Gainako Newspaper

After the reports of injustice meted out to the junior staff of
the GRTS television as well as the act of nepotism on the side
of management which this reporter reported sometime ago,
the reporter again accidentally visited the GRTS Radio and
realized that the same cancer that infected GRTS TV has also
affected the Radio as well.

The GRTS Radio which is public property has been marred
by inefficient management accused by their own staff for
engaging in unjust treatment and favouritsm in work place.

Angered by what they perceived as the unjust treatment meted out to them and the unfavourable
working conditions they are being subjected to by their immediate superiors, the aggrieved or should I
say downtrodden staff at the state owned radio at mile 7 studios have written a letter and a resolution
to the GRTS management asking them to improve their working conditions.

This reporter overheard the staff complaining bitterly about a Serign Faye (manager at the radio) who
has decided to travel to Venezuela with SOS Fatim and a certain female reporter at the Television.

According to the utterances of the GRTS staff, Serign is the only one who travels outside the country
on behalf of the radio. This they considered as unfair because as they said he does not infact send any
reports when he travels. The junior staff observed and complained that they are called upon only when
it pertains to local coverage because as they unhappily complained internally, there is no money in
such coverages.They infact mentioned that the greedy manager has just returned from an International
trip before going to Venezuela. �Does he want to devour everything,� they asked.

The GRTS staff also protested vigorously that they too want to be given the opportunity to cover
President Jammeh; s trips abroad.

It is part of their complaints as well that mobile phone calls cannot be made inside the Newsroom and
this affects their work a great deal. They further indicated that if the Telephone lines in the Newsroom
at the TV can call mobile phones, then they too should also have the same facility.

The staff of the TV pointed out among other things that one of their colleagues who have spent a long
time at the Newsroom is yet to be staffed when some of her colleagues at the other units have already
been employed.

They indicated that if they should spend several hours (overtime) working, then they should be
provided with food.

The staffs who were venting their anger in solace argued that all those in the Newsroom have
supported the idea to write a petition to the management. They however said they have run out of
patience; that they will give little time to them to solve the problem, failing which they will know what
to do.

Even though this reporter had no business in the affair he was listening keenly to his aggrieved
colleagues� grievances and protestations and has observed that even those staff who are not known
for engaging in confrontation are now resolved to face their management.

The Department for state for communications should bear in mind that junior reporters or media
workers are also human beings who need promotion like anybody else. They should look into the
plight of the younger staff and indeed all other workers and make sure they are protected from selfish
and greedy scavengers. The only hope of these workers is rest on the Department to put things right.
This reporter hopes that somebody is listening to the cries and grievances of these helpless media
workers.

..................................................................POEM
..............I A WOMAN
...............................................By Aisah.................July 13th, 2008
Am divinely Beautiful yet extremely Smart
Am amazingly Intelligent yet courteously Bold
Am fiercely Ambitious yet persistently Determine
For I A Woman

Fragile many thought
Slim Skinny the features of my body
Strong and Independent
Courageously Excelling
For I A Woman

Many a Man have tried
A barrier yet unsuccessful
I unstoppable
For I A Woman

I a Thoroughbred
Combination of the best genes.
Blue Blood aloud i shout!
Pure streams through runs my veins
Wisdom and Integrity
Weapon of protection
I choose to compete in the Soccer (Men's') world
For I A Woman

Beauty the disease i spread
Smartness the infectious virus
That intrigue their imagination
Overwhelmed for I A Woman

Through tough Moments and Challenges
I learned life's best lessons
Will power, persistence and Courage
The strength of my mind
For I A Woman

Within the game of Survival (Life)
Comes the players
The greedy, the ruthless
The good, the bad
The ugly, the mean
The bold, the beautiful
The cheaters, the liars, the destroyers
The heartbreakers, the "heart makers"
From among the ladies and gentlemen
Yet bold and independent
I stand tall and confident with Head Up High
For I A woman, the last Standing against all odds!

By Aisha 7/11/08 3:30am

................................................................NEWS
...TWO PRINCIPLED JUDGES AT BENCH
......CONTROVERSIALLY SACKED
......................By Solo, Banjul Correspondent..................July 12th, 2008
Reports reaching this reporter spoke of controversial sackings of two
members of the Gambian judiciary, one B. Y. Camara, a High court
Judge and Justice Haddy Roche, both of them fired on Thursday 10th
July 2008.

Mr. Bakary Y. Camara who was recently promoted to a High Court
Judge only last week was said to be dismissed from his position as
High court judge, sources say.

It however remains in doubt as to what reason or reasons are for their
sacking. However the two judges are seen to be very steadfast in their
work thereby making the general public to have full confidence in them.

Justice Haddy Roche rose to prominence in the year 2000, when she acquitted and discharged Waka
Jagne, a Gambian music promoter on drug related offences. Sequel to this verdict, Haddy Roche who
was a magistrate at the time, was sacked by the state. Her sacking angered Justice Felix Lartey Chief
Justice at that time, who insisted that Roche be reinstated or else he would resign; because of his
stance that the state had no choice but to reinstate her.

She later resigned and worked as a solicitor before being appointed as a judge of the High Court.

It could be recalled that Justice Haddy Roche made series of controversial rulings against the state
such as dismissed the three count charges preferred by the state against Abdoulie Conteh, the
unlawfully sacked Mayor of KMC. She has also dismissed the stay of execution filed by the state after
Justice Ahmed Belgoreh delivered Judgment in the case of Pa Sallah Jeng, the unjustified and
unconstitutionally sacked mayor of Banjul which was considered by many as politically motivated. The
position of justice Belgoreh in that case was that the state should reinstate Pa Sallah Jeng to his
position, but the prosecutors at the state law office filed a motion for a stay of execution at the High
Court which Roche later dismissed.

B. Y. Camara is said to have been sacked for acquitting and discharging One Gibril Badgie who was
arraigned in court by the state for allegedly escaping from lawful custody in the U.S.A plus twenty-
one other charges including money laundering. The said Mr. Badgie was immediately arrested by the
state after his acquittal and discharge. Sources said B. Y. Camara collected his belongings at the High
Court on Thursday, the very day of his sacking.

...........................................................OPINION
Omar Jallow Reacts to Gambia Diaspora Empty Rhetoric
Ju..................................................July 12th, 2008
It has come to my belief that these so called cyber revolutionaries,
are nothing, but people who are hungry for power without putting
their money where their mouth is. I attended so many gatherings
where the average anti APRC do not even know what is the reason
for being so hateful to these noble citizens. They are anti anyone
who supports the regime or serve our great nation The Gambia.
It amazes me that these so called journalists; cyber angels, anti
APRC, or supporters of the regime are like lost drivers on a highway,
and do not want to stop in a gas station and ask for directions. No
wonder the global positioning system (GPS) was introduced to
society after being first used by the US Air Force IN 1967.

My point is that we the Diasporas are so loud in this modern age of the internet that we forget our
responsibilities as Ambassadors of our beloved nation mother Gambia. We sometimes get so
emotional and over excited that we forget the rest of the world is also reading and listening to these
unfounded stories on the front pages of the online papers daily. This rhetoric takes a tall on all
Gambians internally and externally.

I remember when NADD was formed few years ago, all these so called opposition and former regime
sympathizers in the city of Raleigh, I witnessed the optimism of these people to a level of hypertension
in believing that they will be the Chair persons of the inauguration of NADD if there is going to be a
victory in the Presidential elections. They were seriously disappointed simply because none of these
people were ready to commit their pockets, but rather were almost about to break the computer
monitors with their keyboard rhetoric. When I saw these party representatives for the first time,
OMAR JALLOW-PPP: WAA JUWARA-NDAM, HALIFA SALLAH-PDOIS, KEMESSENG
JAMMEH -UDP, and ABDOULIE SAINE as guests, I quickly noticed that there was no sincerity
there.

I remember reading Halifa Sallah's breakdown of the funds NADD received in the United States
which were "$2165, New York; $1000, Raleigh, $565 Seattle, Mr. K $300 for personal use, which I
put into the NADD account, Mr. J of Seattle and Mr. M of New York gave me combined of
$300.00 for personal use and I put that too into the NADD account and there was $200.00 sent from
Minnesota and was delivered by the father of the donor.

How can you waste so much money time and energy and supposed due diligence investigative
reports, and claim to pay all your reporters you have on the ground , but you cannot support these
candidates that you supposed to be in the same boat. How comes you are always claiming that you
are fighting a revolution? Give me a break. One more thing that surprises me is the City of Raleigh,
which is termed as the bastion of online opposition could only raised $565 of which $200 was
donated by a lady whose name is withheld and this is a fact. I was there to see all these
HOOPLA-HOOPLA stingy opposition supporters and they think they can win an election by acting
as NDANAAN, (someone worthy). No wonder it was a landslide victory for the APRC and trust me
the people voted for the right candidate.

In my opinion, there are only two or three candidates in the opposition that I respect so much for their
relented effort in what they believed. First, Waa Juwara (MBARODI) eventually made the best
decision of his political career, a smart and trustworthy thing to do when your ideas are identical to an
opponent's ideas. In my judgment this was a brilliant move which will benefit the Brikama area and the
whole country while he is still the leader of the National Democratic Action Movement (NDAM).

Second, Halifa Sallah with his charisma and intelligence, the government needs him inside and he need
to be inside while he still remain a PDOIS candidate. In my book he is an intellectual property.

Third, Omar Jallow (OJ), his bravery is very much appreciated and I agree with some of his
principles, but at the same time I do not sympathize with the PPP old jargons.

Back to the keyboard rhetoric, may I ask if there is any charitable organization for the people you
perceive as being tortured, killed or prosecuted in the Gambia and is anyone of you paying for
FATOU JAW MANNEH'S legal fees and bills; DEYDA HYDRA and OMAR BARROW'S
beloved families and welfares? If I am correct the amount raised for FATOU JAW MANNEH was
less than $150 according to the GAINAKO archives.

So tell me what kind of cyber revolution you are fighting when we are all here eating what we believe
to be the best food; driving the most expensive cars, and being the most OBESE people in the world
while those who are at home are struggling and fighting for what you consider as injustice. They are
there at home reading this irresponsible freedom of speech, and if you think that anyone of you will go
to the Gambia in the future and rule while the real revolutionaries are at home fighting for what you
people think as bad government, then my friends you need to wake up and drink a glass of cold
water. You should face reality and then you will know that you are sleeping just like me when I was
detained for those horrendous eight months sleeping fourteen hours a day.

On a final note I am immune to criticism, so I am ready for the target of a 50 CALIBER gun like the
one Ebrima Conteh is talking about. Be aware that I am always ready to take those shots for a
brother like Conteh, and you will never succeed in defeating the determination in me so forget it...

Good luck
Omar Jallow
omarr29@aol.com
919 539 2463

.HISTORY Of SERREKUNDA
.............................................((Re-Visited)...
................ HOME OF ALL GAMBIANS
........................By Solo, Banjul Correspondent..................July 11th, 2008
The history of Serrekunda like any other village, town or city or any other place always
spring from the long cherished desire to establish settlements for the sole objective of
protecting societies from the scourge of the heat of the sun. Not only the heat of the sun but
also the scourge of nature such as the storm, whirlwind, rain as well as protection from wild
animals and other dangerous creatures that roam the planet earth.

As a result, the history of a place invariably must link to a person or a group of people and in
the case of Serrekunda; it happened to be linked to one personality by the name of Serr
Jobe, not much by design but by accident.

Serr Jobe who was said to be a religious tribesman from the kingdom of Wallo in what is presently
part of the Republic of Senegal, was said to be from a royal family. According to narration, leadership
was said to be transferred from generation to generation based a complicated system of customary
hierarchy. According to legend, Serr Jobe's father was at the helm of state at a period which
coincided with the late 17th century; that tradition had it that the first son of the first wife of the king
should inherit him should he died or become infirmed in body or mind.

So according to narration Serr Jobe was the first son of his mother who incidentally was the first wife
of his father, the king of Wallo. But for one reason or another, his brothers some of whom were older
than him connived to betray the tradition on the pretext that he was too young to handle the affairs of
the kingdom of Wallo. But as the rightful heir to the throne somehow managed to maintain some
loyalties. And so the cousin brothers of Serr who refused to accept his leadership waged what can be
considered in modern day politics as a coup detat ended up creating enmity to the point of in-fighting
amongst them. His father, the king whose name has not been captured by my narrators had begot
many sons with many women before the birth of Serr.

So reading the situation by Serr's soothsayers and advisers, Serr decided to emigrate to the west side
of Wallo as advised by his admirers to prevent blood from being shed for the sake of power alone
and so on. However, it was also believed by some that the young natural heir to the throne was
secretly advised to retreat away from his dangerous brothers for tactical reasons since much attention
and suspicion would be focused on him. It is natural and logical that such a person who has been
betrayed as he was, would not sit idly by and wait for eventualities. So to avoid the wrath of his
greedy and power hungry cousins, Serr agreed to set off for the west side of Wallo in the very early
hours of the morning on a day set aside by the marabouts for such a retreat. It was also told that the
young man was warned to move further away from the borders of his father's kingdom. And so he
was said to have spent several days and nights before he could reach a certain river. That river is said
to be the river Gambia. Narration has it that Serr and his people continued to move along the river and
as they move from West to East, the river became wider and wider as they got closer to its mouth
where it enjoins the Atlantic Ocean.

It is logical as it was sensible that Serr and his fellow travelers must have sought permission from the
king of Niumi as tradition demanded for it before they could cross at the mouth of the river with such a
large crowd to enter Banjul.

The delegation which was described as substantial included Serr Jobe's mother, Ndamba Mbaye,
slaves who were of Bambara and Serahule origin. He was said to have originally settled with his
followers at an area now considered 44 and 48 Buckle Street in Banjul.

According to research, Serr Jobe had a short stay in Banjul, and it did not take long for him to come
in contact with the people of Sabiji or Sukuta who eventually promised him a more durable place
where he could be properly settled. He later left Banjul for Sabiji who allocated land for him in the
area now called Tallinding.Remember that land was not a problem for the people of Kombo if they
were sure that you were not a threat to their culture and traditions.

But the king of Kombo known as Ebrima Touray alias Foday Sillah of Kombo as he was fondly
called had a long standing plan to wage a Holy War (Jihad) against the people considered as
unbelievers or infidels.

According to legend, the King of Kombo who was searching for a wife of royal blood as prophesized
by his marabouts had now found out that Serr had an unmarried sister who obviously was of royal
blood like Serr himself. So he sent message through influential elders to approach Serr who has now
matured as a big marabout, and asked for his sister's hand in marriage.

According to his offsprings, this was a difficult decision for Serr who initially rejected the idea because
of the fact that his plan was only meant for a tactical retreat and not a permanent stay. So it was
conceived by him that to start intermarriage with the king and the people of Kombo would put him in a
funny position and make it difficult for him to go and finally claim his right as the legitimate heir to his
father's kingdom.

So to make a long story short, Foday Sillah who had held long conceived ambition to wage a Jihad
against unbelievers, was told by his soothsayers that if he wanted to succeed, he must marry a woman
from a royal blood before commencing his onslaught on the unbelievers. This long held belief made
Foday Sillah to become obsessed and adamant, in which he employed not force of coercion but
appeasement and prayers. He was said to have utilized the logic of the Quran and appeased in the
name of Islam on the basis that all Muslims are the same no matter where they are and that the
purpose of waging a Holy war was for the sake of Islam and not for the sake of obtaining power for
its sake but to spread the word of the Quran which was the objective of believers including Serr Jobe.

To this end, it was said that Serr who has by now become a great marabout was made humbled by
the words of the king's messengers that he decided to endorse the marriage between Foday Sillah and
his sister, albeit reluctantly

The couple were blessed with three sons, Mustapha alias Sitafa, Kutubo and Alpha Touray.This
period which was said to have coincided with the establishment of Banjul and the Kombo St Mary's
as a colony by the British, had naturally pitted him against the colonizers since it was seen as a direct
challenge to their authority and their grand design to establish a colonial state. Colonialism was
diametrically opposed to any semblance of authority order than the British crown. The colonialists
were also most suspicious of the Jihadists knowing fully well that they were followers of the Book.

To make a long story short, Foday Sillah was eventually defeated by the British settlers who exiled
him to Senegal leaving his sons, wife and uncle, Serr Jobe behind. It was Serr Jobe and Foday Sillah;s
first son, Sitafa Touray who eventually went to Senegal to secure his release after years of
incarceration.

Long before this however, the people of Sukuta ceded the Tallinding area to Serr Jobe and his family
and slaves. Serr Jobe had several children at Tallinding such as Alasan Nyonko Jobe and his brothers.
Serr Jobe passed away in the year 1896 and was interned at the Serrekunda cemetery near the
primary school as remembered by his offsprings, the Kontehs, who are still the Alkalo of Bundungka
Kunda. Alasan Jobe then became the Alkalo of the settlement by the early 1900s. And so business
was said to have flourished between Sabiji and Serr Jobes' people.

Oral history has it that shortly before his death; Serr Jobe had transferred all his business to his first
son Ali Jobe. It was observed that not only was Ali Jobe his first son but also much closer to him than
any of his sons and relatives. He has also inherited his slaves as well.

As tradition or customary law ascribed it, Ali was to handle the business not for him but for all the
family including slaves. With a large number of slaves and endless farmland under his trusteeship, the
Jobes continued to expand their settlement.

According to research, Serr Jobe had Bambaras and Serahule ethnicities as his slaves. These two
groups became rivals and were always at loggerheads with each other; that the Serahules accused the
Bambaras as unbelievers whilst the Bambaras blamed the Serahules of laziness who shurned work.

When Ali Jobe took over the mantle of leadership after his father's demise, he took the initiative to
separate the two ethnic slave groups by sharing the farmlands between them.

Since then, the Bambaras were relocated to the East, i.e. Bundung area and incidentally were
accorded the biggest farm lands. The Serahules on the other hand were allocated the Western part
which is presently called Dippa Kunda.

Ali Jobe also took the initiative to free his slaves and asked them to own the farmlands they had earlier
on been allocated.

The original settlement of Serrekunda remained at the centre until the upsurge of people with the
rural-urban drift after colonial rule. These farmlands ultimately turned into residential areas eventually
building into one big metropolitan settlement we now called Serrekunda.

Offsprings of Serr Jobe and even the so-called slaves of the family can be visibly seen strategically
settled at the centre of town. The two adjacent settlements of Dippa Kunda and Bundung are still
relatively dominated by the two ethnic groups.

However, the Bambaras who include the Trawalleys, Kontehs and Konatehs etc do not speak the
Bambara dialect as of now but instead the dialect of Kombo Mandinka which influenced their tongue..

Serrekunda is now considered a city by African standards because it is now considered the biggest
metropolitan city in the Gambia. It is also considered as a city that is home to both the poorest and the
richest people in the country. One would not be accused of exaggeration if one calls Serrekunda the
home of all the Gambians.

.......................................POEM
...........NOSTALGIA
...........................By Abdoul Aziz Jiggo....................July 11th, 2008
My Endearment of nature is encrypted in America
I cannot hear the rhythmic drums after our escapades
Oh! What about the beautiful horizon of the seashore
Children plunging themselves naked in freedom

What? The Fear of Columbinism again!
What? The trauma of child molestation!
What? Profiled because of my ascribed status!
What? The faking smiles of the rhesus monkeys!
What? I will tell you more of modern Slavocracy.

I am eviscerated from my haunt of bliss to abyss
The esoteric system takes forever to be mastered
Reneging with the honeymoon of Affirmative Action
Co-existence is what is preached in congress and not practiced
Do you know the way I am feeling?

Oh! Mother Africa I missed the Muezzin's invitation for prayers
I never heard of the melodius neighs behind my ranch
Missing the greetings of the heart and not the teeth
My bone-deep feeling lies on your beautiful vegetation,
But that inherited virtue is giving birth to chaos.

Africa! Africa! Africa! My respite is spiritual discipline
The silence I kept for the votary of truth
Begging you on my knees for your next pregnancy
To give birth to a child call Peace
Then only the siblings can voluntarily go home

Abdul Aziz Jigo

.............................................NEWS
LITTLE SCANDAL ABOUT TO EXPLODE
AT GRTS; PRESIDENT JAMMEH MAY HEAR IT?
.........................By Solo, Banjul correspondent��..July 10th, 2008
The light torching on the GRTS, Gambia's only television services
is not showing good pictures. The camera lights are a different photo
not the Kanilai farms but one of dissatisfaction within the low paid
workers and greed within the high ranking officials.

Reports reaching this paper spoke of complaints by the junior staff
of two Directors ie. Modou Sanyang and Modou Joof at the GRTS
of nepotism and favoritism at the aforesaid institution.Sources at the
TV has it that Sanyang and Joof are incessantly focusing cameras
on president Jammeh's farm at Kanilai only to divert attention from
the own sinister 'activities of allocating to themselves a loan of two
hundred thousand dalasi each from the GRTS funds. This reporter is further informed that the two
directors have also paid themselves fat and unjustified responsibility allowances of 29 months from
GRTS funds. The aggrieved staffs are grumbling that these people tried to justify their deeds by relying
on the so-called GRTS service rules.

This whole information came out when a GRTS driver whose house was said to have been burnt by
fire applied for loan but his application was rejected by the management. Sources have it that the
junior staff organized and mobilized themselves after they realized that Joof and Sanyang allocated
themselves the above mentioned loans and allowances from the company's funds. Sources further
have it that the information leaked to the staff after the senior staff failed to give one of the staff who
knew about it the same privileges.

Angered by what they considered as a selfish and greedy move by the management, the junior staff
organised themselves and met the management, who of course fearing a potential backlash, tried to
appease them so that the president of the Republic does not hear or come to know of it. The junior
staff who feel that they should all enjoy the same privileges since the funds belong to the GRTS also
feel that the driver whose house was ravaged by fire should be given priority to get a simple loan of
only D25 000 Dalasi from the loan facility.

Reliable and impeccable sources finally told Gainako that the junior staff was supposed to meet again
to resolve the internal and confidential impasse but warned further that the president of the Republic
may come to hear it should the senior staff want to drag their feet over what they termed as "this
simple arithmetical calculation".

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