Friends,
I´ve been out of the list since august and till one month ago. Back I´m so
sad about the latest news from the Gambia. I´m sorry to say that this is
something I expected could happen sooner or later. The lack of discipline
(several cases are reported on this Gambia-L) specially from authorities
sends "signals" through the society, that people in power can do whatever
they like, even take justice in their own hands, and nothing happens to
them. From the top of the society signals spreads that the strongest has the
right, the uniform/the weapon speaks. They have misunderstood their mission,
they are there in the interest of the people, to help and serve the people,
not to oppress.
I was shocked when I got the information from our homeland Monday, and
started to call one of my friends, who I knew as a unionleader and active
student at GTTI, so I also expected him to be on the frontline. But first
Thursday I got life-signals and information. Due to my job I have been out
of list-contact from Tuesday morning until this morning, and running through
hundreds of letters took time. The information given by Mr. Tombong Saidy is
the closest to the "facts" I got from my friend . My friend  told me that
things ran out of control and suddenly there were burnings of firestation,
policestation, bank and other business-buildings, but he told me Thursday
that it was not ordered or inspired from the official student leaders.
It shows me, that the "hatred" is now coming to the surface of the Gambian
society. It is my own observation that the poorest are becoming poorer and
the richest are becoming richer. More and more families are depending on you
and help from outside just to survive the daily living costs. Few young
people are becoming aggressive and violent. They like many youth want to
address their anger, and I felt when I visited The Gambia in December, that
many blame the President and his party, the politicians, that their daily
life is so harsh. 
The confrontation all over the country this week was a signal that I do hope
the administration and the politicians learn from. I ´m  so sad that lives
were taken,  I pray for their souls to rest in peace, and send my
condolences to all families, now we have the names.
I think that all the steps taken to demonstrate world-wide should continue.
I will ask the Gambian representative in Copenhagen Mr. Specht, what he
knows and will do. (He is also manager in Spies company). And I do hope that
international journalist and top-lawyers can be send to the Gambia to
investigate.
In Copenhagen some years back the police fired against a violent
demonstration and the cover up from the head of police-department, the
ministry of justice was very very difficult to break through. Only by good
help of journalists, and heavy pressure from the public kept the
investigation running, and led to dismissal of top ranking persons in
police-force, the ministry and even the government. But I feel that even so
we never got the truth. Let´s hope that the truth and justice will  happen
in The Gambia, let´s get all information, let justice be heard. We owe that
to the young people who did the ultimate protest - they offered their lives.
With anger and grief
Asbjørn Nordam

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