THE   GAMBIA ;THE STATE OF THE NATION

Recently the president of the republic of the Gambia,Retired Colonel,Dr Abdul
Aziz Jaja Jemus Junkung Jammeh gave a beautiful speech at UN general
assembly,arguing among other things that the problem with Democracy in our
continent is partly due to the fact that the opposition parties are not given
their rightful place in national issues.This was highly applauded in this
forum,there were those who believed that this might spell a new era in the
political life of our nation.I am sceptical,such a sudden political about turn
at the UN does not reflect the realities at home,such a speech is not enough
to bring our nation to a new political era.It is a long way from New York to
the Gambia !had the president made such a speech at home in parliament,to the
Gambian people and appologise to Syncle Nyasse,Yussufa Cham and others who
have been seriously tortured,unlawfully arrested and detained,I would have
shared such optimism with my fellow brothers and sisters.If such a speech was
made in the Gambia,to the Gambian people,it would not only be welcome by the
opposition parties but also ordinary Gambian people who have been subjected to
 continues psychological warfare ,fear of been listen to,the fear that their
every move being watch, not only by the NIA but also the July 22 movement.Such
a situation will continue to weight heavy on the human rights records of our
country.I have all reasons to be sceptical,especially when I compare the
speech of the President at the UN and that of SOS Yankuba Touray in a recent
Jara APRC rally,it becomes clear to me that the speech of the president was
made for International consumption.We could read in the Daily Observe that the
SOS 

 "...urged the people of Jarra to emulate the people of Kombo,"whose
development priorities,"" he said,"are almost exhausted due to their loyalty
to the government of the day."
Even though the SOS is speaking as if Jarra and the Kombos are two nations
apart,that the Kombos getting better off ,we know that the concrete realities
on the ground are of another story ,but one thing is certain,this is in total
contradiction with what the president said at the UN national assembly about
the rightful place of the opposition in a democratic country.Here people are
told that if they want to register any development in their area then they
should be voting for the APRC and be loyal to her government.Well,when
ordinary Gambians do pay their tax,they are not ask which political party they
belong to and these tax monies are what is expected to be used for national
development.Why then should the development of their area be link with their
political loyalty.
In deed it was heart breaking to learn how ordinary Gambians are subjected to
police harassment at the Denton Bridge for not producing ID card ,it is said
that when ordinary Gambians failed to do so,that is, to produce an ID
card,they are not only detained for hours but sometimes subjected to
humiliating act,like "Monkey Dance".A Gambian human rights lawyer insisted
that this is unlawful and Gambians should not condone it.The SOS in responding
to such a criticism,was quoted as saying that it is lawful and any body who
failed to produce an ID Card when asked to do so could be fine or face a jail
sentence.But what the SOS failed to understand is that the intention of the
law is not that security officers are assigned by the law to stand at Denton
Bridge and ask for an ID card.The intention of the law is to give security
officers the possibility to confirm the identity of individual  who might ,for
example be suspected of committing a crime or about to commit a crime etc as
the human rights lawyer rightly indicated.You can never take a person to court
only for not been able to produce an ID Card.In any serious law of court the
circumstances that warranted the demand for the individual to produce an ID
card will be the most important element in the case,I have my doubts if any of
those subjected to police harassment at Denton Bridge will ever be fine or
jail for not producing an ID card by a court of law.
And just listen to this ;
"Sources at the Public Health Department at the Medical and Health in Banjul
have confirmed that the issuing of Gambian birth certificates has come to an
abrupt halt due to financial constraints to meet the printing cost of the
certificates." 
How can a government that is unable to provide her citizens with birth
certificates claimed to have the right to take them to court for not producing
an ID card ?Our nation is in trouble and she needs an urgent attention.The
trouble is not only that we are in-need of drugs for our hospitals or papers
to print our birth certificates but also to improve our human rights records.A
journalist who was recently arrested and detained for reporting a rumour of a
said shorting episode at Kanilia has this to say ;
"They took all what I had on, from trousers, shirt, shoes, watch and ring. I
was left with only my under-pants. I had to sleep on a bare floor and the
stench of the cell was unbearable and offensive. Throughout my 28 hours stay I
had only a cup of water to put in my stomach,....I was not charged with any
offence. I think I did not deserve  the maltreatment meted to me,'' 
You cannot build a nation by imposing fear in the minds of the people.You
cannot talk of democracy at international forum when in your own country the
demand for it is much more greater.The president should in practise and not
only with words show that the opposition has a role to play in national
development.In his recent interview with the "Voice OF America",the president
said that must of the opposition against his regime is coming from the USA and
from people whose "Picnic" was brought to an end by the july coup.Well those
who were reported to have taken part in the Washinton demonstration by a
Gambian newspaper(weekend Obsever)are people known to this forum.Ousainou
Mbenga and Sofie Ceesay are not people known to have entertained the PPP
regime but have been consistent in their opposition against all forms of
oppression and exploitation of the Gambain masses.If president Jammeh did not
know this there are people closer to him who know better.Who is he
fooling,himself ?the Gambian people ? or the international forum again ?
We would not let our nation to be taken over by Islamic fundamentalist.We have
seen  how they have strengthen their position under APRC regime,any opinion
that is different from theirs is foreign and  un- Islamic.Even religious
leaders who have the Gambia at their hearts ,who have no reason to entertain
religious antagonism,have been attack and accused of been in the service of
satan by these Islamic fundamentalist.The religious tolerance in our country
should not be allow to be geopardise by these disgruntled elements whose
ambitions,as they proclaimed is to declare the Gambia and Islamic state,their
ideas are so old fashion that they should be place in a museum and it only
there they are safe to be place.
The number of school children who are sent home for not been able to pay
school fees are too many.Why build more schools if they only end up been empty
?
We know how much our health sector is depending on foreign donation and
mercy.We have enough resources to build a modern army but to take care of the
health of the people must be left in the hands of foreign donations and
goodwill.Recently we had how the government was able to lobby with the Cuban
government to reduce the Salary of Cuban doctors in the Gambia,but we are yet
to hear that the president and his cabinet ministers have agreed to reduce
their salaries which is much more than what the Cubans doctors are earning in
the Gambia.It will be more than great if the government decides that they will
no more buy arms,they will reduce the budget of the army so as to be able to
buy drugs for our hospitals and give the children a better education.
A government that is committed to national development will always give
examples for the rest of the nation to follow.Sacrificing for your nation will
be a priority,more so in a poor country like the Gambia,but gathering wealth
and privileges is no way forward for national development.
We have a president who said he is a farmer,gathering people at his farm with
all forms of entertainment is no way forward for national development.The
problem of our nation has never been that people have not been engaging in
farming.The president knows that more than 60 % of the Gambian population are
farmers.The number of acres he is farming on will continue to be a dream for
ordinary farmers in the Gambia.The first thing he should ask himself is that,
how is it possible that he as the president and part time farmer has been able
to farm on so big a land and  have so great a harvest,is he a better farmer
than the majority of the Gambian farmers ?the fact is that the  reality of
Gambian farmers who are not able to sell their products ,are different from
that of the  president.Had they had the same opportunity as he,then he will
not tell us about his farm.He as the president is not a full time farmer,if he
could produce better than those whose entire life depend on farming,then there
must be something wrong with the system.
It is time to save our nation,and it is our responsibility to do so,we must
not remain indifferent to what is happening at home,we owe it to our
children,to our belove country and to history.We must not enter the next
century as passive onlookers."six Feet deep" must not be any excuse for
choosing to be silence,it is our nation and we alone can make a difference in
the country.

For Freedom

Saiks









____________________________________________________________________
Get your own FREE, personal Netscape WebMail account today at http://webmail.netscape.com.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------