In my last posting,i promised to continue the comment i started on women ,politics and gender issues.I will begin with bringing you the interview of Mrs Isatou Touray a leading gender activist made wednesday Nov.2000 following the attack on the alledged"sex workers" in pubs and hotels. Mrs Touray was speaking at the Gamcotrap office and said."gambian women are always subjected to mental and physical torture,which is a gross violation of their fundamental rights."she went on, they are part of the state,they have a right,and being single does not mean you are a sex worker.you have a freedom to live and entaintain and enjoy your life as and when you like it.That does not mean you are doing sex work and in any case,it takes both men and women to sex work,Mrs Touray lamented. "I think there are certain things that are going on in this country today with regards to women lives and that is any group can just get up and say these women are involved in skin bleaching and these women are putting on short dresses.There individual rights,their sexual rights,their individuality is being undermined,their existence is being eroded,"she said. Mrs.Touray complained that gambian women are being marginalised even though they constitute 51 percent of the population.she said women have been contributing to all aspects of the socio-economic development of the country but complained about the slow pace of justice in case involving women. Finally,she said"women are being threatened and i am telling you that every gambian woman for that matter is threantened and is actually thinking of something else.I wonder if these would not be translated into negative votes in the next coming elections,women have right to self-determination"she concluded. You see,the real words of of the gambian women but not the discrepancy and lies that Kebba is trying to bring.the rhetoric of the APRC govrnment and the actual practice concerning women is different.Many women are repulsed by the hypocrisy involved.The cheap propaganda on APRC-women in politics that Kebba is trying to frame is neither at home nor in any gambian society today. Yahya Jammeh's misogynist propaganda against women has been known to every honest gambian.He has on many ocassions insulted gambian women publicly on TV and Radio and this is an open secret.He is the first president to jail women for skin bleaching and his government is one and only dirty govrnment that has tortured women on their private parts in the present of three secretaries of state Yankuba Touray,Edward Singhateh and Kabba Bajo on september 22nd,1996 at the Denton Bridge during an attacked on UDP entourage. This government is not at all committed to "practical feminism"reform causes in promoting skills and financial resources to build up network of good works onbehalf of mothers,children and abandoned infants. As i am writing today,many mothers cannot pay for their children's school fees as a result their children are with them at home but not in school and Kebba you think that is the government out to help women,please,let be serious about issues. BELOW IS UDP VIEWS ON WOMEN AND POLITICS The lack of women's political participation is a very barrier to genuine democracy.If women are not present at policy and decision making levels,there is a democractic deficit.Decision taken without women's perspective lack credibility in a democratic context.Therefore,by their participation women broaden the democratic arena. UDP believed democracy is the free expression of opinion..democracy is a collection of values-respect for the opinion of others,torerance and dialogue.Women participation by expounding and developing these values,begining within the family and passing through the nation,to apply them in a general manner to the social world. UDP is committed to the principle six of the declaration of democracy which states that"democracy is inseparable from the rights set forth in the international instruments"these include the universal declaration of human rights,the international convenant of civil and political rights,and the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women. Jobe it is easier for you to say what is not going on here on the L than facing the reality.Notwithstanding,to your postings to the contrary,there is no evidence that UDP is what you and Yahya feel it is.For that matter,most of your postings are politically incorrect. Saihou --- Kebba Jobe <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > The likes of you Bamba Lying and Olly mboge don'y > get it. Self denial is > becoming some of you. You will not help your cause > by failing to point out > to the party that you support when they make > blunders. Any right thinking > person, not myopic idiots like your lot, will know > that for the UDP to stand > any chance of being elected to office needs support > from all sections of > society. If the UDP wants to have a DIGITAL Gambia > or campaign on a digital > platform, ie either you are with us or you are > against us, then I'm afraid > call it day. Of the many questions being asked by > some in your camp > concerning your current exercise, tell me whose > concerns have so far been > addressed. Six months before presidential elections > and the UDP has still > failed to give any clear cut program of action or > make their manifesto > available to your members. If you ask me for example > what I think the APRC's > priorities would be, I can safely tell you that they > will continue to invest > in Education, Health, Agriculture and the marketing > of our produce. If you > ask me their strategy, I can safely tell you that > they will constantly the > voters that they slowly but surely delivering what > they've promised. How > about you lot? Ask me about the UDP strategy, and I > will tell you that they > continue their negative campaign without telling us > specifically what they > will for us in return for giving them the mandate to > lead us. For God's sake > wake up you lot! Ask any madman in our streets about > PDOIS will do, and they > will most probably tell you that they will invest > heavily in fisheries and > agriculture. Get the drift? > > Have a nice slumber and bye 4Now, KB Jobe. > > > > > >----Original Message Follows---- > >From: maimuna kujabi <[log in to unmask]> > >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing > list > > ><[log in to unmask]> > >To: [log in to unmask] > >Subject: Re: CALLOUS UDP. > >Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 15:00:09 -0000 > > > >folks, Mr. Callous Kebba Jobe is out of touch with > reality. Mr. Jobe > > >wakeup > >and smell the coffee perhaps that may help in > opening your heart and >mind > >to > >come to terms with reality. My advice to you is to > avoid intellectual > >dishonesty on the forum because you are dealing > with honest >intellectuals > >who will not hesitate to tell you in your face that > you are a real >fool > >who > >reads upside down. Thanks, Maimuna Kujabi. > > > > > >From: saihou Mballow <[log in to unmask]> > >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing > list > ><[log in to unmask]> > >To: [log in to unmask] > >Subject: Re: CALLOUS UDP. > >Date: Sun, 13 May 2001 01:25:20 -0700 > > > > For the past six years gambian women have been > >subjected to both mental and physical torture by > this > >despotic regime.The most recent revelation came > from > >Mrs Isatou Touray,a leading gender activist.I refer > >you to the Daily Observer published on > >wednesday,November 1st,2000. > > > >To be continued: > >Saihou > > > >--- Kebba Jobe <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > BACKGROUND. > > > > > > During the past few years there has been a lot > of > > > gender sensitization in > > > schools and the media, both print and > audio-visual. > > > In the print media > > > respected ladies like Adelaide Sosseh Gaye, > Satang > > > Joberteh, Juka Jabang, > > > sarah Grey-Johnson etc, contribute to the > opinion > > > column of the Daily > > > observer, enlightening people about the need to > > > recognize that the > > > development of the country cannot be left in the > > > hands of men only. Like I > > > said earlier, it is just a pity that our online > > > don't put online the opinion > > > columns. Then you would have had a better > picture > > > than the one I am > > > painting. > > > > > > Anyway, in addition to this, there is an > ongoining > > > programme whereby young > > > school girls are "twinned' with established > ladies > > > who achieved something > > > for themselves despite all the odds against > them. > > > The idea is for these kids > > > to make supervised visits to the place of work > of > > > these people as well as > > > their homes to enable them to see that education > is > > > as important to ladies > > > as it is to men. They can also see for > themselves > > > that being a professional > > > lady does not in any way affect your role as a > wife > > > and a mother. > > > > > > There has also been a lot debates to encourage > > > ladies to go into politics > > > and for the political parties to introduce some > form > > > of affirmative action > > > to encourage them. There have even been calls > for > > > some sort of quota for > > > women in the national assembly to kickstart the > > > process of women's active > > > participation in politics. > > > > > > THE UDP CALLOUSNESS. > > > > > > When the UDP propaganda secretary was asked > about > > > his opinion of these > > > ongoing activities, he replied that WOMEN HAVE > NO > > > REASON TO COMPLAIN. When > > > asked about his opinion of gender equality and > the > > > participation of women in > > > politics, he said "When we talk about gender > > > equality, this has nothing to > > > do with participation of women as professional > > > politicians. The decision of > > > someone to go into politics as a profession > depends > > > on the individual and, > > > there is no gender bias attached to it at all". > > > According to him, there > > > exists no party for males only. He accused our > women > > > educatinists of > > > "SCHEMING TO BE NOMINATED INSTEAD OF PUTTING A > > > FIGHT. > > > > > > With elections expected in less than 6 months > from > > > now and with more than > > > half our population being women, what sort of > > > stupidity and callousness > > > would you call this? While the APRC is wooing > the > > > women voters by > > > establishing a special scholarship fund for > girls, > > > special credit schemes > > > for our women farmers, appointment of qualified > > > professional ladies to key > > > possitions in government such as the secretary > > > General of the civil service, > > > Auditor General, Director of SIMA vocational > > > training centre, Director of > > > MDI, the vice president, deputy speaker and > other > > > secretaries of state, the > > > UDP propaganda secretary is instead antagonizing > > > them. In his opinion, > > > "there will be absolutely no room in the > interest === message truncated === __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Yahoo! 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