Issue No. 25/2005, 31 March- 3 April 2005



Editorial

FREQUENT CABINET RESHUFFLE

Cabinet reshuffle is frequent nowadays. A secretary of state gets up in the morning not knowing whether he/she would be dismissed when he/she reports to work that day.

For example, Mr. Sidi Sanneh was appointed Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in October, 2004, last week he was assigned the portfolio of Trade, Industry and Employment. But on the 29th of March, 2005, he was relieved of his appointment. In short, within days of his appointment Mr. Sanneh was relieved of his duties. It is hard to believe that Mr. Sanneh was relieved because of incompetence which could not have been assessed within those few days. He was probably relieved for other reasons.

The constitution gives the president the discretion to appoint or terminate the appointment of secretaries of state without explanation. But it also gives guidelines on the caliber of person to be appointed as secretary of state.

Section 71 subsection (3) of the constitution states: “Secretaries of State shall be appointed by the president ——” Furthermore, section 71 subsection (4) paragraph (b) stipulates: “The office of a secretary of state shall become vacant … (b) on his or her appointment being revoked by the president.”

The constitution was careful to ensure that secretaries of state can deliver by stipulating in section 72 that: “The Vice President and Secretaries of State shall be responsible for such Departments of State or other business of the government as the President may assign to them. In making such assignments, the President shall have regard to the desirability of ensuring that such responsibilities as are entrusted to such competent persons with relevant qualifications or experiences.”

It is evidence from this that competence should play a leading role. Whether or not the person has been convicted of white colour crime is also relevant.



GROUNDNUTS: 30, 000 TONNES PURCHASED SO FAR



By Tombong Jadama

As the 2004 / 2005 trade season, which has gone through trials and tribulations, draws to a close FOROYAA has learnt that up to 29th March 2005 the total purchases amount to 30, 801 metric tonnes. This was revealed in an interview with the Manager of GGC, Mr. Mustapha Colley, who pointed out that 12,120 tonnes have already been evacuated to the GGC Mill at Oyster Creek Bridge. He said that 18, 081 tonnes were yet to be evacuated.

Delay in the evacuation of nuts is one of the problems which is affecting this year’s trade season. Mr. Colley was quick to point out that the delay in evacuating the nuts was not their fault but that of the Depot Managers in various parts of the country. He emphasized that they are doing all they could to ensure that the nuts are transported without delay.

Many other problems are also associated with this year’s trade season. The most serious of these is the unavailability of cash when farmers present their nuts for sale even though they were promised by the government before the start of the trade season that there will be no credit buying. I have been informed by many farmers in places like Wuli that the vast majority of them were obliged to sell their nuts in Senegal where they were paid cash. Those who took their nuts late found it difficult to sell them because the buyers in Senegal had already purchased the quantity that they required. Many of those who kept their nuts now faced the dilemma of whether to sell them at the lumos (weekly markets) or at the seccos. Many are complaining of deterioration of their nuts. Even at the seccos on credit. One can easily observe that insects have started infesting the nuts.

Farmers are generally very much dissatisfied with this year’s trade season. They are still looking forward to more positive action by the government.



17, 000 CHILDREN RECEIVE PNEUMOCOCAL VACCINE



By Emil Touray & Tombong Jadama

Dr. Tumani Corah, Chief Executive Officer of the Medical Research Council (MRC), on Saturday informed journalists that his institution has protected 17, 000 children residing in The Gambia from the severe pneumococal disease.

“We prevented these children against severe pneumococal disease. During the study, only one serious side effect was registered at the injection site. It is a vaccine that is highly protected, and a vaccine that would save lives. As I said, it reduces admissions. It reduces the number of children who die from pneumococal disease,” Dr. Corah remarked.

The latter made these remarks following what he described as a randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial of the efficiency of 9-valent pneumococal conjugate vaccine against pneumococal disease (meningitis and sepsis) in Upper and Central River Divisions of The Gambia conducted by the MRC.

According to the MRC, The Gambia was chosen for the trial because of the high prevalence of pneumococal disease and an established surveillance programme. According to experts at the MRC, The Gambia has health challenges representative of much of the continent of Africa, although the prevalence of HIV infection is lower than in many African countries. Results from The Gambia can be taken as indication of the anticipated effect of the vaccine in other parts of the African continent. Pundits of the MRC opined that children who receive the vaccine in The Gambia trial had 15 percent fewer hospital admissions than those who did not, whilst pointing out that the vaccine was 77 percent effective in preventing infections caused by the nine infections caused by the nine serotypes included in the vaccine.

“Pneumococcus is a very big organism and we know that there are about ninety different types of pneumococus. When we say nine serotypes, what we mean is that nine of the commonest type of prevalence in our sub-region and particularly in developing countries were combined as a conjugate, as one vaccine which was given to these individuals. What this means is that we are directly protecting nine different types of pneumococcus which exist in the sub-region,” Dr. Corah remarked.

Experts at the MRC have it that this study is the first randomized, controlled vaccine trial in nearly 20 years to show a significant reduction in overall child mortality. They said the results of the trial indicated that routine pneumococal conjugate vaccination in developing countries could help achieve the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Dr. Richard Adegbola of the MRC said money for the procurement of the vaccines is available. He said a request should be made by The Gambia government for the vaccination to be made available by the Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunization. He said it is a life saving vaccine which is why authorities should not waste time to introduce the vaccine in The Gambia.

Pneumococal Meningitis is one of the deadliest childhood diseases. In developing countries, 40 – 75 % of the children who get the Pneumococal Meningitis die or suffer permanent disabilities. Untreated Pneumococal Pneumonia or Meningitis can quickly lead to death in a young child.

The bacterium, S Pneumonia is spread from one individual to another through close contact, most likely by small droplets, or saliva such as those produced by sneezing or coughing. Children and the elderly make up the largest number of carriers.

Pneumonia colonization of the upper respiratory tract is common among healthy children and, to a lesser extent, healthy adults. Studies have shown a wide range of colonization rates among children, with most studies generally showing over 70 % colonization rates in children in developing countries. According to WHO, Pneumococal Pneumonia and Meningitis are responsible for 1.6 billion deaths each year, even more than Malaria. And that more than 90 % of Pneumococal Pneumonia deaths in children occur in developing countries.



“IMPACT ASSESSEMNT OF LOANS NECESSARY,” SAYS HALIFA



By Abdoulie Dibba

During the adjournment debate, the Minority Leader and member for Serrekunda Central, Halifa Sallah, expressed great concern over the need to assess the impact of loans granted to the state by funding agencies for various development projects. He noted that this financial year D262 million has been approved for expenditure in the education sector. He went on to say that one of the institutions which have benefited immensely from loans for capacity building is the Department of State for Finance and Economic Affairs. D51 million was invested in its Capacity Building for Economic Management Programme in 2003, D198 million in 2004 and D140 million is projected for 2005. Halifa said that all these are loans, noting that out of the D51 million in 2003, D49 million was provided by the World Bank (IDA); in 2004, out of the D198 million, D191 million came from the World Bank and in 2005, out of the D140 million, D133 million from the World Bank. He pointed out that impact assessment is
 necessary and that the Select Committee on Project Monitoring needs to look into this as a lot of fund is going into management capacity building. He challenged his colleagues in the Select Committee on Project Monitoring to assess what impact Management Capacity Building is having in the real organization of the state and financial discipline. Halifa went further to indicate that for the same purpose, D57 million was invested in Agriculture in 2003, D127 million in 2004 and D110 million in 2005. He argued that these sums are coming from ADF, EFIT and Kuwaiti Fund. He noted the existence of the Integrated Rice Development Project noting that D8 million was invested in 2003, D28 million in 2004 and D27 million in 2005.

Regarding livestock development, peri-urban, horticulture and rural development D1 million was invested in 2003, D20 million in 2004 and D5 million in 2005. He stressed that these monies are going into the productive base of the economy but questioned the desire to achieve food self-sufficiency. Halifa reiterated that these amounts of wealth which are being spent are loans which have to be repaid. He then concluded that the Project Monitoring Committee needs to look into it.



IMMIGRATION DEPARTMENT CONFUTES CLAIM



The Immigration high command has refuted claims that officials of the aforesaid institution led by its Director General, Musa Mboob recently went to Germany to facilitate the deportation of people perceived to be Gambians who are seeking asylum in that country.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the Immigration Department, Chief Inspector Louis Mendy, the Director of Immigrations together with one Ida King and a staff of the Department of State for the Interior went to Germany on the invitation of the Swiss authorities. Every year, the Swiss authorities invited the Immigration officers from the African continent to go and identify their nationals.

According to the Immigration Spokesperson, out of sixty people interviewed by the Immigration team, only one of them identified himself as a Gambian. It is stated that he volunteered to be repatriated, but he is yet to be repatriated. The Immigration Spokesperson said the team that left for Germany had difficulty in establishing the nationalities of the interviewees. According to him, some of the interviewees identified themselves as Liberians, Senegalese, Congolese, Sierra Leoneans and Malians.

“People might have Gambian features, but that does not make them Gambian. They might also be in a position to speak our local languages but that does not make them Gambians,” the Immigration Spokesperson said.

PRO Mendy said Director General Mboob had informed the Swiss authorities that he had done his work with utmost professionalism and without biasness, whilst noting that the latter did inform them that if he had succeeded in establishing the nationalities of Gambians, he would have ensured that they were brought back home. But those interviewed identified themselves as non-Gambians.

The Immigration Spokesperson said the Director General of Immigration had informed the Swiss authorities that those interviewed did not have Gambian documents, and some of them were reluctant to speak to them. PRO Mendy noted that the Director General of Immigration did inform the Swiss authorities that there was no evidence to affirm that those interviewed were Gambians.

The Spokesperson of the Immigration Service said the fact that somebody is born in The Gambia does not make him a Gambian and that if somebody has an ID Card, that does not mean the person is qualified to have a Gambian passport. He said it is extremely difficult to establish who is a Gambian. He said it would be unfair for the Director General to jump to the conclusion that those interviewed are Gambians.



Another Cabinet Reshuffle

Below is a Press Release issued by the office of the President on the replacement of two new Secretaries of State.

In accordance with Sections 71 ( 1) and 71 (3) of the Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia, His Excellency the President, Alhaji Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh has with effect from today, 29th March 2005, appointed Colonel (Rtd) Baboucarr Jatta, former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces and Ambassador-Designate to Cuba, as Secretary of State for the Interior and Mrs. Neneh Macdouall-Gaye, Deputy Director General, GRTS, as Secretary of State for Trade, Industry and Employment. Colonel (Rtd) Jatta

assumes the portfolio of Interior from Mr. Samba Bah, who has been relieved of his appointment with effect from today, 29th March 2005, in accordance with Sections 71 (4)(b) and 71 (5) of the Constitution of the Republic of The Gambia.



His Excellency the President has also decided to rescind the reassignment of Mr. Sidi Morro Sanneh to the portfolio of Trade, Industry and Employment earlier announced and has relieved him of his appointment with effect from today, 29th March 2005, in

accordance with Sections 71 (4)(b) and 71 (5) of the Constitution.



In a further step to restructure portfolios, His Excellency the President has transferred responsibility for Religious Affairs to the Secretary of State for Youth and Sports.



Demolition of Stalls AT Brikama

Reaction of Vendors and BAC



By George Sambou

Over 20 stalls have been demolished at Brikama market by the Brikama Area Council

Narrating the incident, Amina Bojang disclosed that they were informed by the Area Council that they should vacate the affected area of the market as it was said to be very close to the Nawec                                                               transformer. According to her the next day they had all their stalls demolished. She went further to reveal that they were allocated a different place where the atmosphere is not conducive for business. She concluded by appealing to the Area Council to allocate them a better place.

On his part, Ebrima Jallow, another business man said that he was completely speechless when he heard about the Area Council’s decision to move them; that they should have been given enough time before taking such a harsh action against them. The sad looking businessman went further to point out that the Area Council authorities allocated them the said place after collecting tax from them and they are now asking them to move as if they were foreigners. Mr. Jallow concluded by calling on the government to intervene.

When contacted the PRO of Brikama Area Council, Serign Modou Joof confirmed the story, saying that they have come up with a project in order to develop the said place so that it will look attractive. Mr. Joof added that the said market vendors are currently allocated new stalls within the market.



AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY



DoSE UNDER THE MICROSCOPE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY



By Abdoulie Dibba

The National Assembly Select Committee on Education and Training undertook a tour of all the educational regions in the country. In delivering his report to the National Assembly, the Chairperson of the committee, Hon. Sulayman Joof, member for Serrekunda West, indicated that the objective of the tour was to enable the National Assembly members to visit schools in The Gambia to see what was happening on the ground, discuss and debate the findings at the National Assembly in order to pave the way forward in attaining accessible, quality and relevant education for all and in line with the MDGs. Hon. Joof said that the National Assembly members are keen to have inputs in the development of education as the representatives of the people and to execute the powers vested in them as legislators judiciously and effectively. Hon. Joof said in his report that the areas which were looked into in each institution among others included infrastructure (toilets, classrooms and other facilities),
 teaching - learning related activities and materials, the school administration and staffing.  Hon. Joof pointed out in his report that the most profound and fundamental problem discovered in all schools visited in Regions 3 and 4 is the inadequate supply of teachers though the number of qualified teachers is far greater than the number of unqualified in most of the schools visited.

“An indication of this,” Hon. Joof said, “is the number on the schools’ list of newly qualified teachers from the Gambia College who had not reported to the schools up to the first six weeks of the first term when they visited the schools. Hon. Joof went on to say that there are few female teachers in the schools visited and in some schools there are none. He argued that trained specialist teachers in technical and skills subjects are scarce and in some instances, not available. From the observations and discussions with the Heads of the schools visited (including Principals and their deputies) Hon. Joof said that even if all the newly appointed teachers were to report, the issue of inadequate staff will still persist; that although there are more qualified teachers than unqualified, in almost all the schools visited in those two regions, the situation would not be made any easier by the appointment of more unqualified teachers with good senior secondary results to fill the gaps.

Continuing his report, the Chairperson of the National Assembly Select Committee on Education and Training indicated that there are not enough teachers and classrooms in terms of subjects. “This situation as a whole”, Hon. Joof said, “has serious implications for teachers-pupils contact and for effective teaching-learning.

Ancillary Staff

Hon. Joof said that most of the schools visited in these two regions have paid caretakers, night watchmen and voluntary cooks and in addition to that the SSS and UBS have secretaries and bursars. However, he said that there are some schools with caretakers, cleaners who have worked for up to six or more years on voluntary basis and in other cases, schools either have inadequate number of caretakers / night watchmen, thus indicating lack of security in the schools.

On In-Service Training/Professional Development

Hon. Joof pointed out in the report that there is no regular structural in-service training for teachers in place even though most teachers reported attending capacity building workshops on professional development conducted at school level during national training days and a few at cluster levels within the regions organized by the Regional Education Departments (REDs).

On School Leadership

Hon. Joof said in his report that in most of the schools visited in those two regions, the heads and their deputies are on internal acting appointments (mostly without any allowance) and that there are some among them who are posted to schools which do not match their status; that Senior Masters in UBS and SSS are mostly acting and again without any allowance because these are internal arrangements.

“This report,” he said, “is a major concern for the affected teachers and is believed to have an adverse affect on their performance.” Hon. Joof went on to say that that shows that leadership in schools, key as it is in the process of service delivery, has serious gaps because the cadre of staff are not adequately prepared to handle such crucial responsibilities.

On Curriculum And Teaching Resources

Hon. Joof, the Chairperson of the committee in delivering the report, said that in almost all the schools visited in these two regions, textbooks (core textbooks), teachers’ guides and other resources for teaching and learning are in short supply particularly in the Lower Basic Schools; that pupils share textbooks; that up to three pupils share one set. The report went on to say that there is also shortage of chalk and other materials in most of the schools visited. Hon. Joof said that schools have not been supplied with registers and exercise books are used as temporal registers. Registers seem too scarce because some Heads of Upper Basic Schools reported that though they have the money to buy, registers cannot be found in the market. The report went on to say that Report Forms for Lower Basic Schools and Confidential Record Cards for the Upper Basic Schools are inadequate or not available and that supplies from REDs are late, inadequate or not forthcoming.

On Infrastructure

The report went on to indicate that in some of the schools visited, the condition of some of the classroom blocks are of poor standard and that the walls have started to crack with poor and dusty floors. The report indicated that there is inadequate furniture in almost all the schools visited although some of the furniture only need repair and maintenance. He continued to say that there are very acute cases of furniture shortage in some schools, with Kerr Pateh Basic Cycle School where the Grade One pupils sit on mats as a typical example. He indicated that such situations affect the schools’ enrolment.

See Next Issue For Continuation



IS A BY-ELECTION INEVITABLE?



Please allow me space in your newspaper.

I have read Issue No.22/2005 of Foroyaa from which I learnt that Dawda Bah, the former National Assembly Member for Nianija had been expelled from the APRC. You proceeded to show in that article that this meant that he would automatically lose his seat. You also said that a by-election should be held within 90 days in accordance with the law.

Some days later, I read in the Daily Observer that some APRC National Assembly Members wanted Mr. Bah to be accepted in the party as he was willing to repent. Suppose he is accepted, would it still be right to say that by-election is inevitable?

A Reader



Editor’s Comment

Yes, bi-election is inevitable within 90 days.

Two questions do arise: (a) Does a vacancy exist? (b) If a vacancy exists, how do you fill it?

Now, section 91 subsection 1 of the constitution states that “A member vacates his/her seat if he/she ceases to be a member of the political party of which he/she was a member at the time of his/her election.”

Mr. Dawda Bah became a member of the National Assembly by being elected under sponsorship of the APRC. Thus, on the day he was expelled, the Nianija seat in the National Assembly became vacant.

The next question is how one can occupy the already vacant seat. Is it by returning to the party that sponsored him/her? Certainly not. The law explicitly on this question.

According to the Elections Decree there shall be a By-election within 90 days after the seat became vacant, that is, within 90 days after the expulsion of Dawda Bah from APRC.

It follows that by-election is inevitable.



THE KUJABI BROTHERS RELEASED



By Surakata Danso

According to family sources the Kujabi brothers who had been under detention since January this year, were recently released. The three brothers are Abdoulie Kujabi, a former Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), James Kujabi, former Assistant Protocol Officer at the Office of the President and Ansumana Kujabi, an ex-farmhand at the President’s Kanilai farm.

Since their arrest on 11 January, 2005, the three have not been formally charged and arraigned before any court of law. They were detained at various places including the Mile Two Prisons, the NIA headquarters and the Sare Ngai Police Station in Upper River Division.



NEW COMMISSIONER FOR LRD



By Yaya Dampha

Mr. Lamin Manneh has replaced Mr. Duwa Jatta as Commissioner, Lower River Division. Until his recent appointment, Mr. Manneh was Assistant Commissioner, North Bank Division. The handing over was done last Saturday shortly before the former Commissioner left for Banjul. Mr. Manneh could not be reached for comments because he departed for North Bank shortly after the handing over in order to properly arrange himself. This development has come shortly after the Commission of Inquiry into the assets, properties and activities of public officers from the period 22nd July, 1994, to 22nd July, 2004, submitted their report to the President. In fact, a press release was issued days after this revealing that a host of public officers including a Divisional Commissioner had been dismissed. The release did not give the names of the pubic officers who had been dismissed.



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