Mo
I see no sense in forcing them to the fields when government cannot afford
to by their agricultural products.

Matarr



>From: Momodou Camara <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: FWD:President Jammeh's Agricultural Mobilization Faulted
>Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 16:41:21 -0500
>
>President Jammeh's Agricultural Mobilization Faulted
>http://allafrica.com/stories/200307140533.html
>
>The Independent (Banjul)
>NEWS
>July 14, 2003
>Posted to the web July 14, 2003
>Banjul
>
>The situation surrounding an edict from President Jammeh, banning all
>football activities in the countryside during the rainy season to mobilise
>the youths to the farms and boost agricultural production has been likened
>to forced labour.
>
>In a disparaging statement issued to the press last week the Coalition of
>Human Rights Defenders (The Gambia) condemned the president for what it saw
>as his attempt to force people to take up farming against their will,
>arguing that such a crass tactic could only be tantamount to forced labour,
>which is a flagrant violation of the country's constutition and contravenes
>international human rights standards. The coalition was reacting to reports
>that youths in Gunjur village in the Lower River Division were fined D2,
>500 or in default three months imprisonment by a district tribunal for not
>heeding instructions from government authorities to cease all nawettan
>footballing activities and take up farming. Chief Seyfo Fafanding Kinteh
>last week handed down the punitive sentence on the youths, saying they were
>defying a presidential order not to play football in the rainy season.
>
>Reacting just a day after the verdict, the Coalition of Human Rights
>Defenders reminded the president and his government that The Gambia must be
>governed by the rule of law through the democratic process and that any
>circumstance to circumvent this process will only lead to the conclusion
>that the country is effectively under a dictatorship.
>
>Although the coalition believes that the ultimate goal for President
>Jammeh's anti-nawettan declarations may be honourable, the means with which
>his administration expects to draw young people to the farms are unorthodox
>and without legal basis and therefore could only infringe upon their basic
>rights of association and freedom of choice. " We believe that there is no
>basis in law for such pronouncements or indeed any that may encourage the
>violation of human rights no matter what the ultimate goal may be" the
>coalition statement outlined. It indicated that if such tendencies were
>allowed to take root, The Gambia would effectively be a dictatorship
>characterised by forced labour.
>
>"We call upon the government of The Gambia to take all appropriate measures
>to redress this situation in Gunjur village and to take all steps to ensure
>that the fundamental rights of all Gambians are respected at all times" the
>statement pointed out.
>
>Meanwhile the Commissioner of the Lower River Suwareh Jabai instructed the
>police commissioner in the area to make sure that no footballing activities
>take place there in the span of the rainy season. He told reminded chiefs
>of their responsibility to uphold President Jammeh's declaration that no
>football tournaments should be held while the rainy season lasts.
>
>
>
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>Copyright © 2003 The Independent. All rights reserved. Distributed by
>AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
>
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