As GNA chief speaks of disciplined soldiers Gambian opposition praise the army Says its neutrality could allay public mistrust A high-profile member of the opposition has praised the army for what he called its remarkably professional conduct as a neutral force as the run-up to the October 18 polls winds to a close. Lamin Waa Juwara who has built a reputation as a career critic of the APRC administration said he has only praises for members of the army whom he believes have been transformed into matured citizens in view of their aloof stance on Gambian politics. He said after five years since the return to democracy, the army has kept what he called a studied distance from politics, giving much credit to the election process. Mr. Juwara pointed out that this situation is all the more remarkable against the backdrop of seething political animosity between supporters of the ruling party and members of the main opposition coalition over the last few weeks. He said it was refreshing that the army has refrained from “dabbling” in politics as a conscious attempt to improve the image of the institution which has suffered over the years following past confrontations between soldiers and members of the opposition. He said the changing trend in the army could allay common fears and assuage public bitterness caused by the spate of political violence that had characterized much of the period leading to the 1996 elections when there were reports of soldiers openly supporting the ruling APRC and deploying heavy-handedness on the civilian population. Soldiers had brandished or hoisted APRC flags and jogged around the urban area, celebrating the party’s victory. However, Mr. Juwara believes that the current comportment of members of the army is suggesting a clean break with the past. But Juwara who is the propaganda secretary of the United Democratic Party said “The Gambia National Army was not created out of nothing but was used by Yahya Jammeh for his coup.” He accused the president of betraying the army by using it to topple a democratically elected administration and setting the stage to amass wealth. He said the betrayal was complete after President Jammeh allegedly refused to go back to barracks, abandoning his colleagues there with their uniforms. Waa Juwara also cited what he called the exemplary nature of members of the Malian army notably Amadou Toumani Toure who relinquished power after overthrowing Moussa Toure who had ruled that country for many years. He holds that if members of the Gambian army could be aloof from politics, Gambians would build confidence around its members. In his reaction the Army Chief of Staff Colonel Baboucarr Jatta attributed the situation to an improved police competence in handling incidents, which has made the intervention of the army unnecessary. He said for the first time in many years the police was being led by an Inspector General who could take decisive actions and give little cause for members of the army to get involved with civilians. The army chief also pointed out that because of police complacency and inefficiency in the past, the army has been required to take to the streets to restore order in the events of disturbances, which the police could not quell. Colonel Jatta also opined that the role of the army has been misunderstood over the years as people thought its members were more in the service of individuals than the state. He maintained that the army would maintain its apolitical role as an institution for nation-wide security. He said has reminded his men of the criticality of the election period and advised them to perform their duties accordingly as “loyalists to the state.” The Colonel was also at pains to assure Gambians that the army would remain in barracks on October 18 when Gambians go to the polls to choose between five presidential candidates. He said that Gambians in turn should be law-abiding and peaceful to avoid situations leading to a break down of law and order. The colonel also pointed out that a common understanding between the army and all political parties had been reached to allow for a peaceful election process to as he put it augment democracy and the rule of law. He believes that it was important to “exploit dialogue” with a view to achieving a durable compromise from conflicting interests than to encourage the politics of confrontation. Responding to questions about the nationality of some members of the army, Colonel Jatta said “as soldiers we are better screened than any other Gambian in view of the sensitivity of our role as Gambians.” He said it was highly unlikely that non-Gambians would slip the net to become Gambian soldiers. On the fate of Corporal Mbemba Manneh who was recently caught casting a fake cheque at the First International Bank, the army chief disclosed that the fugitive soldier was being kept at the Military Police awaiting the possibility of a court marital. He said the Corporal’s behaviour was indefensible under the circumstances and needed to be punished. “Soldiers should be role-models in society,” he said. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>