Cousin Jobe thanks for your invaluable contribution. How very useful and
inspirational!

Have a good day and bye 4Now, KB Jobe.

>----Original Message Follows----
>From: Pa Modou Jobe <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
> ><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: 2nd Constitutional ammendment act.
>Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2001 17:27:25 -0000
>
>Cousin Jobe
>You are a poisonous confusionist cast into the middle of this forum to
>baffle members with your hypocritical and unstable allegiances. One >moment
>you vouch for Dictator Yaya, the next moment you pretend to express >dismay
>at the rotten regime's abortion of justice and common sense. Whoever >you
>are, know that your dirty tricks have been understood and that you can
> >fool
>mortals but you can't fool the All Mighty God or your own conscience. >Keep
>up the strutting sir! Keep up the self-deception! It does work for some
>time.
>Pa Modou.
>
>
>From: Kebba Jobe <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: 2nd Constitutional ammendment act.
>Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2001 17:12:21 -0000
>
>Now that the ALD is over as well as the rancour surrounding it, I would
>like
>to re-open the debate on the present constitutional ammendments being
>inacted. I believe the second constitutional ammendment bill that has just
>been passed by our national assembly has very far reaching consequencies
>for
>all.
>
>One of the ammendments deals with the right of individuals to be charged
>and
>brought before a court of law within 72 hours of being arrested or be
>freed.
>The new ammendment to this particular legislation allows the ncarceration
>of
>any one for an indefinite period as long as that person has been charged
>within 72 hours. Unfortunately, this piece of legislation was rubber
>stamped
>by our NAMS as usual. This is indeed very sad.
>
>If you people recall, I once mentioned 2 very infamous legislations passed
>in Ghana under Dr. Kwami Nkurumah and in Nigeria under Yakubu Gowan. The
>one
>that Nkurumah introduced was called the Preventative Detention Act (PDA).
>This was brought about to sort of control those the government considered
>detractors bent on derailing/subverting the government. Unfortunately this
>law was later to be used extensively to eliminate or incacerate anybody who
>was considered a trouble maker. One of the most famous vitims, and there
>were many, was Dr Dankuah who actually proposed and defended the adoption
>of
>the name of Ghana from Gold Coast after independence. This second
>ammendment
>is exactly what the PDA was to Ghana. What is even worst about this is its
>vagueness. There is no time limit for detention and any security agent can
>just pick you up and detain you indefinitely. The inherent barbarity in
>some
>of our law enforcement officers and low self esteem makes it even more
>frightening.
>
>In Nigeria, that infamous sedition decree passed by Yakubu Gowan during the
>Biafra war was left untouched and unrepealed by successive governments
>until
>Sani Abacha used it to eliminate Ken Sara Wiwa and eight others. I was in
>England at the time when Chanel 4 interviewed the prosecutor of the case as
>to why he insisted on the death penalty after the Ogoni 9 were convicted.
>His response, when it came, was very chilling. He told the interviewer that
>the only penalty he could have asked for was the death penalty. He also
>revealed how the decree was so designed to speed up the trial of any
>charged
>under it, that the level of proof to be provided by the prosecutor need not
>be very exhaustive. The burden of proof was so easy that "No QC could have
>freed or prevented their execution", he said. What was most unfortunate
>about the whole thing was that successive governments both military and
>civilian never bothered to repeal that decree.
>
>Since this particular section of the constitution is entrenched and must
>therefore be brought up in in a referandum, it is very important that it is
>exhaustively discussed to sensitize Gambians on the need to throw it out
>just like the indemnity act. I pray that this be treated as a national
>issue
>and not a party or APRC issue. If we treat it with the importance that it
>deserves it may even yield an additional benefit in that these
>irresponsible
>national assembly members will be seen for what they are, VERY
>IRRESPONSIBLE
>LEGISLATORS. Another thing that I cannot understand is why despite the fact
>that their renumerations cannot be altered to their disadvantage coupled
>with the fact that they cannot be made Secretaries of State while they are
>NAMs during the lifetime of the present term of the government, these
>people
>continue to treat their representatives with such contempt. They are a big
>disgrace to the Gambia people. If nominated members such as the deputy
>speaker and Ahmed Kebbeh can speak their minds about these obnoxious bills,
>why can't those elected by the people decide to ignore their appeals and
>cries for them to throw out such bills?
>
>Have a good day and bye 4Now, KB Jobe.
>_________________________________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com.
>
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