As incredible as it may sound to legal and political observers, The Gambia Government is in the process of expanding the punitive contours of Section 114 of the Criminal Code, Volume III, Laws of The Gambia, 2009 (Section 114). From a misdemeanor attracting a maximum penalty of D500, and, or, six months imprisonment, the proposed amendments to Section 114, currently gazetted as a condition preliminary to the changes, ratcheted its punitive ambit to D50,000, and, or, five years imprisonment. However viewed, this is an utterly objectionable use of public power in a country presenting itself as an accountable democratic republic.
Author: Gainako
Reports coming from Banjul indicate that former controversial major of Banjul Samba Faal who promised to attend a mayoral debate – the first in Gambia, before he went AWOL has been handily defeated by Abdoulie Bah an independent candidate in a local government elections held Thursday April 4th, 2013. Mayor Faal received 3,811 votes while Abdoulie Bah received 4,980 votes. Basirou Ndow and Abdoulie Jah both independent candidates received 552, and 390 respectively.
By Mathew K. Jallow A recent Daily Observer editorial captioned: Senegal continues to destabilize Gambia, was rather baffling to most Gambians. Evidently, The Daily Observer is suffering from the bat syndrome; seeing things upside down. There is only one person who is destabilizing the Senegal and Gambia region, and that person is Yahya Jammeh. Besides, no one in the international community should take Yahya Jammeh’s whining seriously since both he and his regime have lost credibility at home and abroad. The regime’s accusations that the Senegalese Jakai rebels helped Col. Ndure Cham escape is not going to shock anyone,…
Press Statement John Kerry Secretary of State Washington, DC April 3, 2013 On behalf of all Americans, I send best wishes to the people of Senegal as they celebrate 53 years of independence on April 4. We congratulate Senegal on having completed last year yet another series of free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections, marking another milestone for improved governance and transparency in your great country. Senegalese civil society distinguished itself in its active participation in the democratic process, and serves as an example for all of Africa. The United States and Senegal share many binding ties: our…
By Baba Galleh Jallow With time, Second Genamin Gyant DaMidget aka Mbarass the Kuroo Jaaro became widely known as the ngorr gejja, the yaapaa ngelaw and the chaali fenyoo: the infamous bogeyman of No-Talk Republic. He got this name on account of his penchant for threatening unwary folks with death or setting of nasty examples. The fact that he carried a monkey tail in one hand and a dead rat in the other only crystalized his image as bogeyman, the famous chicken who thought he could fly over the river and was swallowed by the hippos. Add to the mix…
By D. A. Jawo While as usual, President Yahya Jammeh’s state of the nation address delivered at the National Assembly on March 28th no doubt contained some unsavoury comments, but in general, it was more conciliatory than his previous speeches. He seems to have particularly been a bit more conciliatory towards Diaspora Gambians, for whom he had previously always reserved some harsh words and unwarranted threats.
Remarks William J. Burns Deputy Secretary Martin Van Buren Dining Room Washington, DC March 29, 2013 Good afternoon. It is truly an honor to be here today with all of you. I want to thank Assistant Secretary Carson for hosting this luncheon. As you know, despite our best efforts to change his mind, Johnnie is leaving the State Department after a nearly four decades of exemplary public service. We are all deeply indebted to Johnnie for his leadership and stewardship of the U.S.-Africa relationship.
FROM KANILAI TO POTOMAC RUNS BLOOD MONEY Transparency, accountability and probity became the anthem of Jammeh’s Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council (AFPRC) and his willfully ignorant support base. Remember their slogan: “soldiers with a difference? In the span of 19 years; treachery, aggression and pomposity defines the Jammeh regime. The July 22, 1994 coup defamed Jawara for corruption, cruelty against the Gambian people and the squandering of the country’s “wealth” to build mansions in England. One of the alleged mansions was a humble 5 bedrooms bungalow on 15 Birchen Lane in Haywards Heath, West Sussex; no comparison to Jammeh’s Potomac mansion and several other properties outside the Gambia. In fact, Jawara no longer owns that property.…
Featuring time value of money and money value of time Part 1 Author: Sarjo Bayang Enterprise Architect Project Management Consulting, UK A perspective based on the author’ professional service delivery as enterprise architect and project management consulting work for small, medium and large scale organisations over many years. Scope of studies these findings rely on result induced tasks delivered with tangible evidence of impact. Further studies through career building courses covering cross continental divide helped consolidating the gains of practical experience in sharpened contrast. This stimulating research interest stems from curious observation through needs assessment for enhancing entrepreneurship. The focus…
By Sulayman Jeng, UK As a young lad growing up in the provincial town of Basse, I was of the believe that Jawara was superhuman with insurmountable spiritual powers. It was narrated in some quarters that on the day of his birth, his father found a ship full of cash while on fishing. On his return home, he named his new born son KAIRABA. It never occurred to me at that tender age that Jawara was a surname. I also heard that he possessed powers to make him invisible when and where he desired. Moreover, he can choose to be…