Coach
Please read my last piece on this topic.
By the way it appears some have n't read Yahya
Jammeh's speech on repealing Decree 89. The speech
only notified the Secretary of State for Justice to
repeal the decree, it did n't state that Decree 89 was
VOID AB NITIO. (Sorry for the latin expression)
As a result, I think the likes of OJ and many others
cannot participate in partisan politics until after
September 2001. Please note the National Assembly's
Session will meet again in September (Thats one month
before the Election) This definitely brings us back to
the situation of August/September 1996-UDP registered
as a political party in 15 August 1996, allowed by law
to campaign for the Presidential Elections from 10
September 1996- 24 September 1996. I only hope vthe
banned politicians will not face the similar ordeal.
On that note you are therefore right to suggest that
we critically address the issues.
Sanusi
--- Ebrima Ceesay <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >
Gambia-L: (writing in a hurry)
>
> I do not have access to the Internet these days, so
> I'll very brief.
>
> Anyway, my question is this: Why all the jubilation
> about the lifting of
> Degree 89, when there are still endless hurdles to
> be crossed (under Section
> 60 of the Constitution) before most of these banned
> politicians can again
> hold public office in The Gambia?
>
> Really, it is important that Gambians should try and
> get a copy of the new
> Constitution and study it.
>
> Now, under Section 60 of the Constitution, the
> minimum age for the Gambian
> presidency is 30 years and the maximum age is 65. So
> deposed President
> Jawara and Assan Musa Camara, both of whom are over
> 65 years old, have been
> ruled out, or will not qualify to run for the
> presidency. As for Sheriff
> Dibba, I do not know his age.
>
> Another provision under the same section says that
> the candidate for the
> presidency must have been resident in The Gambia
> ordinarily for 5 years.
> Again, this will disqualify Jawara since he is
> living in the UK. Still under
> section 60 of the Constitution, all those who have
> been compulsorily retired
> or sacked from their Government jobs cannot also
> hold public office,
> including the presidency of The Gambia.
>
> I stand corrected here, but if I understand it very
> well, then this
> clause/provision will disqualify, say, former
> Permanent Secretaries Amadou
> Taal, Ebou Manneh, Yaya Jallow of the UDP, since all
> of them were retired
> prematurely or compulsorily.
>
> Again, under the same section, all those who were
> found "liable of
> impropriety" by the any of the Commissions of
> enquiry set up by the AFPRC
> Government during the Transition period, cannot also
> run for the presidency.
>
> Now, at least 10 first generation politicians,
> including Jawara, were found
> "liable of impropriety" by the so-called Public
> Assets Commission of
> Enquiry. In fact, there was an order or a judgment
> from the Public Assets
> Commission, banning former president Jawara, O.J
> Jallow, Saihou Sabally, M.C
> Cham, B.B Dabo and five more PPP ministers from
> holding public office in The
> Gambia, ranging from 5 years to 20 years.
>
> Under this order, Jawara was banned for 20 years
> from holding public office.
> The Public Assets Commission had actually
> recommended that Jawara be banned
> for 5 years, but the AFPRC increased it to 20 years.
> It was only Hassan
> Jallow, now a judge, who received a minimalist of
> ban - 5 years.
>
> You can therefore see for yourselves that there are
> still numerous hurdles
> to be crossed first, before many of these first
> generation politicians (or
> even civil servants who were retired prematurely)
> can again hold public
> office in The Gambia.
>
> By the way, one of my sources was telling me the
> other day, that Yankuba
> Touray was privately saying to a Cabinet minister,
> that if O.J Jallow wishes
> to contest for the Gambian presidency, then the APRC
> will challenge it, on
> the grounds that O.J. Jallow, at one point, was
> living and working in East
> Timor. In other words, the APRC will argue that O.J
> has not lived in the
> country continuously for the last 5 years, as
> required by the Constitution.
>
> So, Gambia-L, unless and until these issues are
> resolved, it is premature to
> jubilate or commend Yahya Jammeh for his
> "generosity" as Jasseh Conteh did
> the other day. I am not holding fort for the PPP,
> but I thought it is
> important that these issues come to the fore if we
> want to consolidate our
> (African) democracies.
>
> Again, I advice my fellow Gambians to develop the
> art of critical
> thinking/analysis and avoid being gullible to Gambia
> Government propaganda.
> I also urge all Gambians to try and get a copy of
> the new Constitution and
> familiarize themselves with its provisions.
>
> Ebrima Ceesay
>
>
_________________________________________________________________
> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at
> http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
>
>
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