Sackings Fear Grip Civil Servants
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The Independent (Banjul)
November 26, 2001
Posted to the web November 26, 2001
Makalo
Banjul
Reports reaching The Independent from Kerewan say that fears has gripped
many civil servants in the town following reports that a list of names
alleged to be opposition sympathisers was submitted to the Commissioner of
North Bank Division, Sulayman Keita.
Sources have it that copies of the list, which include civil servants from
Gamtel, Nawec, the health centre, schools and some NGOs were shown to
Fanjang Kinteh the chief of Lower Badibou, the APRC district chairman and
Momodou Soma Jobe the Assistant Commissioner. It was alleged that monitoring
the activities of those short-listed began during the campaign period and
continued in the post-election period. Unconfirmed reports suggest that
civil servants who did not turn up during the APRC victory celebration in
Kerewan were short-listed for possible dismissal.
Speaking to The Independent on condition of anonymity a senior civil servant
who expects his name to be "blacklisted" said "I will not be surprised if I
am sacked". He emphasized that he has been receiving reports from all
quarters that his activities were being monitored. "I don't care because I
did nothing wrong. I was just exercising my constitutional rights and if
that was the reason why I was short-listed, God shall judge between us," he
lamented adding every civil servant has the right to political affiliation.
An NGO official condemned what he called the pernicious exercise of
blacklisting workers, describing it as a harassment of civil servants. A
female teacher who expressed concern asserted that teachers are the least
paid in the civil service and to sack them "will amount to pouring salt on
their bleeding wounds". Like the others, she stressed that it is the
constitutional right of all civil servants to belong to any party without
fear. She therefore called on Commissioner Keita to be human and "dump" the
shortlist in order to soothe tensed hearts.
Second Article
President Jammeh Reinstates Sacked Civil Servants
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UN Integrated Regional Information Networks
November 26, 2001
Posted to the web November 26, 2001
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has reinstated civil servants sacked last
week for not supporting his re-election bid in October, official sources in
the capital Banjul, told IRIN on Monday. Only the head of the Gambia Ports
Authority, Ebrima Jagana, was not reinstated.
Last week, the president enforced a threat he had made earlier and dismissed
several staff in the finance ministry, customs and excise department, police
force, Gambia International Airlines and the social security services.
Those dismissed included the finance ministry's deputy permanent secretary,
Karamo Bojang; Director of housing Tumbul Danso; Director of finance Amie
Jahateh; the deputy director of customs and excise, Kabbah Tambajang, and
the director of Civil Aviation Authority, Dembo Ftty, who had been in office
for only two weeks. Five police officers were also sacked, the Panafrican
News Agency (PANA) reported on Monday.
There had been intensive lobbying for the reinstatement of the sacked
officials in Bangul, the agency reported.
Meanwhile, a senior staff reporter of the Independent Newspaper and
correspondent for West Africa magazine in Gambia, Alhagie Mbye, has been
picked by state agents.
It is believed he was picked up in connection with a story he wrote in the
West Africa magazine, in which he alleged that President Jammeh was
re-elected on 18 October thanks to thousands of foreigners who voted for
him, PANA reported on Friday.
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