Thanks 4 the Gambia Bro Karl >From: Prince Obrien-Coker <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Is Our National Assembly "Lubricated"? >Date: Sat, 24 Jun 2000 11:27:19 +0200 > >Sisters and Brothers, > >Events are dramatically unfolding in the so-called "Crude Oil Saga". It has >since emerged that Yaya Jammeh used some the proceeds of crude oil given to >the people of the Gambia to finance his presidential campaign in 1996. This >in itself is not at all surprising, since it is a well-known fact that Yaya >Jammeh is depleting our merger resources for his personal exaltation. What >is astonishing about all this, is the attitude of some members of our >National Assembly. > >When a National Assembly is ineffective in its dealings, the nation is >bound to go to "Kingdom Come". Since the Gambia claims to have a >constituent assembly, it is the honest and impartial duty of every elected >person to represent and safeguard the interest of his or her constituents >in Parliament. But reports emerging are giving the impression that our >National Assembly is more a partisan gathering to defend the selfish >interest of Yaya Jammeh and not that of the people. > >What puzzles me, and I think many Gambians, is that most of these >parliamentarians embraced Yaya Jammeh because he came out strongly against >the corruption of Jawara's government. But now that the very Yaya Jammeh >who spoke so vehemently against those corrupt practices is, himself, >entangled in what he condemned, the people's deputation are dallying in >factional politics. > >The Crude Oil Issue should transcend all political affiliations. It is of >national concern. It is the duty of all those given the mandate to >represent the Gambian people to see to it that all proceeds from that oil >"deal" or any other deal, go into the national coffers. The National >Assembly is the only institution, in our constitution, that can prevent >what Christian H. Beddies of the IMF calls "inappropriate fiscal and >monetary policies" and what the man in the street knows simply as thieving. > >Parliament is supposed to be the rod, ruler and rudder of good governance, >but when its members are negligent of their duties, it can transform a >nation to a circus of mismanagement, misappropriation, "miseverything" and >instability. Worst of all, it can also produce a despot who, because of the >inertia of some members of parliament, believes that he is a demigod. >Leaders like Idi Amin, Nana Boukassa, Joseph Mabuto, Adolph Hitler and Papa >Doc were made what they turned out to be, by the ineptitude of their >parliaments. Judging from Yaya's track record, he is rapidly approaching >those leaders. The only people who can peacefully prevent the Gambia from >such degeneration are our members Parliament. These people somewhat >underestimate the power the people invested on them. They somehow failed to >realise that they are Yaya Jammeh's makers. Whatever Yaya Jammeh is doing >or not doing, in the Gambia today, our members of parliament are directly >responsible. It is hard to believe that these members of Parliament >approved of everything that Jammeh does, including the slaughtering of so >many young children. > >The loyalty of a Secretary of State (SOS) is not to be compared with that >of an elected Member of Parliament (MP), albeit from the same political >party. An SOS is and should be loyal to the one who gave him the post. An >SOS is answerable only to the President or some obscure parliamentary >committee, but not directly to the people. The SOS could be hired today and >fired tomorrow, as Jammeh has so often demonstrated. > >An MP, on the other hand, is elected by the people to represent them in >parliament. His allegiance should undoubtedly be to those who cast their >votes for him. It had been the habits of past MP's to promise the >electorate before an election and then forget them after entering >parliament. The fate of those MP's should be a sound reminder to those who >are in the National Assembly today. There were in the past year some >unpleasant developments where MP's were embarrassingly indifferent to the >plight of the people. The best examples that came to mind are the recent >treatment of our hard working farmers by the government and the merciless >slaughtering of innocent children. Right now, government officials are >coercing these poor farmers to pay their rates and taxes with money they >never received. To hear the APRC's Jarra-Central MP, Foday Lang Sarr, >saying that his people were not interested in Yaya Jammeh's involvement in >the crude oil affair, my heart went to the poor farmers in his >constituency. The insensitivity that this MP shows towards his very people, >seems to be typical of the National Assembly > >We can write and say anything about the ineffective and corrupt government >of Sir Dawda Jawara, but farmers have never been so hard up in his time >than what is at present happening in the Gambia. Yet I have not heard a >single comment against the treatment of these poor and hard working >farmers, from some of our members of parliament. In fact, more people have >been killed in the six years that Yaya Jammeh is in office than the whole >thirty years Jawara's corrupt regime. The National Assembly CAN and SHOULD >put a stop to this Yaya's senselessness. > >In an interview with the magazine "WEST AFRICA" in January of 1997, Yaya >Jammeh said "We are here to deliver the goods to the people and not to take >from the people". A notion he repeated many times in that interview. In >retrospect, one could see that Yaya was doing exactly the opposite of what >he was telling the journalist and also about that time the questions of the >Taiwan Millions were still unanswered. Now that the accusations are the >same as the Missing Taiwan Millions, still some members of parliament are >toying with the issue, in such a way that people are wondering whether some >of these members are not partakers of the "oil money". Well, if it is so, >then it would not be wrong to call our parliament "A Lubricated National >Assembly", where most members are "smeared" with the CRUDE OIL. > >I, therefore, call on all members of the National Assembly to exercise >their mandate on Monday 26th June, to get to the bottom of the matter. The >activities of Yaya Jammeh's regime is sinking our nation into an abyss. It >is therefore the duty of all Gambia loving member of Assembly to act >positively to stop Yaya's destructive practices. > >THE GAMBIA DESERVES BETTER. > >======================== > >4 THE GAMBIA > >For The Gambia, our homeland >We strive and work and pray, >That all may live in unity, >Freedom and peace each day. >Let justice guide our actions >Towards the common good, >And join our diverse peoples >To prove man's brotherhood. > >We pledge our firm allegiance, >Our promise we renew; >Keep us, great God of nations, >To The Gambia ever true. > >Prince Coker > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html > >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------