Public Outcry Over Jammeh's 'Benevolence' to Schools




The Independent (Banjul)

December 1, 2000

Seedy Bojang and Biram Saidybah
Banjul

Following President Jammeh's recent donations to schools across the country,
some quarters have questioned the sources of these monies, saying the
president's 'benevolence' was a political strategy aimed at distracting peoples'
attention from the unpublished commission's report into the students' unrest of
April 10.

They said it was a 'lame' attempt to redeem the image of the government in the
face of public anger against the killing and maiming of student demonstrators by
the country's security personnel.

Reports had indicated that thousands of dalasis were 'dished out' to various
schools by the president, with the hope of mollifying student resentment over
his government's handling of the April demonstrations. Sarjo Saho a mechanical
engineer said the donations were ludicrous and untimely since according to him
Gambians are still unable to come to terms with the deaths of the student, and
he saw the situation as 'offensive bribery'.

For a student like Ebrahima Manneh the President's 'benevolence' was a
politicking game that was dirty. He said because the precious lives of human
beings are more valuable than any form of donation the President might offer,
'the source of which is questionable' the government cannot redeem itself.

He said it would have been better to use such donations to improve dilapidated
schools and upgrade other educational facilities for the benefit of students. Pa
Manneh an educationist posited that the 'benevolence' would always be seen from
a political angle.

He said it would be construed as serving a political end as elections for the
presidency and the National Assembly loom. He believed that President Jammeh's
'benevolence' to schools 'would not erase memories of the merciless massacre of
students who were exercising a constitutionally guaranteed right.

He said since the legion of beggars has increased since July 1994 President
Jammeh's donations should have been given to them and those physically disabled.
A resident of Brufut was more concerned about the source of the money and told
our reporter that the President should tell Gambians about where the money came
from if he is sincere about transparency.

A Serrekunda resident said the money could have been used by Jammeh's
administration to pay the salaries of teachers who are still owed three months
salary arrears. 'What about the farmers who were not paid for their produce?
asked another Serrekunda resident.

In condemning President Jammeh's 'money dishing' to schools, Lamin Waa Juwara
the propaganda secretary to the United Democratic Party said that the President
should be more preoccupied with 'who ordered the shooting of the innocent school
children'. He reminded Jammeh that Gambians generally love their children and
that there was nothing he can do for the children that their poor parents have
not been doing for them.

He said Jammeh's 'misplaced gesture' could never heal the wounds of the nation
'when our children were shot in cold blood by security forces who were in
contact with Jammeh in his capacity as the Commander-in-Chief of the security
forces'. He argued that if Jammeh were concerned for Gambian children he should
have cut short his international engagement in Cuba and immediately return to
The Gambia.

'When Abacha died, President Jammeh left the OAU summit in Burkina Faso and went
to Nigeria to pay his condolences, declaring three days of national mourning
when he returned to The Gambia' Mr. Juwara charged. 'He holds the Nigerian
dictator in a higher esteem than the children of The Gambia', Juwara claimed.

Gambians he said are anxiously awaiting the contents of the Commission of
Inquiry into the student unrest, which according to him, cannot be handled like
the crude oil saga or 'the Jammeh tractors'.

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