Halifa Sallah For the Central Committee 11th March 2015 The Gambia is at a crossroads. The party in power has demonstrated its total incapacity to free the people from impunity and poverty. However, its administration cannot end peacefully unless a process is put in place which would enable the vast majority of people, who do not want impunity or poverty to vote for change.The combined opposition in the Gambia has never had 50 percent of the vote. Hence the task of bringing about change is not one of simply unifying opposition supporters. That would not suffice. Change would only…
Author: Gainako
Over the years through many discussions and from experience with my family, friends and collogue regarding the plight of Africa I came to realize we as Africans have very low expectations, the bar for most African people and societies are usually set very low. Starting out in life with low expectations will eventually lead to low achievements. At this stage of Africa’s developmental which is now about 45-55 years since independence, Africa is therefore a matured adult with kids to raise, our grandparents had great expectations, they expected to achieve independence and that they did. Our parents had low…
By Sarjo Bayang Apart from rampant corruption and gross abuse of his position as president there is further damage that Yaya Jammeh badly inflicted on Gambian society. Since coming to power by staging a coup, Jammeh has been shrewdly utilising public resources to destroy young persons in Gambia by calculated systematic process revealed through keen observation. Majority of young persons who turned into victims may not have noticed in the longest time how it all started. Just in last couple of years, it now came up clear that the whole scheme to destroy future generation of Gambians is no…
FULL REPORT OF THE UNITED NATIONS ON GAMBIA’S PRISON & HUMAN RIGHTS Report of the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Méndez Mission to The Gambia* ** Summary The Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment undertook a visit to The Gambia from 3 to 7 November 2014. This was the first visit ever by United Nations Special Procedures but it was compromised due to the Government’s unwillingness to grant freedom of movement and inquiry to all areas of detention facilities, despite its initial…
By Sainey Faye May 8th, 1943- On this date Aline Sittoe Diatta (Jatta) was arrested by the French colonial forces. Aline Sittoe Diatta was born in 1910, whilst others say 1920; but was not born inside or out of royalty in the African society of Kabrousse; which was once a a kingdom of the Jolas.The society of Kabrousse is strategically located on the Atlantic coast south of Cape Skirring in Casamance. The history of Casamance is very similar to its present day cousins of Gambia, Senegal, Guinea Bissau.As a matter of fact the same colonial forces that divided these territories were the same…
Ya Binta Jarju, the 27 year old cashier has been laid to rest at the Jeshwang Muslim Cemetery at 17:00 hrs GMT with heavy NIA presence according to a source. According to the same source, no remorse was shown by members of the security forces present. The scene at the cemetery was somber and serene with the Red Cross “escorting the body” of yet another victim of a heinous regime. The family, friends and colleagues were obviously in shock as they grief. Many couldn’t understand the heavy-handedness of a military whose primary duty is to protect the territorial integrity…
By Mathew K Jallow Suddenly, it has taken center stage in the political discourse, to assume the dominant role in yet another historic “presidential” election cycle. In previous elections, the issue came up almost as an afterthought, and typically, the response was, as always, arrogant disregard. This year seems a little different though, due to the politicians’ level of fixation with the issue, and the inordinate amount of time invested in elevating it as the deal-breaker in next year’s electoral cycle. It seems the politicians have finally found a way to force the regime’s hand…
By Ebrima Manneh Under the first republic, Gambians enjoyed and exercised their freedom. They exercised dissent and were not afraid to criticize the government on the issues that impacted their daily lives. They were confident that such criticism will not get them killed or land them in jail. The people enjoyed the liberty of worshiping according to their belief systems because the government embraced and tolerated it. It may not have been a perfect system, but there was rule of law, balance of power and a broad and effective representation from all parts of our society. The first republic…
By Fatou Jaw Manneh “A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim” –Maya Angelou. I was growing up in my native land, The Gambia, I never heard of anything called International Woman or Women’s Day. I am Muslim, and going by tradition and religion, and as the norm in the area I come from, the woman’s role is mainly to be a stay-at-home mum and wife, taking care of husband and children, the gardens. My Mum used to advise me that a high school education was good enough for a housewife.…
Ronald J Brockmeyer, who is accused of fixing traffic tickets for himself and associates, was a driving force behind using fines and fees to generate revenue. The judge in Ferguson, Missouri, who is accused of fixing traffic tickets for himself and colleagues while inflicting a punishing regime of fines and fees on the city’s residents, also owes more than $170,000 in unpaid taxes. Ronald J Brockmeyer, whose court allegedly jailed impoverished defendants unable to pay fines of a few hundred dollars, has a string of outstanding debts to the US government dating back to 2007, according to tax…