unacceptable to us that over 85% of Gambians continue to experience very severe economic trauma. We shall issue our Economic Policy Statement in due course as we commit ourselves to seriously fight poverty with single-mindedness.

A GMC government shall empower The Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry in its efforts to build formidable indigenous enterprise capacity, innovation in trade expansion, opportunity, wealth creation and corporate compassion. The Gambia ranks very low at Number 165 world-wide Global Index for protecting investors. This is highly unacceptable, and we shall change this ugly image. Lip service is all we have seen.

On this historic occasion, GMC remembers the late Deyda Hydara, a distinguished Patriot I had the privilege of working closely with as a high school student journalist over a decade ago. In this connection, GMC strongly condemns the murder of Mr. Deyda Hydara and demands that the authorities do the right thing, including the attempted murder against my dear friend, the veteran human rights lawyer Mr. Ousman Sillah. A way to sustain the memory and legacy of martyr Deyda Hydara is to demolish the shackles asphyxiating freedom of expression in particular and eliminating conditions upon which impunity thrives.

We pay homage to the late William Dixon-Colley, a pioneering champion of Gambian press freedom and the man whose ideals profoundly influence my approach to politics. We call for the Government’s compliance with the Orders of the ECOWAS COURT and implement the Resolutions of the 44th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human Rights, Abuja, regarding journalist Chief Ebrima Manneh, and all other victims of human rights atrocities, such as the Students of April 10 and 11.

Our country should be seen to respect international law as a civilised nation, for only through this would we inspire respect and reciprocity from the international community. This, to us is not a matter of politics, but one of solid principle. If we are seen to be dismantling international commitments and protocols we enter into freely with other nations and multilateral institutions, it is our sovereign integrity that massively suffers, and reflects on Gambians everywhere. This ought to be a matter of serious concern for all Gambians regardless of political inclination. We urge The Gambia Government to comply with international law our Nation agreed to abide by, such as United Nations Charter, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the protocols of the Ecowas Treaty and the African Union, particularly pertaining to our sovereign obligations on human rights. Our own Constitution, which is the embodiment of our national will, enjoins us to do just that. This is not merely an ordinary Document, it is sacred and sacrosanct.

The Scriptures (Qur’an and the Bible) teach us that God forbade torture for whatever purpose, much less the taking of another life for political reasons. The Qur’an talks about the Day of Judgment, meaning that even God who created Leaders will not condemn mankind without judging them fairly first. That is why as a Faith Nation, we should respect courts of law as Temples of Justice, not to manipulate and abuse them. One cannot seek refuge in his Faith by flouting this Divine instruction and at the same time anticipate no consequences from fellow man or God. No government should be told to treat its people decently, because that is the proper function of any government. When a government is reminded of this obligation, instead of receiving such information with dismissal and contempt, it should be opportunity for introspection and reform.

Democracy is an on-going experiment to produce better circumstances, not to rejoice in the deficiencies of political experiments and failures of political systems as pretext to deride them. Democracy is not the enemy, and should not be prostituted. We believe that human society’s best invention is the political experiment of democracy often represented by the universally acclaimed essential freedoms, now condensed into the single concept of “human rights “. Rather than fear this concept and try to kill its survival, the converse survival instinct of humanity for human rights often prevails to instil fear into those combating the tide of freedom. The fact that dissent is not loud should trouble any good leader, for human history proves that systematic suppression of dissent often ends up in a political volcano.

History has shown that it is impossible to continue to deny active dissent permanently because sooner or later, human nature would find a permanent solution to that problem. The best way is to encourage dialogue and free flow of ideas. Nelson Mandela preaches that a leadership that fears the power of ideas and information would be planting its own inevitable demise. We concur.

Good leaders protect their citizens, not harm them or unleash law enforcement agencies to repress dissent. Gambians are decent people and deserve to be treated with decency. Our Movement hereby extends olive branch solidarity to all, bearing animosity towards none, and we are adamant on the irrevocable conviction that there shall be no negotiation regarding principles on sovereign constants and values. The Gambia will be best placed to confront contemporary challenges if we maintain the best values that have characterised our Nation. Many of these values have been undermined. It is time to restore the balance. We know that the truest measure of a society is the care it provides for those most in need, and the opportunity it provides for every person to realise his or her own potential.

Our Movement will be responsive to genuine engagements with all players in the political process, including the APRC for the exclusive national good, based on:

1. Predetermined, objective, result oriented, ascertainable and openly verifiable principles and actions.

2. Level playing field, transparency and fairness in the electioneering and electoral processes. If the processes leading towards an election are not free and fair, the results of such an election cannot be fair and will not be accepted, and will be rejected by Gambian voters and the international community.

3. Demonstrable commitment to the rule of law, including judicial non-interference with unbridled law enforcement neutrality.

4. Demonstrable commitment to full and sincere implementation of inter-Party agreements, and negotiated principles, MoUs, etc.

We believe that The Gambia belongs to us all equally. If we all genuinely make The Gambia our passion, go to work every day to achieve the means of securing the interests of Gambians, we should be able to forge healthy and spirited debates on issues about the way forward. Our doors shall remain open for consultations and consensus building. The Leadership of our Party has no illusions as to the enormity of the tasks ahead, or as to the likely reaction of our formation from established political ranks. We also know about the predicament of prisoners and detainees or those who graduated from incarceration. We are not trapped by naivety nor could we be lured by false sense of security. We shall remain sharply vigilant at all times.

The Gambia National Congress is about The Gambian people, and belongs to the people. We seek to bring about the urgent change you require, but this can only be done with your support and help. The power to change is in your hands for no government, regardless of how autocratic or brutal it may be, can successfully continue to survive if the people, the citizens in whose hands power lies, take the gauntlet and demand change. You, the people can change and improve your political and economic conditions by voting in a Congress government, and if you do so in sufficient numbers, you shall bring about the change you require. Nelson Mandela again preaches that there are limits even to highly sophisticated or professional vote rigging and voter intimidation during election times, and we know those limits. In The Gambia too, you the citizen voter has the compelling power to influence the political direction no matter how seemingly powerful an individual or system might appear.

Such power is mere illusion because real power is in your hands. You can also support our ground efforts with your financial contributions and other resources.

The awesome power those in government appear to wield is made possible by you. If you the people decide to withdraw your political support, you will easily find that they are powerless without you. It is you Gambian voters and citizens who made them powerful, so real power is yours, and you can demonstrate this power by choosing to join us, vote for us in your largest numbers, fund us, and take part in a new democratic Movement. Believe in yourselves. We invite you to join and vote for our political Movement - The Gambia Moral Congress where you will be truly respected, where your opinions count, where you have equal rights and the power to succeed, and where power truly belongs to you, the peoples. Together, let us steer a bold new direction, reject past political failures and never to be associated with selfish political bickering, and heartily welcome change.

With the power of your ballot, the strength of your numerical superiority, and a new spirit of commitment, together we can bring about the change we require in The Gambia. Together, we can prove that indeed it is possible through patriotic vigilance to invent our future with our votes, and put in place your Congress government. Thank you all, and God Bless the Republic of The Gambia.

Jammeh's witch hunters hit Sintet

By PK Jarju

A large number of elderly men and women from Sintet Village were yesterday arrested and detained in President Jammeh's home village, Kanilai.

The arrest of the elderly villagers is in connection with ongoing nation wide crackdown on alleged witches and wizards.

villagers told me that the witch hunters with the support of Gambian security officers surrounded the Foni village and arrested any village elder they found at home.

Some village elders were reported to have fled the village into Cassamance.

Sources added that the arrested men and women are currently being vetted by the witch hunters.

"The witch hunters give then a concotion to drink which is making witches and wizards to confess to their past activities. Some have already admitted to the killing of certain prominent people in the area," a soldier I will identified as Jalamang (not his real name) told me.

Jalamang added that some of the arrested men and women were released last night and this morning after they were cleared by the witch hunters.

Meanwhile military sources have confirmed earlier newspaper reports about the gruesome murder of Ceesay Jatta in Kanilai.

"Ceesay Jatta of Bujiling was beheaded by the witch hunters who identified him as a local commander of the witches," an officer in Kanilai to told me.

Halifa Sallah detained

by PK Jarju
The Spokesperson of the Opposition National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD)has been arrested and detained at the Yundum Police Station.
Halifa Sallah who also serves on the editorial board of Foroyaa Newspaper was arrested on Sunday evening by five police officers of the police Serious Crime Unit.

Although the government is yet to commend on his arrest,reports says his arrest was in connection with his current investigations into the ongoing national witch hunting excercise.

Mr Sallah has over the past few weeks criticised the activities of the which hunters and has urged President Yahya Jammeh's regime to investigate and put a stop to such a barbaric practice.

Annual progress report on Gambia’s poverty reduction

I. OVERVIEW

1. The Gambian authorities completed the 2007 PRSP Annual Progress Report (APR) in October 2008. This is the first APR for the country’s second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), which covers the years 2007 to 2011.1 The overall strategic priorities of the PRSP are: (i) macroeconomic stability and effective public resource management; (ii) promotion of pro-poor growth and employment through private sector development; (iii) improved basic social services; (iv) strengthened local communities and civil society organizations (CSOs); and (v) mainstreamed multisectoral programs on gender, environment, nutrition, and population. The PRSP incorporates programs focused on the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).

The APR is complemented by a 2008 report on progress towards the MDGs and a report which analyzes poverty related public expenditures in 2007. The APR analyzes key elements of the PRSP, including macroeconomic performance, public sector reform, real sector performance such as agriculture and tourism, the social sectors and cross-cutting issues such as HIV/AIDS and gender.


2. The 2007 APR was prepared in a participatory and consultative manner. The National Planning Commission (NPC) was created to strengthen the government’s capacity to plan and coordinate government policies, consolidate limited government resources and implement the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness. In particular, the NPC has assumed overall responsibility for the PRSP process and coordinated the preparation of the APR. Consultative workshops and focus group discussions were held on the PRSP APR with representatives of the public and private sectors and civil society.

The NPC is a relatively new organization and therefore would benefit from further strengthening of its capacity. The staffs recommend continued institutionalization of multisectoral and participatory monitoring arrangements.



3. The country’s poverty rates are high and the poor remain highly vulnerable to exogenous shocks. Fifty eight percent of the households are poor, according to the 2003 household expenditure survey which is the latest information available. The authorities are currently preparing to conduct a small scale survey to update the poverty profile. The poor are often rural households with larger families, headed by females and working in the agriculture and fishing industries. Although the economy has enjoyed robust growth in the past few years, there are concerns that this growth was concentrated in sectors such as telecommunication and tourism which could have had limited impact on the poor. The issue will be further analyzed through an ongoing Poverty Assessment exercise.

II. STRATEGIC PRIORITIES, RISKS AND CHALLENGES

4. The APR correctly points out that macroeconomic performance has been strong in the recent past, exemplified by robust growth and relatively low inflation. However, the current global economic slowdown is likely to adversely affect growth in The Gambia and widen the external current account deficit by slowing down tourism and remittances. In addition to the impact of the global economic slowdown, re-export trade appears to be contracting as the country’s regional comparative advantages deteriorate and foreign direct investment is projected to level off after rising sharply in recent years.

As a result, real GDP growth is projected to decline to 4.6 percent in 2009 from 5.9 percent in 2008. Given the expected slowdown in economic activity and indications of weakening government revenues, staffs encourage the government to continue prudent macroeconomic policies and provide a growth-friendly environment. The staffs support the government’s policy of limiting domestic borrowing in order to reduce the large domestic public debt.


5. The staffs recommend that future APRs pay more attention to external debt sustainability issues. The authorities need to focus on improving the management of external debt in light of the recent Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) which indicates continued high risk of debt distress. Export diversification and finding new sources of growth will be critical given the decline of the country’s traditional strengths as a regional trading hub.



6. The staffs support government efforts to increase budgetary resources to poverty reducing expenditures. Preliminary budget outturn data indicate that PRSP related expenditures as a share of total Government Local Funds (excluding interest payments) declined from 2002 to 2005, in particular due to sharply increasing debt service payments. Recognizing this to be an important fiscal challenge, the authorities reduced domestic borrowing and received substantial external debt relief when the country reached HIPC completion point in December 200.

As a result, preliminary data indicate that the share of PRSP related expenditures in the budget outturn have been gradually increasing. Moreover, the share of PRSP expenditures in budget allocations have increased in 2009 compared to 2008. It will be critical that the budget outturns reflect the increased budgetary allocations.


7. After having had some success with public expenditure management reforms, ensuring their sustainability is the next critical challenge. There have been steady improvements of the budgeting process, including by revising the budget classification, integrating the recurrent and development expenditures, developing sectoral policies and expenditure reviews and reducing the backlog in public accounts.

APR notes the impact that the introduction of the Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) has had on improving public expenditure management and monitoring of PRSP related expenditures. IFMIS currently processes all central government transactions and produces public accounts and fiscal reports in a relatively timely manner.

In order to ensure its sustainability, the staffs recommend that the authorities adequately fund the recurrent costs of the system, identified in the government’s IFMIS Sustainability Plan, and build local capacity by carrying out recruitment and training of Treasury staffs within a government-wide manpower plan.



8. Strengthening human resource management will be critical to the success of the ongoing civil service reforms. The ongoing civil service reforms are critical to building public sector capacity.

The APR highlights the need to increase civil service compensation in order to improve recruitment and retention of qualified personnel. While addressing low salaries will be important, it will not by itself necessarily result in improved performance and public service delivery. Thus, staffs recommend that the authorities also focus on complementary reforms to strengthen staff assessment, performance management and overall manpower planning. The latter is critical given that there is evidence that the civil service significantly expanded in recent years and its rate of expansion was not immediately apparent due to shortcomings in centralized management and monitoring. Sustained political commitment for the implementation of the civil service reform program will be essential to the success of the reforms.

9. The APR highlights the importance of the agricultural sector but the analysis is hampered by a lack of specificity in the sector strategy and priority policies. The agriculture sector, where most of the poor are engaged, has been performing relatively poorly in recent years, although crop productions rebounded in 2008 due to comparatively good rainfalls. A major constraint has been the lack of policy clarity, continuity and predictability. Therefore, the staffs recommend refining the policies and programs in the agriculture sector through the development of a comprehensive and cohesive agriculture sector strategy which identifies priority interventions and emphasizes export diversification and private sector development.

Staffs also recommend that the impact of existing investment projects be comprehensively assessed in order to provide a basis for determining priority interventions and that the sector’s institutional environment be stabilized as frequent changes of policies, personnel and institutions have undermined performance. Improved performance will likely require greater allocation of resources for recurrent expenditures.


10. Implementation of the government’s groundnut sector reform Roadmap will be a priority pro-poor agenda. The APR does not provide a comprehensive analysis of the status of implementation of this critical sector which has traditionally accounted for over 70 percent of domestically produced exports. Groundnut farmers are the largest group among the poor. However, the groundnut sector has been undermined by a dysfunctional marketing arrangement in recent years. Unlike the agriculture sector as a whole, the groundnut sector benefits from having a sector reform strategy, the Roadmap prepared in 2007. The Roadmap emphasizes open competition based on a minimum producer price, divesting the Government-owned Gambia Groundnut Corporation (GGC) which is the main formal marketing and processing channel, improving access to agricultural production inputs and establishing a quality control system.

Timely implementation of the Roadmap is expected to significantly contribute to alleviating poverty among the groundnut farmers by revitalizing the sector and providing a reliable and timely market for groundnuts. It will be critical to promote private investments in the sector, in particular by providing a level playing field in which no investor is given preferential treatment. The staffs recommend that implementation of the Roadmap be accelerated and be further developed with respect to improving access to inputs and extension services and strengthening institutional capacity of key public and private stakeholders, including producer associations. Any adverse social distributional impact of the reforms should be monitored and adequately addressed.

11. The staffs believe that stronger efforts are needed to ensure a greater focus on improving economic governance so as to promote private sector-led growth. Reforms of economic governance would enhance the country’s competitiveness, help attract foreign investments and make the country more resilient to external shocks such as the current global economic slowdown.

In this context, of particular importance are: (i) greater protection of contractual rights and respect for legal due process; (ii) the use of open and competitive bidding process for divestiture of public enterprises and sale of major licenses, such as for telecommunication; and (iii) strengthening of the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA) through the provision of adequate resources and enhancement of its independence and mandate. Building on improved economic governance, the authorities could address the poor availability and high cost of finance, lack of access to land and the multiplicity of taxes and government fees which aggregate to a significant burden. Finally, the staffs recommend consolidating the investment laws and overhauling the discretionary duty exemption system.



12. Although the MDG goal of halving poverty is unlikely to be met, the APR notes the relatively good progress made in indicators on universal primary education and gender parity. Major government initiatives have benefited from support from donors and the EFA-FTI. With relative improvements in access, the next key challenges are to improve the quality of school instructions and educational outcomes given the high failure rates in standardized tests.

For the health sector, the staffs recommend that public resources be focused on primary services and preventive care. Improving health outcomes will depend on the ability of the government to provide adequate recurrent resources to the health facilities, particularly health professionals and drugs. For both the health and education sectors, the use of mandatory rotations as well as the current incentive programs could be considered for rural placement of staffs. The staffs also recommend that the expansion of school and health facilities be on a sustainable basis by taking into account the capacity of the government to provide for the recurrent costs.

13. The APR highlights the importance of addressing HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. Malaria remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality and is particularly a problem for pregnant women and children under five years. The staffs recommend a comprehensive assessment of malaria as well as tuberculosis and strengthening of disease surveillance and response capacity at all levels.

The latest sero-surveillance data indicate that HIV-1 prevalence doubled from 1.4 percent in 2002 to 2.8 percent in 2006. The prevalence of HIV among young women and men aged 15-24 has tripled from 0.8 percent to 2.4 percent during the same period, and only 8.8 percent of people with advanced HIV infection and 14.1 percent of HIV positive pregnant women receive antiretroviral therapy. Therefore, it will be critical to use the recently approved Global Fund to expand the availability of HIV/AIDS programs, including educational outreach to reduce further infections.. The government could also consider reestablishing the posts of divisional coordinators of the National HIV/AIDS Secretariat (NAS) in order to strengthen its regional presence.

14. The main risks to achieving PRSP objectives include the impact of external shocks, insufficient prioritization and weak capacity. The global economic slowdown is expected to reduce the country’s economic growth and government revenues. Declining government revenues could put pressure on resources allocated to PRSP related expenditures. Given reduced overall resources, it will be critical to reallocate funds to PRSP priority activities, prioritize within PRSP priority activities as necessary, and ensure that these funds are used efficiently and effectively.

In this context, the impact of existing and planned projects could be comprehensively assessed. Continued public sector capacity building reforms, particularly the civil service reforms, are critical to mitigating the risks of low capacity. A credible, transparent and predictable policy environment which supports private investments will be critical to building the country’s capacity to withstand external shocks.

III. KEY IMPLEMENTATION ISSUES

15.Improving the monitoring and evaluation of the PRSP program remains an important challenge. Relatively little information is provided in the APR’s results matrix on achievement of the 2007 targets apart from the macroeconomic indicators. However, the 2007 MDG Status Report and the 2007 Poverty Reducing Expenditure Report provided complementary information for the monitoring of PRSP objectives. The staffs recommend that these reports be prepared annually and that their main findings be reflected in the APR. The staffs also recommend refining the PRSP policies and target output and outcome indicators in order to make them more specific and concrete.

In particular, agriculture, governance and cross-cutting issues, such as gender and environment, appear to lack cohesive and well defined policies and target indicators. The refinement of policies would provide an opportunity to review government priorities, critical given the sizable funding gap identified in the PRSP. Prioritizing will be even more critical in light of the projected decline in government revenues as a result of the impact of the global economic slowdown.

16. Improving the quality and timeliness of data, particularly economic statistics, is needed to improve program monitoring. Once survey field works are conducted, there are often significant lags until the data become available. Archiving and dissemination of data remain relatively weak. The authorities have made major efforts to build institutional capacity through the enactment of the Statistics Act (2005) and the subsequent establishment of the Statistic Council and the Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBOS).

The staffs recommend prioritizing the implementation of the government’s “Strategic Plan for the Development of Statistics in The Gambia: 2008-11,” which focus on continued structural reforms and capacity building of GBOS. In particular, the staffs support the Strategic Plan’s proposal for a “performance contract” for GBOS which would be used to hold it accountable for improved data quality and availability.

17. The PRSP highlights the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) as a means to further deepen the integration of PRSP priorities with the budget. However, its adoption would be feasible only if there can be a credible commitment to future sectoral budgetary allocations. As the initial steps towards eventually adopting a MTEF, the staffs recommend that major sectors improve their annual budget submissions by incorporating target output and outcome indicators linked to their proposed expenditures.

Departments of State (ministries) which already have sectoral policies and public expenditure reviews would use them to derive their PRSP performance indicators. Sectoral policies and expenditure reviews could be gradually expanded to the remaining Departments. As the sectoral policies are refined, the budget codes which identify PRSP related expenditures can be revised to ensure that they reflect the new policies.


18. Strengthened governance remains a priority for the PRSP implementation. International observers generally agree that the country’s oversight institutions and the opposition media are weak. Strengthened governance would enhance the transparency and accountability of the public sector and reduce the risk of policy slippages. The PRSP has been prepared in an open, transparent and participatory manner in order to promote country ownership and a government that is responsive to the needs of the poor. Free dissemination of information and an independent media would support such an approach.



19. Implementation of the recommendations of the previous JSAN has been mixed. As recommended, the authorities maintained prudent macroeconomic policies, achieved the completion point triggers for the HIPC program, prepared a groundnut sector reform strategy, strengthened the governance of the Central Bank and developed a civil service reform strategy focused on pay and human management reforms. Some of the recommendations are being implemented on an ongoing basis, including for education and health. Regarding the recommendation on the investment climate, the authorities currently are collaborating with IDA on an ongoing Investment Climate Assessment (ICA) and preparing a new Growth and Competitiveness Project for addressing some of the identified shortcomings.

Although recommended, there have been less success in developing a agriculture sector strategy beyond the groundnut sector, preparing an implementation and sensitization program for decentralization, improving the management of the electricity utility and PURA, and further prioritizing the PRSP and refining the performance indicators.

IV. CONCLUSION
20. The staffs believe that the progress report provides an adequate assessment of PRSP implementation for 2007. As detailed in the report, progress was made in the implementation of the PRSP. Macroeconomic stability and real growth was maintained, public financial management was strengthened and progress was made in the key social sectors. By contrast, progress has been relatively slow with regards to agricultural reforms and decentralization, and there could be a greater emphasis on governance, including economic governance, and the groundnuts sector reforms. PRSP monitoring improved with the complementary reports on MDGs and poverty related public expenditures but the PRSP target outcome and output indicators would benefit from further refinement. Since 2007, the country has had to deal with sharply increasing import prices and the impact of the ongoing global economic slowdown. It is critical that the country maintains its commitment to the PRSP program in the midst of these new challenges.


21. Priority areas identified by staffs for strengthening the implementation of the PRSP include: (i) developing a comprehensive agricultural sector strategy; (ii) prioritizing improvement of governance; and (iii) refining PRSP performance indicators.


Note: The Annual Progress Report for The Gambia was prepared jointly by the staffs of the World Bank and the IMF and distributed with the member country’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Annual Progress Report to the Executive Boards of the two institutions. The report which is approved by by Emilio Sacerdoti and Dominique Desruelle of the IMF and Obiageli K. Ezekwesili of the International Development Association (IDA) seeks to provide focused, frank, and constructive feedback to the country on progress in implementing its Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS).

DALASI AND BUTUT:Dalasi Strengthens against Greenback....

Trading on the currency market of the Gambia saw the local currency strengthen against the greenback on both the interbank and the forex market.

On the interbank market, the local currency gained 10 bututs against the dollar and was quoted at D25.75 and registered a 5 butut swell against the pound to D37.15. Against the Euro and the CFA Francs, the Dalasi lost D2.32 while appreciating by D2.50 and was quoted at D35.45 and D255 respectively. On the parallel market, the local currency chalked a 70 butut appreciation against the greenback and was quoted at D25.25.


The Dalasi also improved by 25 bututs against the pound to close at D36.75 but depreciated by 50 bututs against the Euro and was quoted at D34.50. Against the CFA Francs, the Dalasi gained 25 bututs and closed
the week at D259.


On the international trading market, the US Dollar gained 0.70 per cent and was quoted at $1.42 but lost 0.79 per cent against the Euro and was quoted at $1.27. The Yen depreciated against the Dollar by 5.83 per cent and was quoted at $97.43.



Dalasi Inter-Bank Mid Exchange Rates

USD 25.75
UKP 37.15
Euro 35.45
CFA 255.00

Dalasi Forex Bureau Mid Exchange Rates
USD 25.25
UKP 36.75
Euro 36.75
CFA 258.50

91-Day Bill Gains…

Instruments traded on the floor of the central bank of the Gambia moved in opposite directions this week. The 91-Day Bill gained a basis point from 11.21 per cent and was quoted at 11.25 per cent while the 91-Day Sukuk- Salam Bill dipped by 3 basis points and is currently quoted at 11.10 per cent.

The 182-Day lost 15 basis points and was quoted at 12.61 per cent. The Bill was previously quoted at 12.76 per cent. The longer bench of the market witnessed a 9 basis point contraction in the level of the 1-Year Note. The note was quoted at 14.33 per cent after being quoted at 14.24 per cent a week ago.

Databank Securities Ltd