Fatou,
The conflicting issues confronting OGIS in Sweden is identical to
Those of Gambian organizations in the USA, and else where
Including back home.Your <http://home.Your> boldness in posting it on this
platform
Is progressive considering Gambians do not usually share their
Shortcomings they would rather hide it under the pretext of something
Or someway.
I share your suggestions to possible solutions, first and foremost
We need attitudinal change, which accounts for most of our ineffectiveness
Organizational wise and this propagates itself to the current situation on the
Ground at home; be it in political and religious circles.
Beran
-----Original Message-----
From: fatou [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, April 05, 2000 1:56 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: GAMBIA ORG CONFERENCE PAPER NR 1
THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED BY BROTHER BUHARRY AT THE GAMBIAN
ORGANISATION
CONFERENCE IN STOCKHOLM SWEDEN, SUNDAY 2 APRIL 2000.FROM THE
ELECTORAL
COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU.
----------
Från: MOMODOU BUHARRY GASSAMA
Datum: den 4 april 2000 22:11
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The situation of Gambians in Sweden has since the
arrival of
the first Gambians in the country not been an enviable one. This
is due to
a variety of factors. Factors such as tribalism, sectionalism,
disunity,
materialism, laze, greed, illiteracy etc. can be cited to have
been and
continue to be strong impediments to Gambians' advancement
within the
Swedish set-up. The attendant implication has been the
stagnation of
Gambians within the society compared to other immigrant groups.
To address
these issues and remedy the plight of Gambians, the Organization
of
Gambians in Sweden (OGIS) was formed. The organization however
fell victim
to the above vices plus mismanagement, political infighting,
embezzlement
etc. from its very inception. This has rendered it incapable of
achieving
the goals it was set up to achieve.
Successive administrations have tried to rid the
organization
of the vices that have kept it from realising its aims as
envisioned by its
founders. The results of these attempts have however not been
impressive
leading to the current attempt to find ways of building a
modern, effective
and independent organization to address the concerns of the
Gambian
community. Before jumping to the issue of trying to build such
an
organization, an analysis of some of the problems that have
plagued the
OGIS since its inception needs to be carried out.
One of the major problems that the organization has
had deals
with the lack of proper financial and accounting mechanisms to
handle the
monetary and other assets of the organization. There is no
standard
accounting system for the organization and every administration
comes with
its own accounting system making it difficult for successive
administrations to grasp the organization's financial condition.
This is
coupled with the poor or non-existent system of receipt
collection and
organization. This has resulted in the loss of thousands and
some even
estimate hundreds of thousands of Kronor.
Another problem that has plagued the OGIS is
impulsiveness and
lack of planning. Activities with heavy financial implications
are
undertaken without proper research and planning resulting in
heavy losses
for the organization. These activities have ranged from poorly
planned
cultural events to ineffective seminars to disastrous children's
activities
with the attendant implications of not only monetary loss but
the erosion
of the organization's credibility in the eyes of those whose
interests it
is supposed to serve.
The third problem that has plagued the OGIS is the
nonchalant
attitude of its members towards the provisions of its
Constitution, the
organization's guiding document. The Constitution defines the
procedures to
be adhered to when dealing with various issues related to the
organization
but these are nearly always ignored. This has resulted in many
problems for
the organization. These problems have included arguments,
divisions, legal
wrangling etc. resulting in a waste of the organization's time
and
resources.
The fourth problem that the OGIS has is its lack of
credibility
in the eyes of the Gambian community. This is a major problem as
it has
resulted in a steep decline in membership to the organization.
One of the
reasons for the organization's lack of trustworthiness is the
lack of
effective management especially in the financial realm. The poor
management
of the financial aspects of the organization has resulted in
accusation
upon accusation of financial misconduct thus undermining the
OGIS' stature
in the Gambian community.
Another of the OGIS' problems is the lack of proper
meeting
procedures. This on the surface does not seem to be a major
problem but a
closer investigation will reveal that it is indeed a very
serious problem.
Poor handling of meetings resulting in disruptions, personal
attacks etc.
makes it very difficult for the OGIS to address the real issues
crucial to
its effective functioning as an organization.
How can the OGIS be transformed into a modern,
effective and
independent organization that will be able to identify and
effectively deal
with the burning problems of the Gambian community? The first
step should
be to make a comprehensive identification and analysis of the
organization's problems. Some of the issues identified above are
important
elements of the overall hindrances to the effectiveness of OGIS
as an
entity but are by no means the only hindrances. Systematically
identifying
and analysing the impediments to the organization's success is a
very
important step and has to be carried out with meticulousness.
After an
analysis has been done, ways of incorporating methods to counter
them in
the future have to be woven into the organizational fabric of
the OGIS.
This in short, amounts to change management, which requires that
an
assessment of the required change is made and the mechanisms
required to
manage it are created.
The second step should be to revamp the
organization's
accounting mechanism. A standard accounting system should be
adopted and
all Treasurers should before being elected certify that they
understand and
are able to work with the system. Efforts should be made to
acquire a
computerised accounting system to ease the work. As the aim is
to create a
modern organization, the previous backward accounting system of
making
entries on pieces of paper and plastic bags, which cannot be
found when
needed, should be abandoned. A requirement that all expenses are
requested
using a request form and that receipts must be provided as a
rule for all
expenditures should be implemented. This will not only improve
the
organization's accounting system but it will also help restore
its
credibility in the Gambian community.
A Financial Committee should be formed. The role of
this
committee will be to further strengthen the financial
regulations and
methods of the organization by acting as a buffer between the
various
committees and the Treasurer. All expenditure requests will be
handled by
the committee and approved before being forwarded to the
Treasurer for
dispensation. The committee will look at cheaper alternatives
and make
suggestions regarding the request before authorising the
Treasurer to
provide the funds. The committee will be provided with copies of
all
receipts so that it can keep a separate accounting profile that
can be
helpful to the Auditor when the Treasurer is being audited.
To avoid the impulsive and oftentimes disastrous
spending of
the organization's funds, the organization's overall activities
should be
determined and budgeted for on a yearly basis. This will ensure
that all
activities are strategically planned and looked into.
Strategically
planning the activities of the organization will ensure that
their goals
are determined, current and future situations are analysed and
that a
strategic plan is produced. It will also give the Financial
Committee time
to look at alternative prices and come up with suggestions. This
way,
activities that are poorly planned will be avoided.
A Legal Adviser conversant with the Constitution
should be
elected. It will be the Legal Adviser's responsibility to ensure
that all
activities carried out under the aegis of the organization are
in line with
the provisions of the Constitution. The Legal Adviser will also
ensure that
the inner workings of the Executive Committee conform to the
rules
established by the Constitution.
The fifth step should be to create a Public
Relations (PR)
organ whose responsibility will be to recover the credibility of
the
organization. The PR organ can be incorporated into the existing
committees
or created as a separate entity. The PR organ should look at
ways of
reviving the defunct newsletter, look into the possibility of
creating a
homepage for the organization where all general, financial and
other
information will be readily available to all members and the
general
public. The PR organ should also work together with the other
committees to
create activities to promote the organization and enhance its
stature in
the Gambian community.
The organization should also develop meeting
procedures. These
procedures should be in the form of a booklet that will be made
available
to all members so that they can behave properly during meetings
to ensure
the effective use of time. The procedures should determine the
role of the
chair and recorders, the floor etc. and identify group problem
solving
techniques to help reach effective decisions.
To create an independent organization, the OGIS
should not
allow itself to be manipulated by organizations and individuals
whose
interests are antithetical to those of its own. The Executive
Committee
should ensure that the interests of the OGIS are paramount and
that any
attempt to thwart the aspirations of the organization and its
members
should be vehemently fought.
The OGIS as has been seen has a myriad of problems
that have
hindered it from effectively tackling the issues it was created
to tackle.
In order for it to function as intended, these problems have to
be
identified and remedied and proper procedures and mechanisms put
into
place. Instituting new modus operandi based on the need to
create a modern,
effective and independent organization will take a lot of
sacrifice and
hard work but with dedication to the organization's ideals and
guided by
transparency and probity, the desired results can be achieved.
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