Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue

Issue No. 49/2004, 21-23 June, 2004

Editorial

The President And His Dream Of Making The Gambia A City State

The vision of the President in transforming every hamlet in the Gambia into
a city has been echoed everywhere in the country.

However, many people in the KMC area are wondering what type of city-state
that would be. They live in an environment classified as an urban area.
However, they cannot even have regular water and electricity supply, worse
still people in some areas of Serrekunda are living just like villagers as
far as drawing water from wells is concerned. Water from the central well at
Manjai Kunda is so polluted that it does not produce lather when soap is
used.

If in ten years the President’s government cannot bring regular electricity
and pipe-borne water supply to everyone in the urban area, what guarantees
are there that he can do it in the next ten years. The best way to give hope
to the people is to satisfy their minimum demands. It is then that they can
be confident that their major demands will also be met.



THE PRESIDENT AND HALIFA SALLAH AGAIN FOROYAA: According to Daily Observer
the president said that Serrekunda Central is missing out on development
because of voting for you. He said that you cannot bring about development
without relying on his government.

Halifa Sallah: The problem with President Jammeh is that he accidentally
found himself in the place of head of state without understanding the
machinery of a state. This is why he personalizes power.

First and foremost, all constituencies in the KMC area irrespective of
whether the National Assembly member is APRC or PDOIS share the same uniform
of poverty. In fact, whenever I mention the failure to provide safe drinking
water within one hundred metres of any home in Serrekunda Central causing
many people to rely on well water in an urban area, the National Assembly
members in the Serrekunda area do echo the same problem. In fact, the
situation in Serrekunda West is catastrophic. The dumpsite has polluted the
underground water in the Manjai area and pipe borne water is not provided.

Look at the road conditions in the KMC. Stagnant pools of water lie
everywhere. There is very little development in all constituencies
irrespective of the party affiliation of the National Assembly members. This
is the first point.

FOROYAA: Do you have anything to say on his remarks that you cannot do
anything without him?

Halifa Sallah: The president needs to read the constitution and find out the
role of the executive and the National Assembly.

The National Assembly approves budgets but does not handle the money of the
people to bring about development. It is the executive that is given the
mandate to manage the nation’s resources. The president had majority in many
of these constituencies. They voted for him to bring about development. I
was voted for to make laws and scrutinize how the government and all other
state agencies are functioning. I am confident that I have been fulfilling
my responsibility. In fact, I am doing more than that. I have a Constituency
Development Fund where I contribute 5000 Dalasis monthly. The fund even
contributed to the rehabilitation of a hospital named after him in
Serrekunda Central. We have enabled many girls to have means to pay for
their education even though government makes false claim that there is free
education for girls. We have also been helping pensioners to receive their
money to meet immediate needs while it takes months before they receive
their gra! tuity because of state bureaucracy. We have assisted people in
the constituency to benefit from a micro credit scheme. Last year we covered
the big hole at the gate of Serrekunda Health Centre and made the road
accessible. Every day countless people appear to complain about problems
that are just by-products of mal-administration and abuse of authority. The
case of Almamy Ceesay who has been duped in receiving his pension and Barry
who was knocked down by a driver associated with State House are just
examples. Many people are benefiting from our services. Needless to say, we
are running Adult Literacy Programmes, and would soon be operating Computer
Classes and Library Services. We take care of some burial grounds on an
annual basis and contribute to the initiatives of nursery schools. We are
helping young children; sports teams and you name it. The president is
completely out of touch with my functions in the constituency.

What is absent is the fulfillment of his mandate and that of Councils, which
should provide safe drinking water, streetlights, good internal road
networks, cleansing services and other facilities.

FOROYAA: Why do you think the president is making such remarks as if
development can only take place where one has an APRC National Assembly
member?

Halifa Sallah: The president is desperate. He has lost control and cannot
distinguish what is refined and honourable political conduct that merits
respect and a crude one that brings the office of the presidency into
disrepute. Nonetheless he has the right to exercise his freedom of
expression. I have the duty to prove that his assertions have no foundation.
History and the people will judge between us. I am not like him. I will
never be power hungry. In fact, I have told the people in my constituency
that I will never stand for more than two terms as a National Assembly
candidate. He counts to rule for his lifetime.

FOROYAA: Don’t you think that the president is haunted by the fact that you
rejected his government and now you are trying to join a government that you
rejected in the past?

Halifa Sallah: The fact that I do not subscribe to self-perpetuatory rule
should be enough to act as a safeguard that the Coalition will never bring
to office someone who will become a monarch and perpetuate himself or
herself in office. The man or woman the Coalition will work to put in office
must provide the final break with “Mansa” politics and ensure the birth of a
people-centred political climate. We shall no longer have rulers. All
elected persons shall be leaders working according to the dictates of the
people or be rooted out. We shall no longer have rulers who sit on the heads
of the people.

JUSTICE PAUL THREATENS BALLO KANTEH

Drama unfolded at the Banjul High Court on Wednesday when Justice Paul
threatened to punch Ballo Kanteh (a prosecution witness in the ongoing
treason trial involving Abdoulie Sonko) on his head. Justice Paul made this
pejorative remark in the wake of what he perceived as Ballo Kanteh’s
complete defiance to cooperate with the court. The latter said he did not
know Abdoulie Sonko, the accused who is alleged to be the master planner of
the bloody military incursion at the Farafenni Army Barracks in 1996.

Ballo Kanteh, one of those convicted for the attack on the Farafenni Army
Barracks, said he was a member of Kukoi Samba Sanyang’s SOFA Movement,
pointing out that they were taken from Libya to Liberia by Kukoi Samba
Sanyang for them to give assistance to former Liberian president, Charles
Taylor. He said he served as a bodyguard in Liberia without arms. He noted
that he knows Swandy Camara, but did not know whether he was a member of
SOFA. He told the court that Kukoi paid their transport fare to Farafenni.
Continuing his testimony, Ballo said he could not recognize what unfolded at
Farafenni, whilst noting that his memory has been affected by conditions at
the prison. The failure of the witness to remember what happened in
Farafenni angered Justice Paul.

“You should get near me and I will give you a hard knock on your head. You
are a hardened criminal. You are not prepared to cooperate with the court,”
Justice Paul retorted.

Mai Fatty remarked, “ With the greatest respect my lord, the witness…”
Before Mr. Fatty finished his statement the trial judge who was at this
juncture fuming with anger, shouted, “Sit down!” Lawyer Mai Fatty insisted
that he wanted to be heard, but Justice Paul who was raging with anger asked
him to sit down. Fatty insisted that he wanted to be heard, but the judge
ordered him to sit down and Fatty heeded to the court’s order.

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Akimoyae Agim later put it to the
witness that what is contained in the statement he made to the security
agents and his evidence in court in 1997 is contrary to what he told Justice
Paul’s court. Mai Fatty stood up and objected to the question posed to the
witness by the DPP. The objection was sustained by Justice Paul who said
unless the DPP applied to treat Ballo Kanteh as a hostile witness, the
question would not be allowed. At this point the DPP applied to treat Ballo
as a hostile witness and his application was granted.

When the DPP asked him whether he knew the accused, Ballo replied in the
negative. Asked whether he was brought together from the prison with the
accused, the witness replied in the affirmative.

Responding to a question posed by the DPP, Ballo said he could not remember
telling the court in 1997 that himself, Kukoi, Abdoulie Sonko and others
planned to overthrow the Government of The Gambia and the attack on The
Gambia in Senegal. Continuing his testimony, the witness said he could not
remember telling the court in 1997 that in preparation for the attack on
Farafenni Barracks Sonko went and bought three short guns with money given
to him by Kukoi. The DPP later asked the witness whether he could recall how
the accused shot one of the soldiers with a gun, he said he could not
remember anything. Asked by the DPP whether he knows SOFA, he responded in
the affirmative, but when the DPP asked him the position of Sonko in SOFA,
he was quick to point out that he did not know him.

During cross-examination by Mai Fatty, the witness said he has no access to
information or news and this has affected his memory. He said he is locked
in a colonial building. At this point, Justice Paul retorted:

“Look at your eyes. Where you living in a mansion?” he asked.

Asked by Fatty whether he is locked up in the same place with the accused,
he replied that they only met in the vehicle when they are coming from
prisons. Further asked by Fatty whether they interact in the prison, he said
he did not know where the accused is locked.

JOHE FERRY SIGNALS DANGER

The recently commissioned ferry, Johe which provides services between Banjul
and Barra showed signs of danger on Tuesday 17th June when it attempted to
dock at the Barra Terminal. The ferry departed from Banjul but when it had
arrived at the Barra Terminal at about 50 metres from the ferry terminal it
attempted to dock but could not. As I stood at the terminal I could see the
ferry being carried away from the terminal by the waves. The passengers on
board appeared desperate as they observed the ferry being pushed around by
the waves for a period of about 45 minutes.

Soon Nuimi, another ferry that serves the Banjul – Barra route arrived at
the scene. It towed Johe towards the terminal where it docked. The
passengers were relieved as they hastily disembarked.

Johe was commissioned on June 7th 2002 by the president in the presence of
many members of cabinet. Johe is the traditional name for James Island and
it has a capacity to carry six hundred passengers. It is the fastest
although it takes much longer than the fifteen minutes that it used to take
in travelling between Banjul and Barra when it was newly commissioned. Johe
was built in Damen Shipyard. At the time of its commission all the ferry
directors assured the public and the users that they will maintain the ferry
for the next thirty years as they did with the others. We shall get in touch
with the ferry authorities for their views on the matter.

LAGOON POSES NO THREAT

Concerns have started to pour into the FOROYAA newsroom about the water
tributary left existing behind the Wadners Beach and Palm Grove Hotels and
the Mile Two water tanks. The concerns started to come in the wake of the
completion of the 12 million dollars or D360 million Coastal Protection
Project in May 2004.

When I contacted Mr. Hydara, Spokesperson for the Coastal Protection Project
Management and a Principal Civil Engineer at the Department of Technical
Services, he told this reporter that initially, the intention of the
department was to fill in the whole area but that the NEA recommended that
the lagoon to be reserved for the purposes of environmental friendly
attraction, for bird watching and small-scale fishing.

Mr. Hydara finally indicated that the gateway of the lagoon cannot create
problems on the beach and the area had been closed from the Radio Syd end;
that the existing gateway to the lagoon from the Denton Bridge cannot cause
any problem of erosion since the inflow of water would only depend on high
waves, which are already under control.

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