I have fully supported and endorsed such a brilliant petition.
MALICK KAH
MGKAH
>From: "Katim S. Touray" <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Petition to Ambassador McDonald
>Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2001 00:45:31 -0700
>
>Hi folks,
>
>Following is the final version of the petition to Amb. McDonald. Please
>note that I
>am yet to add the address it is to be sent to. I hope to get the mailing
>address
>tomorrow, and in time to be included in the paper copy of the petition that
>will be
>delivered in person to Amb. McDonald when he meets a number of us on Fri.,
>Oct. 12.
>
>Also, I have gone ahead and setup an online petition collection script for
>our use.
>The script also includes the petition, and you can sign it at:
>
> http://www.concernedgambians.org/petitions/ambmcdonald/
>
>Please note the following:
>
>1. You can choose not to have your name shown to the public. I suggest
>this, for
>the simple reason that it will protect you from people who would want to
>collect a
>list of names and addresses for purposes such as direct marketing (junk
>mail - folks
>in the US will know what I'm talking about), and whatever else catches
>their fancy.
>In order to prevent your name and address not being shown to the public,
>you should
>make sure that you remove the check mark in the box to the right of the
>question:
>"Would like your name to be displayed in public?" Just click once on the
>box to
>remove the check mark.
>
>2. You need to confirm your "signature" of the petition. For this reason,
>the
>e-mail address you provide must not only be valid, it must also be yours,
>or
>accessible to you. You will be sent a confirmation-request e-mail after
>you sign the
>petition, and provided a link to follow to confirm your signature.
>
>3. You can also send e-mails to your friends to ask them to sign the
>petition.
>Information about how to do this is provided after you complete the form,
>and is
>fairly straightforward. If in doubt, don't worry about it.
>
>4. I will e-mailing Amb. McDonald a copy of the petition to enable him
>review it
>prior to meeting our representatives on Fri. Oct. 12. As I indicated
>above, a paper
>copy, and the list of people who signed the petition will be provided him
>at the
>meeting.
>
>5. Please sign this petition as soon as possible. We have only about 2
>days to
>collect signatures, before we submit the petition on Fri., Oct. 12.
>
>I guess that's about it. Have a great week(end), and best wishes.
>
>Katim
>------------------ Start of petition ----------------------
>October 9, 2001
>
>Ambassador Jackson McDonald
>U. S. State Dept.
>(Address to be completed)
>
>Dear Ambassador McDonald,
>
>A PETITION FOR YOUR HELP IN BUILDING A BETTER GAMBIA:
>
>First, congratulations on your recent confirmation by the US Senate as the
>US
>Ambassador to the Republic of The Gambia. Your nomination by President
>Bush, and
>confirmation by the Senate, is testimony of your notable career with the US
>Foreign
>Service, and we wish you a successful tenure as US Ambassador to The
>Gambia.
>
>Second, we would like to express our sincere condolences and heartfelt
>sympathies to
>you, the US government, and American people on the tragic deaths and
>injuries caused
>by the terrorist attacks on the US on September 11th. Like the tens of
>other
>countries around the world, The Gambia also lost some of her finest
>citizens. For
>this reason, we understand the pain and suffering these terrible attacks
>have visited
>on the American people, and indeed all civilized peoples around the world.
>
>The terrorist attacks also emphasize the importance of people all over the
>world
>working toward a better, more peaceful, and equitable world. In this
>regard, your
>appointment as the US Ambassador to The Gambia is especially timely given
>that
>Gambians will be going to the polls later this month to elect their
>President. It is
>our sincere hope that you will be able to use your good offices to
>strengthen ties
>between the US and The Gambia to the mutual benefit of citizens of both
>countries.
>
>As has been demonstrated in many African countries, the development of
>democratic
>institutions and values is of paramount importance to economic, social, and
>political
>progress. For this reason, we are writing as Gambians and friends of The
>Gambia to
>express our concerns about the present political atmosphere in the Gambia,
>and to
>seek your help in improving it during your tenure as US Ambassador to The
>Gambia.
>
>Since President Jammeh came to power in a military coup in July 1994, he
>has
>instituted a government which has little regard for human rights, democracy
>and the
>rule of law. The human rights situation in The Gambia continues to be an
>area of
>grave concern to Gambians and to the international community.
>
>President Jammeh has stated publicly that "anyone bent on disturbing the
>peace and
>stability of the nation will be buried six feet deep." Ordinary citizens,
>ex-security
>personnel, journalists and politicians have all been subjected to human
>rights
>abuses, such as arbitrary detention, and torture by Gambian authorities.
>
>Indeed, annual reports from the US State Department, and Amnesty
>International have
>consistently pointed out gross and continuing violations of human rights by
>the
>Jammeh government.
>
>One example of the Jammeh government's disrespect for human rights is the
>killing of
>at least fourteen young students and a journalist (Omar Barrow) by Gambian
>security
>forces when they opened fire on a peaceful student demonstration in April,
>2000. The
>students were protesting the death of their fellow student, Ebrima Barry,
>from
>injuries sustained when he was detained by agents of the government. Not
>only did the
>Jammeh government refuse to accept responsibility for the deaths of the
>students,
>they also defaulted on paying for the medical treatment of injured students
>sent to
>Egypt. Subsequently, the students were repatriated to The Gambia before the
>completion of their medical treatment.
>
>President Jammeh has continued to ignore the plight of women in Gambian
>society. He
>has indicated publicly that he is not against Female Genital Mutilation,
>and the
>public official who committed rape on a twelve year old girl from Brikama
>Ba, has
>never been brought to justice.
>
>As the presidential, and National Assembly elections approach, President
>Jammeh and
>the APRC are using every trick in the book to stay in power. Already, there
>have
>reports that they issued Gambian Identity Cards to non-Gambians to enable
>them to get
>a Gambian voter's card.
>
>In December 2000, President Jammeh dismissed the Chairman of the
>Independent
>Electoral Commission (IEC), in violation of the Constitution, and in a bid
>to make
>the Commission more favorable to him, and the APRC. It is thus not
>surprising that
>the IEC has not only refused to count votes on the spot, but also decided
>against
>allowing Gambians abroad to cast their votes. All in the name of lack of
>funds, even
>though the Jammeh government paid about one million dollars for the
>services of a
>public relations firm in Washington, DC.
>
>Recently, President Jammeh's government expelled Mr. Joshi Bharat, the
>British Deputy
>High Commissioner, from The Gambia, simply because Mr Bharat attended a
>meeting of a
>coalition of three opposition parties. In return, the British Government
>also
>expelled The Gambia's Deputy High Commissioner, Mrs Fatou A.K. Njie, from
>the United
>Kingdom. It is fait to say that Gambian diplomatic relations with Great
>Britain are
>seriously strained.
>
>President Jammeh and his cronies are also corrupt, and blatantly so. In
>April, 1999,
>Chantrils SA successfully sued The Gambia government in London's High Court
>for
>breach of contract. According to court documents, Chantrils contracted to
>sell, for
>twenty US cents per barrel, twenty thousand barrels of Nigerian crude oil a
>day on
>behalf of The Gambia, and deposit the initial payment, and proceeds in a
>Swiss bank
>account. The trial in London concluded with a fine against the Gambia
>government,
>even though from all indications, it never received any proceeds from the
>sale of the
>crude oil.
>
>During the seven years he has been the Gambian head of state, President
>Jammeh has
>had dealings with, and been close to many unscrupulous people. For example,
>Mr. Baba
>Jobe, an adviser to President Jammeh, was last June listed by the United
>Nations as
>an arms trafficker, and barred by UN Resolution 1343 (2001) on Liberia from
>entering
>and/or transiting through UN member states. Although the Gambian government
>wrote to
>protest Mr. Jobe's inclusion in the UN list, it is obvious that President
>Jammeh has,
>in Mr. Jobe, an international pariah and criminal as his adviser.
>
>Recently, there have been reports in the Gambian and international press
>that the
>Jammeh government has been involved with one Clark Enslin, who reportedly
>promised to
>transfer several millions of dollars to an account in New York to fund
>President
>Jammeh's election campaign. In return, Mr. Enslin would be appointed as
>Gambia's
>Ambassador-At-Large and Trade Attaché, and presumably be accorded the
>rights to
>travel with diplomatic immunity.
>
>If the allegations are true, this would not be the first time that
>President Jammeh
>has given Gambian diplomatic passports to rich, unscrupulous people. A few
>years ago,
>Malian businessman Foutanga Dit Babanding Sissoko, who started Gambia-based
>Dabia
>airlines was awarded Gambian citizenship, and provided a Gambian diplomatic
>passport
>by the Jammeh government. Mr. Sissoko's airline has since folded, and
>furthermore, he
>was charged in 1997 with bribing a US customs officer. He ultimately
>pleaded guilty
>to a reduced charge of offering a "gratuity" to the customs office, and was
>sentenced
>to four months in prison.
>
>Sir, in the light of the dismal record of President Jammeh's government, we
>urge you
>to, during your tenure as US Ambassador to The Gambia, help ensure the
>stability in
>the following ways:
>
>1. Strengthen democracy in The Gambia by:
>
>i) helping ensure that elections in The Gambia are free, fair, and
>peaceful. Even
>though the Presidential elections will have been held before you present
>your
>credentials in The Gambia, there will still be time to help with National
>Assembly
>elections, which will be held early next year.
>
>ii) Encouraging and pressuring the Gambia government to let publicly-owned
>media
>outlets provide non-partisan election coverage, and equal access to all
>political
>parties.
>
>iii) Encouraging your government, other governments, and non governmental
>organizations to send observers to monitor the elections.
>
>2. Restore human rights and the rule of law
>
>i) We urge you to call on President Jammeh and his regime to immediately
>release or
>bring to trial Momodou "Dumo" Saho, Ebrima Yarbo, Lt. Lalo Jaiteh, Lt. Omar
>Darboe,
>Momodou Marenah, Abdoulie Sanyang and Ebrima Barrow, who have been detained
>illegally
>for over one year now, and in total disregard of the provisions of the
>Gambian
>Constitution.
>
>ii) We urge you to help end the persecution of independent media in The
>Gambia,
>arbitrary arrests, and the Jammeh government's interference with the
>Gambian
>judiciary.
>
>Sir, we trust that you will give our concerns due consideration in
>discharging your
>duties as the US ambassador to The Gambia. In this regard, we sincerely
>hope that
>when and if the Jammeh government seeks economic assistance from the US
>government,
>you consider the request in light of the fact that President Jammeh and his
>cronies
>have swindled millions of dollars of Gambian public funds, and continue to
>deny many
>Gambians their basic human rights and freedoms.
>
>We wish you a successful tenure as US ambassador to The Gambia, and a
>pleasant stay,
>for both you and your family, in the country.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>(signed)
>
>cc:
>1. Senator Russell D. Feingold
> Chairman
> Senate Subcommittee on Africa
> SH-716 Hart Senate Office Building
> Washington, DC 20510
>
>2. Senator Bill Frist
> Ranking Minority, Senate Subcommittee on Africa
> SR-416 Russell Senate Office Building
> Washington, DC 20510
>
>3. Rep. Ed Royce
> Chairman
> House Subcommitte on Africa
> 1133 Longworth House Office Building
> Washington, DC 20515
>
>4. Rep. Donald M. Payne
> Subcommittee on Africa Ramking Minority
> 2209 Rayburn House Office Building
> Washington, DC 20515
>------------------ End of petition -----------------------
>
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