Fwd It Is Not Enough Only To Dismiss Says APRC Youth Leader The Independent <http://www.qanet.gm/Independent/independent.html> (Banjul) June 9, 2000 By Biram SaidyBah Banjul - Omar Beyai the secretary to the APRC youth wing of Serrekunda west has argued that it was not enough only to dismiss wrongdoers, working with the government without charging them for their acts. During an exclusive interview with The Independent at his residence, following the report over BBC recently that since Jammeh came to power, he had sacked almost 40 cabinet ministers. 'It is interesting to note that those sacked during this period are always seen with fancy cars around town after they have been sacked. They live more luxurious lifestyles', he claimed. He recommended that so long as they are sacked for doing wrong, they should face commissions of inquiry to recover state funds if they are involved in instances of mismanagement. He cited the period immediately following the overthrow of the PPP regime when its officials were not spared from appearing in any commission of inquiry. He expressed fear that people appointed in offices could loot enough with the realisation that the only punishment for them is only a sack. He urged the head of state to be mindful of such elements within the government whom he described as 'opportunists.' On the student riot Mr. Beyai in a marathon speech condemned the riot itself and the killing, observing that justice must take its course. 'Whosoever is responsible for the act should dance to the tune' he suggested. He described both the people who ordered the shooting and those who executed the orders as murderers. He recommended the need for the commission to clear this issue so that the culprits are brought to book. He said whether this incident would degrade the ruling APRC party, Mr. Beyai said it has nothing to do with his party. He argued that his APRC party was never behind the riot and it would be unfair to blame it for the unfortunate act. He described the riot as a national concern and that it was not confined to any party as those affected are from all parties of the country. Mr. Beyai also spoke on his party's stance about a coalition of opposition political parties as happened in neighbouring Senegal. He noted that such coalition is not possible in The Gambian context since there was a vast difference in the ideologies of the opposition parties. He said in addition to the difference in ideologies, it is also going to be difficult for opposition parties in The Gambia to come together, observing that leadership crisis may arises between their leaders. He pointed out that the coalition process in Senegal is 'cracking' down because of party differences. On the failure of the co-operation movement Mr. Beyai said it is a national problem not a party one. He argued that the failure of many projects in the country is not uncommon and so the co-operative movement could not be seen as an exception. He blamed the National Assembly for failing to act at the right time. 'If this assembly is always talking about project failures, what are they doing as representatives of the people' he queried. He recommended that National Assembly members should set up committees to take care of the projects 'than just sitting in office talking about project failures.' He said the reason for representing the people in parliament was to represent them in the most articulate way, caring for their resources and making sure that these resources are put to good use. On whether he was confident that his party would win the 2001 general elections with it being blamed for some national problems, the confident looking youth answered in the affirmative. He noted that his party was the only one that could lead The Gambia forward. H e expressed confidence that his council is going to be controlled by the APRC party. He also noted that it is left to the people whether he will be a candidate in the elections. He urged youth to avoid entirely depending on government for employment but advised that instead young people should engage themselves in self-employment if the need arises. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------