Dr. Katim Touray: Find below the amended petition. By the way, I received few suggestions, and tried my best to incorporate them into the final version. George Sarr: Is it possible to have this petition signed and sent to the new USA Ambassador electronically, like we did in the case of Dr Stovall? We should take note of the fact that the elections are around the corner. Thanks in advance, and keep up the good work you are doing. Ebrima Ceesay _____________________________________________________________________ Dear Ambassador McDonald, First, congratulations on your recent confirmation by the US Senate as the US Ambassador to the Republic of The Gambia. Your nomination by President Bush, and confirmation by the Senate, is testimony of your notable career with the US Foreign Service, and we wish you a successful tenure as US Ambassador to The Gambia. Second, we would like to express our sincere condolences and heartfelt sympathies to you, the US government, and American people on the tragic deaths and injuries caused by the terrorist attacks on the US on September 11th. Like the tens of other countries around the world, The Gambia also lost some of her finest citizens. For this reason, we understand the pain and suffering these terrible attacks have visited on the American people, and indeed all civilized peoples around the world. The terrorist attacks also emphasize the importance of people all over the world working toward a better, more peaceful, and equitable world. In this regard, your appointment as the US Ambassador to The Gambia is especially timely given that Gambians will be going to the polls later this month to elect their President. It is our sincere hope that you will be able to use your good offices to strengthen ties between the US and The Gambia to the mutual benefit of citizens of both countries. As has been demonstrated in many African countries, the development of democratic institutions and values is of paramount importance to economic, social, and political progress. For this reason, we are writing as Gambians and friends of The Gambia to express our concerns about the present political atmosphere in the Gambia, and to seek your help in improving it during your tenure as US Ambassador to The Gambia. Since President Jammeh came to power in a military coup in July 1994, he has instituted a government which has little regard for human rights, democracy and the rule of law. The human rights situation in The Gambia continues to be an area of grave concern to Gambians and to the international community. President Jammeh has stated publicly that "anyone bent on disturbing the peace and stability of the nation will be buried six feet deep." Ordinary citizens, ex-security personnel, journalists and politicians have all been subjected to human rights abuses, such as arbitrary detention, and torture by Gambian authorities. Indeed, annual reports from the US State Department, and Amnesty International have consistently pointed out gross and continuing violations of human rights by the Jammeh government. One example of the Jammeh government's disrespect for human rights is the killing of at least fourteen young students and a journalist (Omar Barrow) by Gambian security forces when they opened fire on a peaceful student demonstration in April, 2000. The students were protesting the death of their fellow student, Ebrima Barry, from injuries sustained when he was detained by agents of the government. Not only did the Jammeh government refuse to accept responsibility for the deaths of the students, they also defaulted on paying for the medical treatment of injured students sent to Egypt. Subsequently, the students were repatriated to The Gambia before the completion of their medical treatment. President Jammeh has continued to ignore the plight of women in Gambian society. He has indicated publicly that he is not against Female Genital Mutilation, and the public official who committed rape on a twelve year old girl from Brikama Ba, has never been brought to justice. As the presidential, and National Assembly elections approach, President Jammeh and the APRC are using every trick in the book to stay in power. Already, there have reports that they issued Gambian Identity Cards to non-Gambians to enable them to get a Gambian voter's card. In December 2000, President Jammeh dismissed the Chairman of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), in violation of the Constitution, and in a bid to make the Commission more favorable to him, and the APRC. It is thus not surprising that the IEC has not only refused to count votes on the spot, but also decided against allowing Gambians abroad to cast their votes. All in the name of lack of funds, even though the Jammeh government paid about one million dollars for the services of a public relations firm in Washington, DC. Recently, President Jammeh's government expelled Mr. Joshi Bharat, the British Deputy High Commissioner, from The Gambia, simply because Mr Bharat attended a meeting of a coalition of three opposition parties. In return, the British Government also expelled The Gambia's Deputy High Commissioner, Mrs Fatou A.K. Njie, from the United Kingdom. It is fait to say that Gambian diplomatic relations with Great Britain are seriously strained. President Jammeh and his cronies are also corrupt, and blatantly so. In April, 1999, Chantrils SA successfully sued The Gambia government in London's High Court for breach of contract. According to court documents, Chantrils contracted to sell, for twenty US cents per barrel, twenty thousand barrels of Nigerian crude oil a day on behalf of The Gambia, and deposit the initial payment, and proceeds in a Swiss bank account. The trial in London concluded with a fine against the Gambia government, even though from all indications, it never received any proceeds from the sale of the crude oil. During the seven years he has been the Gambian head of state, President Jammeh has had dealings with, and been close to many unscrupulous people. For example, Mr. Baba Jobe, an adviser to President Jammeh, was last June listed by the United Nations as an arms trafficker, and barred by UN Resolution 1343 (2001) on Liberia from entering and/or transiting through UN member states. Although the Gambian government wrote to protest Mr. Jobe's inclusion in the UN list, it is obvious that President Jammeh has, in Mr. Jobe, an international pariah and criminal as his adviser. Recently, there have been reports in the Gambian and international press that the Jammeh government has been involved with one Clark Enslin, who reportedly promised to transfer several millions of dollars to an account in New York to fund President Jammeh's election campaign. In return, Mr. Enslin would be appointed as Gambia's Ambassador-At-Large and Trade Attaché, and presumably be accorded the rights to travel with diplomatic immunity. If the allegations are true, this would not be the first time that President Jammeh has given Gambian diplomatic passports to rich, unscrupulous people. A few years ago, Malian businessman Foutanga Dit Babanding Sissoko, who started Gambia-based Dabia airlines was awarded Gambian citizenship, and provided a Gambian diplomatic passport by the Jammeh government. Mr. Sissoko's airline has since folded, and furthermore, he was charged in 1997 with bribing a US customs officer. He ultimately pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of offering a "gratuity" to the customs office, and was sentenced to four months in prison. Sir, in the light of the dismal record of President Jammeh's government, we urge you to, during your tenure as US Ambassador to The Gambia, help ensure the stability in the following ways: 1. Strengthen democracy in The Gambia by: i) helping ensure that elections in The Gambia are free, fair, and peaceful. Even though the Presidential elections will have been held before you present your credentials in The Gambia, there will still be time to help with National Assembly elections, which will be held early next year. ii) Encouraging and pressuring the Gambia government to let publicly-owned media outlets provide non-partisan election coverage, and equal access to all political parties. iii) Encouraging your government, other governments, and non governmental organizations to send observers to monitor the elections. 2. Restore human rights and the rule of law i) We urge you to call on President Jammeh and his regime to immediately release or bring to trial Momodou "Dumo" Saho, Ebrima Yarbo, Lt. Lalo Jaiteh, Lt. Omar Darboe, Momodou Marenah, Abdoulie Sanyang and Ebrima Barrow, who have been detained illegally for over one year now, and in total disregard of the provisions of the Gambian Constitution. ii) We urge you to help end the persecution of independent media in The Gambia, arbitrary arrests, and the Jammeh government's interference with the Gambian judiciary. Sir, we trust that you will give our concerns due consideration in discharging your duties as the US ambassador to The Gambia. In this regard, we sincerely hope that when and if the Jammeh government seeks economic assistance from the US government, you consider the request in light of the fact that President Jammeh and his cronies have swindled millions of dollars of Gambian public funds, and continue to deny many Gambians their basic human rights and freedoms. We wish you a successful tenure as US ambassador to The Gambia, and a pleasant stay, for both you and your family, in the country. Sincerely, (signed) _________________________________________________________________ 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 <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>