Saiks,
I still cannot understand why all the so call public officials are busy
trying to play
down the facts, when they know the people do not believe them. As for Badgie
his
post is partly vacant that is why he is working hard on more lies to recover
it. He surely
knows he is the scapegoat to be. If GRTS will not tell the truth to people
who pay for their existence, sorry Badgie,
the FM stations have to step in.
Ooops!!!! let none be surprise when the APRC national assembly members take
their stand.
They will again show 'Electorate' Jammeh that his 'Vote' put them there!
A.Drammeh.
----- Original Message -----
From: "saiks samateh" <[log in to unmask]>
To: "abdul aziz drammeh" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2000 5:00 PM
Subject: Re: [Government busy denying events of bloody Monday]
Abdul,
I am just wondering if some of these minister are very much conscious of the
fact that they are dealing with human begins who have brains to think
.Denying
that the paramilitary shot and killed people is the most criminal thing one
can do and say at this moment.This people will never repent,the aftermath of
the shooting was no moment of healing,the unnessary arrest and detention of
young people was only increasing the tension and a proof to that.Mr Jallow
should appeal to the security forces to stop harassing ordinary Gambians and
the interior minister should go and tell his funny stories to those people
who
have no brains to think.The presence of armed military men in almost every
street corner in Banjul,Serre Kunda etc testify to the fact that there are
no
healing process going on,they will shoot when ever they feel it is find to
do
so,if not they would not be loitering in our streets in arms,we have our
little ones to explain to,that using violent methods to suppress opinion or
people has never been a successful alternative.
It is also my opinion that the student demonstration was not only about
student affairs,it was also partly about the conditions of the
country.Talking
to the students who were taking part in the demonstration one will find out
that their concern for the state of affairs in the country was also a
motivating factors,a great number of youths who have finished their
education
have no jobs,there are a great number of students who are not going to
school
because their parents are not able to afford their school fees.It was not
even
an accident to hear the students lament on the situation of our poor farmers
who are still not able to sell their ground-nuts and we have a president who
spend hardly a week in the country without preparing for another trip
abroad
and now the people are asking the question who owns the aircraft with which
he
always travel with,is it the president himself or the Gambia government.How
are we able to afford such when we are not able to buy the ground nuts of
the
farmers.The students are conscious of all these situation.It was also no
accident,when people standing on the side line openly expressed their
sympathy
to the rioting students.The interior minister was hiding in a dark room,he
was
not there to face the students,if he was there then there would have not
been
any doubt in his mind that it was the students who were demonstrating and
not
bandits.Such political propaganda are no new thing,what has proof ,again and
again,to be a dangerous political play,is to downplay the concern and
worries
of the people.The FM sude debate was a right thing to do,it is not only the
government who have the right to express her opinion in the mass media,the
people also have the right to do so in a democratic country.The Gambian
people
know this government very well,whiles this programme was going on people
were
already predicting that the government will react against this programme,and
they did.What is more interesting is that,the people knowing this,and the
implications involved,were announcing their names and addresses and some
even
travel to the radio station since they were not able to get through the
phones just to speak out their minds.The very fact that the government
reacted
to this programme show the undemocratic nature of our country.And to think
that a talk of "six Feet Deep"will stop the people and inject fear in them
is
not a good thaught from a sound mind,when a president talk of "six Feet
Deep",it was no accident to see a young school girl waving her banner saying
that they are prepared to die to defend the truth,and they died,who have
blood
in his/her hands,the students or those who alway threaten to kill ?
For Freedom
Saiks
for freedom
saiks
Culled from GRTS News,
"The government of the Gambia has called a press conference yesterday for
what its spokesman Mr. Sarjo Jallow said was to appeal to all Gambians to
help guide the healing process following fatal students riots on Monday and
Tuesday. The press conference took place at the Interior Department in
Banjul, and attended by about half of the cabinet, including senior security
officers. The government spokesman Mr. Jallow, who is also the Information
Secretary, said they are in touch with President Yaya Jammeh, whom he said
is expected back in Banjul from Cuba as soon as possible. Mr. Jallow said
the president and the cabinet are concerned about incidents of the last few
days, and are committted to see justice done. But he also appealed to the
public to exercise patience and allow investigations into the riots to
conclude. Meanwhile. the Health Secretary Abdoulie Sallah said 20 people are
still receiving treatment at the RVH. He said nine dead bodies have been
identified, but there still remains two bodies, one of which is a ten-year
old child. The other one is a young man. Mr. Sallah said a post-motem on
the bodies are being carried out by pathologists, and they will produce
their report by next week.
At the same press conference, the Interior Secretary Ousman Badgie has
again stated that gun shootings in the riots on Monday were fired by
criminals who attacked police stations to get arms. He said the information
they have is that during the chaos some convicts from police stations in
Kotu, Bunding and Serre Kunda ransacked these stations, which were then
attacked by ex-prisoners from Mile Two central prisons. Mr. Badgie pointed
out that they now have two people in custudy, whom he said attacked the
armoury of Serre Kunda police and took away arms. He said the two have in
fact revealed eight other names, who also belong to the gang, and are all
said to be ex-convicts. Mr. Badgie's comments corroborate those of the Vice
President Isatou Njie Saidy, who said on Wednesday that shooting come from
within the demonstrators, thus exonerating the security forces of any firing
of life bullets. Mr. Badgie also denied that there are any students beaten
in police stations or at GTTI. The Interior Secretary has also condemned the
phone-in programmes that Radio One FM, and Sud FM Banjul conducted in the
wake of the riots. He said they are not encouraging, and could create an
upheaval. Mr. Badgie said investigations are going on into facts of the
riots, but he dismissed a call from a jouirnalist that outside independent
police be invited to carry out the investigations. He said the Gambia is a
sovereign state, and it has a competent and capable police force to do that
on its own.
Also speaking at the press conference the Justice Secretary Pap Cheyassin
Secka said an inquiry will be carried out into the events of the last few
days, and that all offenders will face the law. He also revealed that the
case of Ebrima Barry, the schoolboy who died in Brikama after allegedly
been beaten by fire service officers, will be filed next week. He said his
department will appoint a public prosecutor, and will foot the bills
itself, but they would not interfere with the proceedings. He also said
members of the public are invited to suggest names of lawyers, either at
home or abroad, who can conduct the prosecution. In the case of the raped
school girl from Brikama-ba, Binta Manneh, Mr. Secka said his office faces
the difficulty of identifying the alleged rapist, and called on the general
public to help in the identification of the alleged rapist. A few weeks ago
the police lined up its forces and asked Binta to identify who raped her,
but she could not pin-point anyone. The Justice secretary also pointed out
that students have a right to demonstrate under the constitution of the
country, but he said that right is not absolute. He said students should
have informed the relevant authorities about it, who would have to decide
when and where it should be held. Mr. Secka said pathologists are examining
bodies, and by next week they would be ready to establish the cause of the
injuries and deaths.
The Education secretary Ann Therese Ndong Jatta has also spoken in favour of
the actions of the security forces to put down demonstrations on Monday, on
the grounds that the government had the right to maintain law and order and
stability. Speaking at a government organised press conference yesterday,
she said the students never consulted her office about what they intended to
do on Monday. She said their move was clandestine, which was lately detected
by the intelligence service. She noted that the chaos could have been
avoided if students had contacted the relevant authorities."
A.Drammeh.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
____________________________________________________________________
Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at
http://webmail.netscape.com.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
