Mr. Bah,
You are wright. How can you beat, harassed
your citizen for an ID card. If the government is so
concern about the protection of it's citizen, they
should offer free ID for all Gambians and make it
mandatory to have it since some people cannot afford
to even renew it.
Peace.
Muktarr.
--- alfusainey bah <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Yeah right Mr Barrow, journalist sud FM, in most
> countries people carry
> their ID cards, but you tell me in what country they
> make their citizens do
> monkey dances or give you a cutlass to cut tall
> grasses for not carrying an
> ID card. That is just ridiculous my fellow Gambians.
> It is high time to stop the ID card harassment
> God Bless and Peace Be Upon All
> Alasana Bah
>
> >From: "Malanding S. Jaiteh" <[log in to unmask]>
> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing
> list
> ><[log in to unmask]>
> >To: [log in to unmask]
> >Subject: ID cards and the protection of citizens!
> >Date: Sun, 24 Oct 1999 12:24:46 -0400
> >
> >This is from the POINT Thursday issue. Looks like
> this debate on
> >Identification cards deserves the attention of
> experts. I am particularly
> >confused by Mr. Nai Ceesay's claim that "The ID
> cards supersedes all other
> >documents and its your right as a Gambian to have
> it."
> >
> >Perhaps experts on the List can tell us how ID
> cards protect ordinary
> >Gambians or when and how did ID cards "supersedes
> all other documents"?
> >
> >Malanding
> >
> >
> > THE ID PALAVER
> >
> >
> > The ID PalaverNews Watch this weeks looks at
> the burning issue of
> >Identity Cards at the Denton Bridge. In many of the
> incidents, commuters
> >have complained of harassment and even physical
> force being meted against
> >them by soldiers following their failure to produce
> their IDs. News Watch
> >has interviewed a cross section of the general
> public to find out how they
> >feel about the whole saga.
> >
> > Mr. Barry, GAMTEL: "If this is a national
> thing, I don't think the
> >security personnel should be exempted. Just this
> week an Immigration
> >Officer came to our office and then I asked him for
> his ID, he could not
> >produce it but produced his department's
> identification and argued that it
> >was sufficient evidence of his identity. I also had
> the opportunity to
> >listen and contribute to the "Living in Peace"
> programme on GRTS and I
> >heard the Immigration Officer denying that the ID
> cards were being issued
> >at the Denton Bridge. This is very untrue because I
> have seen them doing
> >this at the bridge.
> >
> > The Point: What do you think the authorities
> should do in this case?
> >
> > Mr. Barry: I think that the authorities
> should be honest and fair
> >with people by informing them about such happenings
> because this is
> >creating a lot of public discontent against the
> authorities.
> >
> > Omar Barrow, journalist Sud FM: "Well I
> don't see this as a form of
> >harassment because in most countries people carry
> their ID cards with them
> >so why not in The Gambia? After all the ID cards
> are for our own
> >protection.
> >
> > The Point: "How about people who claim to
> have been beaten, detained
> >or intimidated at the bridge because of failure to
> produce IDs?
> >
> > Barrow: "Well I think the best thing for
> them is to report the
> >matter to the appropriate authorities rather than
> go crying to the media.
> >
> > Anonymous police officer: "The request for
> identification is a very
> >good thing but I think the problem lies with the
> way the security men act
> >in certain situations. As a security officer I can
> request for your ID but
> >I am not empowered to ill-treat you or do
> otherwise.
> >
> > The Point: So there should be no harassment?
> >
> > Officer: "I am definitely against the kind
> of harassment I have been
> >hearing about but at the same time I am very much
> in support of people
> >carrying their ID cards with them.
> >
> > Fakebba Manga, security officer: "It is a
> positive requirement that
> >people must have ID cards with them, so Gambians
> have to get used to the
> >idea. On the alleged beatings, it depends on how
> you talk to the officer
> >requesting for the ID card. If you talk rudely, it
> is obvious that he will
> >feel provoked.
> >
> > Ida Faal, businesswoman: "The first thing I
> want to say is that the
> >soldiers don't have any respect especially for the
> womenfolk. Some of them
> >don't even greet you before shouting for the ID
> cards. Sometimes women and
> >very young girls are detained at the bridge until
> the early hours of the
> >morning. Nobody is saying that people should not
> carry their ID cards but
> >the soldiers should exercise some respect in their
> duties.
> >
> > Abdou Jammeh, a victim: "I have been through
> it so I can tell you
> >exactly what happened. Just because I did not have
> the new ID card and I
> >did not have money to change the old one which I
> had with me at the time.
> >Two of the soldiers pushed me around and shouted
> insults at me. They forced
> >me to monkey dance and gave me a cutlass to cut the
> tall grass near the
> >police station there.
> >
> > The Point: Did you report the incident?
> >
> > Jammeh: I reported it to the Army
> Headquarters and they kept on
> >telling me to go and come back. After some time I
> got fed up. The soldiers
> >think they can do anything they feel and get away
> with it.
> >
> > Momodou Nai Ceesay, Director Immigration:
> "First of all I would like
> >to contradict people's beliefs that the soldiers
> are not supposed to ask
> >for ID cards. Any security officer can act on
> behalf of the Immigration
> >Department. In short, they are complementing the
> services of the
> >Immigration.
> >
> > The Point: But in requesting for the ID
> cards, there have been
> >reported incidents of beatings and harassment by
> the soldiers, what can you
> >tell us about that?
> >
> > Mr. Ceesay: "This has not come to our notice
> yet. No such matter has
> >been reported. Any way in this view, we will try to
> educate both the
> >security services and the general public on their
> approach.
> >
> > But the important thing is for people to get
> their ID cards and
> >carry them at all times. Its an important
> requirement which must be met
> >when you attain 18 years. So why go through all
> these problems with the
> >security?
> >
> > The Point: Your department has now taken to
> issuing ID cards at the
> >Denton Bridge. Don't you think that some foreigners
> can get secure the
> >cards?
> >
> > Mr. Ceesay: "This is not possible because
> you have to produce
> >documents to satisfy the Immigration Officers on
> duty. You also have to
> >undergo intensive interviewing to verify your
> nationality before you are
>
=== message truncated ===
=====
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