Gov't Accused Of Military Tactics


 Dr John Wiseman, a senior lecturer at the Newcastle University, UK, who has
been conducting research on Gambian politics since 1979 has said it is not
realistic to describe the Gambia government as operating along democratic
lines and principles.


 In his words, " it is not unrelated to military rule, it has a military
style of commanding and threatening people," he told the Daily Observer in a
recent interview.

He spoke of his dislike for military rule in all forms, blaming it for most
of Africa's socio economic problems. When the military took over in 1994,
his first reaction was "not to analyse it as a political scientist but to
worry whether my friends in the country were okay."

He added, that though many scholars on African politics are demo-pessimists,
has transcended the plethora of awful things that happen in Africa is
optimistic about its future.

Such optimism, he retorted is reinforcing the fact that there are more open
criticisms of the Yahya Jammeh government for instance, by the opposition
and the local press, "something that could not be imagined  two or three
years ago. The opposition is much more confident now than they were a couple
of years ago."

Expressing surprise at the recent disbandment of the July 22 Movement, he
noted that it was obvious that the harassment of the press has decreased,
calling it " a welcome development."

He also observed that the number of Gambians seeking political asylum in the
UK has decreased. "A couple of years ago, the number was very high and I was
often called upon by law firms to provide expert witness."

Those issues, he declared, form part of his concerns over Africa's
democratic process and multi party system and are reflected in the five
books and 50 academic articles he has to his credit. His focal countries
include Malawi, Botswana, Nigeria and The Gambia.










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