Issue No. 29/2005, 14-17 April 2005



Editorial

A REVIEW OF OPERATION CLEAN THE NATON

In military fashion the president launched his “Operation no compromise” using force to effect economic progress, what must be realized is that economics is an art which must be mastered and appropriately applied. The president also extended this policy to “Operation clean the nation,” again using force.

Initially, many people participated. They cleaned their compounds and the surroundings. But they soon realized that the problem does not lie in the lack of cleaning their compounds but in the collection of the refuse gathered from their environment. As it stands, the cleansing services in the Greater Banjul Area are facing enormous problems in refuse collection, particularly relating to lack of vehicles meant for that purpose. The councils can still cope with the problem and there is need for scientific study of urban waste management jointly by both central and local government to come up with lasting solution.

Mudslinging or finger pointing does not solve the problem. If the problem is not given urgent attention it can have serious environmental consequences.

If the proponent of operation clean the nation is serious with what he is promoting, he would vigorously sensitize the people on the importance of a clean and healthy environment and would encourage them to gather refuse and heap them at known spots. He would then mobilize adequate transports to collect the refuse from these spots. In this way many will be encouraged to repeat the act even weekly. There would be no need to burn the refuse and pollute the atmosphere as many do because of lack of collection of refuse. With sensitization, mobilization and logistics in place there would be no need for soldiers to disrupt ceremonies, close shops and arrest people as happened in Farafenni.

Operation no compromise and operation clean the nation have not made and cannot effect any meaningful development. Gambia is not a military camp where people go by orders, but a sovereign republic where the people are sovereign. What the people need is enlightenment to enable them to become real owners of the country. Democracy would then be exercised to its fullest extent and Gambia would be exemplified.



COURT ORDER DELAYS DEMOLITION OF

M. SUMAREH’S WAREHOUSE

M. Sumareh, Proprietor of M. Sumareh Enterprises has benefited from a temporary reprieve after Justice Yamoa of the Banjul High Court has granted Amie Joof Conteh’s request for the court to grant an interim injunction to her client, (M. Sumareh), for a stay of execution in view of the state’s resolve to demolish the applicant’s warehouse at Stink Corner.

The application was supposed to be heard by Justice Izuako, but was later heard by Justice Yamoa on Tuesday due to the fact that the former was not in court. The motion for a stay of execution was filed by Amie Joof Conteh who looked anxious on Tuesday on the state’s resolve to demolish the structure. It is not clear whether it as an exparte motion.

However, the state was not served as at around 2.00 pm on Tuesday due to the fact that the ruling was not typed.  But sources close to the judiciary informed this paper that the ruling was typed later in the day and taken to Her Lordship for her to append her signature.  It is purported that the state was later served with the court’s order.  The Interim Injunction among other things urged the state to refrain from demolishing the Applicant’s (M. Sumareh) warehouse pending the outcome of the substantive suit filed by the latter



BANJUL MAYOR DENIES SELLING PUBLIC LAND

By Emil Touray & Annia Gaye

The Mayor of Banjul City Council, Pa Sallah Jeng has confuted claims that he sold the site housing the public toilet at Primet Street to one Pape Faal who is currently building business structures at the said site.

The Banjul Mayor pointed out that his Council entered into a business agreement with Pape Faal. However, Mr. Jeng confessed that the allocation of the said land was not open to the public for bidding.

On his reasons for allocating the said site to Pape Faal, the Banjul Mayor said that the City of Banjul has very limited revenue base, and it is very important that Council should go into partnership with the business community and other stakeholders to enhance its revenue, bring about development and retain business within the city limit.

Mayor Jeng said, “This is the very reason the Mayor is negotiating with Social Security to embark on real estate development within Banjul and possible turning of the Kombo Street toilet to a shopping centre due to its proximity with the Lasso Wharf Market, again inviting other developers to look into the possibilities of building stores around July 22nd Square from the fountain towards the children playground.

The Banjul Mayor said the terms of the contract are very clear, noting that Pape Faal is referred to as tenant while BCC is referred to as landlord, noting that Article 3 of the contract they entered into with Pape Faal clearly states that at the expiration of the rent free period which is determined by the latter’s investment on the property, Mr. Faal will start paying rent to the BCC.

According to the terms and conditions of the contract:

A)         The landlord shall let and the tenant (Pape Faal) shall take possession of the said property on the following conditions:

1.         The tenant shall demolish the existing structures thereon and erect, at his own cost, a modern commercial storey building on the said site.

2.         The tenant shall complete the construction of the said building within one year from the date of execution of this agreement.

4.         Upon the completion of the construction of the said building, the tenant (Pape Faal) shall put into possession of the same, rent free for a period of up to twenty years during which period the property shall become a demise premise.

5.         Prior to taking over possession of the said premises, the

tenant and the landlord shall execute a lease for a period up to 20 years from the date of execution thereof.

      6.  The terms and conditions of the said lease shall be

            negotiated, drawn and executed following the

            completion of construction works of the bakery, to the

            full satisfaction and approval of the landlord.



DEYDA TO RECEIVE PEN AWARD

By Bubacarr K. Sowe

Deyda Hydara, the martyred editor, proprietor and ardent advocate of press freedom, and Ali Al-Domaini, a leading Saudi literary figure, who is one of the three prominent intellectuals currently imprisoned for criticizing the pace and reach of human rights reforms in Saudi Arabia, were recently named as recipients of the 2005 PEN / Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Awards.

The awards, which honour international literary figures who have been persecuted or imprisoned for exercising or defending the rights to freedom of _expression, will be presented at the PEN’s Annual Gala on April 20th, 2005, at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

In announcing the awards in New York, Freedom to Write Program Director, Larry Siems, noted that the important role the writers are playing in protecting essential rights and building civil societies in countries around the world and the tremendous sacrifice their tasks often entail.

“The eyes of the world are on the Middle East now, and on the encouraging signs that are being expanded for citizens to express their views and participate in political activities in several countries in the region. These developments owe a great deal to individuals like Ali Al-Domaini, an intellectual leader who has openly and peacefully advocated reform at considerable personal risk.

“The fact that Ali Al-Domaini remains in jail over a year after his arrest, is an indication that the struggle to ensure essential rights including freedom of _expression may still be in its early stages,” Siems indicated.

He added that “At the same time, the assassination of Deyda Hydara in The Gambia, reminds us that the drive to build strong civil societies in which a free exchange of ideas is valued and protected is noticed within the limelight of the international arena as well, and that for our colleagues in such places, conditions can be even more perilous.

“Deyda Hydara was one of a small group of incredibly brave newspaper publishers who have refused to go quietly into the noose of the increasingly draconian press laws recently enacted in The Gambia. He paid this with his dear life while his killers are yet to be apprehended after a promise by the authorities.

Hydara started his career in journalism in 1974, when the Agence France Press hired him as a translator and then as a local correspondent. In 1991 he co-founded ‘The Point’, a tabloid that appears three times a week, with his friend of 35 years, Pap Saine. As a senior independent journalist in The Gambia, he has served as a mentor for many of Gambia’s young reporters.

This 19th year awards of the PEN / Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Awards have honoured international literary figures who have been persecuted or imprisoned for exercising or defending the right to freedom of _expression. The Awards are an extension of PEN’s year-round advocacy on behalf of the more than 1,150 writers and journalists who are currently threatened or imprisoned. Thirty seven women and men have received the Awards since 1987; 27 of the 29 honoured who were in prison at the time they were honoured were subsequently released.



GIA’S LONDON FLIGHTS SUSPENDED

By Abdoulie Dibba

The GIA Board of Directors, Mr. Bai Ndongo Faal has denied reports that GIA flight (London/Banjul) was grounded on Thursday 7th April 2005, leaving its passengers stranded in London.. In his comment, Mr. Faal said that the GIA has no aircraft of its own that is grounded but pointed out that airline companies hire the services of aircrafts and then load them for profit. Mr. Faal accepted that what happened in this particular incident was that his airline company was asked to pay D1.8 million per week for an aircraft on London / Banjul flights. He argued that after the arrangement, they realized that they were unable to load the aircraft to its capacity, and coming like that would be a great loss to the airline company; that they decided to suspend the flight. Mr. Faal however pointed out that all the passengers were compensated and that those passengers who asked for refund were refunded. He denied that his airline company owes any aircraft not to talk of a D53 million debt.



AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY



DoSE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

Part 4

FOROYAA has been publishing the report submitted by the National Assembly Select Committee on Education and Training to the Assembly for approval. FOROYAA continues with the report.

The report revealed that out of the 20 lower basic cycle schools seen in Regions 1 and 2, eight have libraries but only two of them are moderately furnished and one had a television and video for audiovisual learning; that most of the books in the libraries are torn and outdated; that some libraries “are housed in old, dark offices which are also not spacious for reading”. The report went on to reveal that “three of the six upper basic schools have libraries but that only one is adequately furnished and equipped; that the picture is the same for the senior secondary schools as three of the five visited had no library. The report went on to indicate that “during their second and third years at the secondary level, some of these children are without the required text books and risk being sent out of class by subject masters; that this could be a contributing factor to the much worrisome and falling standards in schools; that students revealed that in some SSS, some subject masters who
 are authors of a book would send away children who are without such textbooks in their classes during lessons and sometimes would not give notes on the board in a bid to compel students to buy their textbooks. The report went further to show that most classroom walls remain empty in the schools visited in Region 2 due to unavailability of resources and no sign of teaching aid to re-enforce learning unlike schools in Region 1, where some of the schools visited have a lot of teaching aids; that this shows the advantage of access to resources even where the Department of State for Education does not provide the schools with material resources; that generally, however, curriculum and other related materials are inadequate in the lower basic schools in both regions; that either they are not supplied or school funds are not paid for them to be bought; that in the UBS and SSS, such materials are bought by the school because fees collected are kept in the schools.

On Classrooms, Furniture And Toilet Facilities

The Chairperson indicated that “space is relatively adequate”, noting that only one fifth of the lower basic schools (4 out of 20) visited had adequate space while none of the upper basic schools had. He said that though some children are still on the waiting lists for admission to schools at the time of the visits, it appeared that schools could not meet the demand due to limited available space. He added that the indications are that overcrowding is prevalent in quite a large number of these schools due to inadequate furniture and limited space. He revealed that fifteen of the twenty lower basic schools visited, complained of these factors, pointing out that besides the inadequacy, some are in urgent need of repairs. He also revealed that from regions 1 to 4, students were seen sharing the same bench in some schools, which showed that the need for more furniture in these classrooms still prevails. He further stated that four out of five SSS visited were overcrowded due to the high
 demand for places while at the only two government subvented schools visited, (Muslim and Nusrat) lamentations were made on space and furniture.

The report of the select committee on education and training indicated that the schools in Regions 1 and 2 have inadequate toilets considering their role; that most of the schools in these regions do not have proper toilets; that even where the structure is permanent, the sanitary condition leaves much to be desired; that since the roles of the schools increase annually, their present toilet facilities cannot meet the demands; that the condition of most of the toilets seen is deplorable and that some of the toilets are beyond the school perimeters (e.g. Francis BCS and Kampassa LBS); that a good number of the toilet buildings are not separated as required. “In other words’ the Chairperson continued, “the facilities are used indiscriminately which, in one instance,( at Kampassa LBS) two pupils :a boy and a girl scrambled for a toilet and fought over it resulting to the girl being wounded and the team (National Assembly Select Committee on Education and Training) were shown the victim;
 that in Serrekunda LBS acute water shortage is seriously affecting sanitary facilities.



On Resource Centres

The report revealed that resource centres are not widely maintained in these schools due to cost and space especially at the lower basic schools; that two of the three schools with resource centres in Region 1 have limited reference materials for teachers to use for reading and teaching aid preparations. The report went on to say that the senior secondary schools have laboratories expect Rose Kally, a private senior secondary school at Banjulinding which has no Science component on its curriculum. The report indicated that the Science laboratories seen need more equipment to facilitate quality teaching of Science and Technology in the schools.



On Technical And Skills Training Facilities

The report revealed on this aspect that the upper basic cycle schools and senior secondary schools have limited resources for Woodwork, Metalwork, Technical Drawing and Home Economics; that some of the schools have empty classrooms with the label of the subject on doors but that teacher and teaching and learning materials are not available. The report went further to show that schools do not have the necessary tools and equipment for the effective teaching of these subjects and the required trained teachers. The report went on to indicate that “although some of the facilities are not very well equipped, Brikama Upper Basic is the only school visited that had the basic facilities for these subjects, a good home management outfit and a few computers. The latter, the report said, is not effectively utilized due to low power output.



On Supervision, Inspection, Assessment And Standard

The report went on to indicate that the survey reveals that there is inadequate and irregular supervision and inspections by SQAD, RED and Senior Management Teams in schools; that there was evidence of regular and consistent visits of SQAD officers and REO officers to Banjul schools and some schools in the KMC area. The report went further to show that senior secondary schools charged high fees and yet no effective teaching takes place in some of them; that they take the advantage of enrolling low achievers to maintain them in the system with little attention to the factors and mechanism required in the effective delivery of their mandate and responsibilities to these students. This, the report said, underlines the need for constant monitoring and supervision to achieve and maintain quality education; that most of the schools have an agreed policy in principle on student assessment is an integral part of the teaching and learning process. In such, the report said, the Senior
 Management Teams monitor the teachers and pupils; that in some schools the assessment of teachers is based on the staff appraisal system introduced by the Human Resource Directorate of the Department of State for Education. The report pointed out that this type of appraisal system is however not very much understood by teachers, and that other schools use their own way of assessment but some do not assess their teachers’ performance neither are teachers supervised as expected because there was no evidence of teachers’ records of work and regular and consistent marking of children’s work; that regular SMT meetings to monitor curricular and administrative issues are more evident in the senior secondary schools visited except in Rose Kally Senior Secondary School. The report went further to show that some lower basic and upper basic schools’ Senior Management Teams claim that they meet but little evidence was shown; that although by and large, children’s works are marked, there is
 still room for improvement in this area; that it was noted however that no effective teaching takes place in some cases due to inadequate preparation of teachers with little or no supervision; that this reinforces the fact that some teachers do not keep records and / or mark children’s exercises; that information on duration of periods, starting and ending of shifts for schools operating the double shift, is indicative of the unequal time allocated to subjects and shifts; that not all schools take cognizance of the need for subjects and shifts to have equal time allocate; that in some lower basic schools, Quranic teachers complained of inadequate periods; that despite the fact that the achievement of pupils in external exams in upper and senior secondary schools in both Regions 1 and 2 can be rated as average and higher than those of Regions 3 and 4, a lot still needs to be done to improve.



On Parents’ / Guardians’ Involvement

The report revealed that “there is little evidence of parents’ / guardians’ involvement and commitment in their children’s work; that despite the terminal reports sent to parents / guardians on their children’s / wards’ academic performance, very few of them go to the schools to monitor the progress of their children’s / wards’ work; that in the same vein, the report said, some schools lack solid links with their communities; that according to reports from Heads, their doors are always open to parents / guardians for discussions on their children’s / wards’ progress, curricular experience and their enrichment in the wider community. The report shows that all the schools visited have PTA committees although it is not evident in some schools; that those that have active committees have strong linkages with their respective communities; that in some schools visited, pupils showed a strong sense of belonging to the school community and participate well in extra-curricular activities like
 sports, red cross, gardening and others. The report pointed out that school enrolment in Region 1 and 2 are high with impressive figure for girls and that the number of school dropouts though still existing, is steadily decreasing as well as teenage pregnancy. The report said that sensitization and peer health education in schools have been reported to be a contributing factor.



On Issues Relating To Teacher Motivation

It revealed that some of the teachers acted in positions for a long time and were never considered for promotion and that teachers also complained of receiving 50 % of their salaries as double shift allowance despite heavy workload compared to their counterparts in tertiary health sector who are paid double salaries; that in some parts of Region 2 where conditions are humid, it is very uncomfortable to sit in class and concentrate; that contract teachers lamented about their mode of appointment and lack of allowance; that accommodation for those in Region 2 is a major concern as teachers either have problems in getting places to rent or the rent is higher than what is paid for house rent by government; that due to these among other factors, teachers are leaving the system for better jobs.



On Summary Of Findings In Regions 1 And 2

1.         Though schools in these two regions are not understaffed as in Regions 3 and 4, there is still the need for more teachers.

2.         Lack of trained specialist teachers for the technical and skills subjects is prevalent.

3.         Lack of adequate number of female teachers in UBS and SSS.

4.         Double shift done due to inadequate staff or space and furniture.

5.         Poor quality of teachers in the system.

6.         Overcrowding of classes.

7.         Inadequate core textbooks, chalk and other related materials.

8.         Limited teaching and learning materials in schools.

9.         Inadequate classrooms, libraries, resource centres and furniture.

10.        Poor equipped laboratories and skills training facilities in schools.

11.        Some subjects are excluded from the timetable due to lack of the required staff or facilities.

12.        Generally, shifts and subjects do not have equal time allocations.

13.        Poor construction work with poor flooring, doors without locks, etc is a common phenomenon.





MUSA SUSO & NDENEH’S CRIMINAL APPEAL CASE

Judicial sources have informed this paper that the High Court registry will soon finish its assignment regarding the criminal appeal case involving former APRC National Assembly member, Musa Suso and Ndeneh Faal, who had filed a joint appeal at the Court of Appeal challenging their conviction and sentence by Magistrate Otta which was sustained by the High Court presided over by Justice Tahir.

The duo was convicted on three counts of drug related offences in April 2001. Suso was sentenced to eight years of imprisonment and fined four hundred and fifty thousand dalasis whilst his accomplice, Faal was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment and fined three hundred and fifty thousand dalasis.

Sources at the registry division of the High Court have it that the records of proceedings and the judgment have been typed and proofread. It is purported that the judgment and the records of proceedings pertaining to the case will be collated and bound into a booklet form. According to reports, the registry is expected to produce seven copies of the aforesaid document which would be distributed to the following parties: one copy to the prosecution, one copy to the defence, two copies to the registry and three copies to the Court of Appeal judges.

The case is filed by Antouman Gaye and Sheriff Marie Tambedou, counsels for the appellants. Suffice it to say, even if work on the records of the case are concluded, the case will not be heard soon due to the fact that the Court of Appeal is not properly constituted.



SEEDNUTS INFESTED WITH INSECTS

By Tombong Jadama

Farmers stored their nuts for seeds and some whose nuts have not been bought are selling them at the weekly markets called ‘lumos’. According to some women spoken to by this reporter at the Basse market, it has never been their intention to sell their farm produce in such a bad situation to people. However, they pointed out that there is no other option but to sell these nuts and dispose off them to people who can transform them into other products like oil, peanut butter and soap.

Many people spoken to by this reporter indicated the likelihood of many farming communities not having seed nuts this coming season.

Farmers expressed their predicament over this year’s trade season, blaming the government for it. Most farmers indicated that they have more bags of nuts at home, the storage of which is a serious problem to them. A local petty trader commonly called ‘bana bana’ indicated to this reporter at the Sareh Bojo ‘lumo’ that there are more groundnut with the farmers now than the amount sold by them; that they are persuaded by farmers everywhere to help them sell their nuts.

One lady indicated to this reporter that she will never engage in groundnut farming again because of the disappointment of this year’s trade season; that from now on she will engage in cotton farming and gardening.

According to Aja, almost every year they end up having marketing problems which frustrate all their efforts in groundnut production. She further indicated that many of her colleagues will go in for cash crops rather than groundnut production. She indicated that many of her colleagues are transforming their groundnuts into soap and groundnut oil in order to be able to sell it faster.



CPJ VISITS THE GAMBIA

By Sarjo M. Camara

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to defending press freedom worldwide.

On Tuesday 12th April, 2005 the body submitted a press statement to the Gambia Press Union, after a week-long stay in the country in respect of findings attributed to the murder of Mr. Deyda Hydara and other issues related to press freedom in The Gambia. The three member delegation expressed disappointment over President Jammeh’s attitude towards them. They disclosed that President Jammeh refused to have an audience with them. The Committee to Protect Journalists has as it objective the promotion of press freedom worldwide by defending the rights of journalists to report news without fear of reprisal. CPJ was founded in 1981 and has stood up for many journalists, saving lives and exposing those who would silence the media.

The delegation has said that The Gambia is one of the countries that need to be monitored closely. They pointed out that President Jammeh should provide a conducive environment for the media practitioners and revoke the bad laws against journalists.

According to the report, “Over the past week, the CPJ delegation has had the opportunity to meet with journalists from private and state media, executives of the Gambia Press Union and senior government officials. Independent journalists told us that the climate of fear intensified after the Hydara murder. The report also indicated that Pap Saine, Hydara’s co-editor at The Point, told CPJ that his family had also wanted him to quit for security reasons.

The report also stated “The administration’s antipathy toward the independent press is underscored by its information policy, which limits access to government sources and discriminates against certain media outlets. The authorities continue to enforce government orders that bar civil servants from speaking with the press without authorization from their bosses. Senior officials and their spokespeople are often unavailable forcing journalists to rely on anonymous sources to cover routine government activities.” The delegation expressed their gratitude in being able to meet with a number of government officials, including Secretaries of State for Information, the Interior and Justice.  They also expressed their delight in meeting  with the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, which took over the investigation in February and we saw indications that the NIA is carrying out an investigation in good faith. However, even the basic facts of the murder have not been firmly
 established, and we fear that it could be difficult to make significant progress in a climate where journalists and witnesses are unwilling to cooperate with government investigators.”

The report then concludes:  “A firm commitment to press freedom at the highest level would help create conditions for the private press to operate without fear in the run-up to next year’s presidential elections. The independent media play an especially critical role in an environment in which state media largely convey the government’s perspective. By helping to reduce mistrust, President Jammeh can also create a more favorable environment in which to investigate Hydara’s murder.



RECOMMENDATIONS

CPJ calls on President Jammeh and his government to immediately take the following steps:



·           Affirm the government’s commitment to respect the role of the press and to ensure that journalists can work without fear of reprisal.



·           Swiftly and unequivocally condemn all threats and violence against journalists and media outlets



·           Renew investigations into the arson attacks and make the findings public



·           Improve access to government information, notably by scrapping government orders that bar civil servants from talking to the press without authorization



·           Repeal the recent repressive amendments to the Criminal Code and the Newspaper Act and work toward decriminalizing press offenses in line with. regional trends and international press freedom standards.


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