Gambia-L:

The revised draft petition below, to be addressed to the new USA ambassador
to The Gambia, is from Dr Katim Touray. I am forwarding it to the L for your
perusal/comments before a final version is sent.

I would therefore like all of you to take a review of it and send your
comments/corrections to me, through Gambia-L. Upon receiving your useful
comments, I can get the final version ready, and we can arrange for the
collection of signatures. I am quite certain that the benevolent George Sarr
would - without delay - help us collect the signatures electronically.

Ebrima Ceesay

________________________________________________________________________


DRAFT PETITION


Dear Ambassador McDonald,

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 stellar 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 deaths and
injuries occasioned by the tragic terrorist attacks on the US on September
11.  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, in tragic way, 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 proven 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 1994, he has
presided over governments that have no regards for human rights, democracy,
and the rule of law.

The human rights situation in The Gambia continues to be of serious 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, to name a few, 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) by Gambian
security forces when they opened 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.

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.

President Jammeh and his cronies are also corrupt, and blatantly so. In
April, 1999, Chantrils SA successfully sued the Gambian 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 Babani 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 "gratuity" to the
customs office, and was sentenced to four months in prison.

Sir, in the light of the dismal record of the Jammeh 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)


_________________________________________________________________
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