Mo, good to hear from you. It is really sad how our country is sliding into the abyss. Our people are very tolerant and not willing to demand a change in our situation. I hope we wake up soon. Chi Jaama Joe Sambou >From: Momodou Camara <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list ><[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Tale of Three Assemblies >Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2002 10:20:04 +0100 > >Joe, you bit me on this one. I wanted to forward it to Gambia-L when I saw >that >you already did:-) The word "accountability" has been flushed out into the >Gambia River a long time ago. > >Momodou Camara > >On 30 Oct 2002 at 20:26, Joe Sambou wrote: > > > Folks, below was culled from AllAfrica website. A parliament in one of >the > > wealthiest countries in Africa, said no to their President's request to >purchase > > a $51 million Presidential jet, and the parliament rejected the request. > > Another parliament in the same neighborhood as the first, also rejected >a > > similar request, this time from their King for a Royal jet. However, the >third > > Assembly, has an attitude of "see no evil, hear no evil, and know no >evil". > > This third Assembly has a Philosopher/King - Dictatorship. He did not >request > > as the first two above, as state funds are his funds and how can he seek > > permission to use his own funds. Naaah! This parliament also happens >to be one > > of Africa's poorest. The first two Assemblies had a process and went >through > > the established protocols and let the DEMOCRATIC process run its course. > The > > third Assembly has a similar process, but has no need for it. Ladies >and > > gentlemen, this third Assembly is none other than our very own. Please >read on. > > > > > > "Power Tends to Corrupt And Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely" - Lord >Acton > > Power to the People True Or False? > > > > > > > > Email This Page > > > > Print This Page > > > > > > > > > > The Independent (Banjul) > > > > October 28, 2002 > > Posted to the web October 28, 2002 > > > > Banjul > > > > Recently, we heard in the about the decision of the Swazi Parliament not >to > > approve the purchase of an executive jet for King Mswati II. > > > > That was followed a few days later by loud criticisms of the plan by > > President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa to purchase a 51 million Dollar > > presidential jet. > > > > It was indeed quite amazing that the parliament of an absolute monarchy >like > > Swaziland would dare to prevent the King from purchasing an aircraft >while in a > > so-called democracy like The Gambia, President Yahya Jammeh seems to >have > > acquired a 'presidential jet' from the blue without the National >Assembly or > > anyone else being aware of it. That is indeed another indictment of the > > democratic credentials of this regime, which seems to be doing >everything above > > the heads of the people. President Jammeh appears to be behaving like an > > absolute monarch who says and does whatever he likes and there is hardly >anyone > > who dares to call him to order. One is therefore tempted to wonder what >has > > become of transparency, accountability and probity, which this regime >has made > > so much noise about. Of course it would be foolhardy for anyone to >expect that > > the National Assembly as it is constituted at present to ever have the >courage > > to question anything done by President Jammeh and his regime. It is >because a > > majority of its members seem to owe more allegiance to President Jammeh >and the > > executive than they owe to those people who they supposedly represent. > > > > As an ordinary lieutenant in The Gambia National Army before the coup in > > 1994, President Jammeh was never known to be a rich man. Therefore, if > > within eight years of coming to power he can afford a personal aircraft >and so > > much apparent display of wealth and affluence, then he owes an >explanation to > > the people of this country as to how he acquired all that wealth. It is > > certainly not enough to tell us that it is from the Almighty Allah's >world bank > > because we all know that does not exist. > > > > Since the appearance of his 'personal' jet about three years ago as >Central > > African, several attempts seems to have been made to disguise its real > > ownership, including of course its renaming as Gambia New millennium >Air. > > However, all indications point to President Jammeh as its real owner. > > > > To crown all that unnecessary extravagance the regime went ahead to >acquire a > > jet fighter again from the blue. It is indeed hard to imagine how anyone >can > > justify any butut spent on the acquisition or even the maintenance of a >jet > > fighter when the economy of this country is in tatters. We certainly do >not need > > it and I do not think we ever will. > > > > To fight who? Certainly not with Senegal, our only possible adversaries, > > considering our geographical location. Even President Kumba Yalla, >despite > > all his 'open calls' could not have been able to 'crush' The Gambia >without > > Senegalese acquiescence. > > > > However, neither the purchase of The Gambia New Millennium Air nor that >of > > the jet fighter were ever discussed in the National Assembly, let alone >it > > be done with the consent of the Gambian people. > > > > > > > > _________________________________________________________________ > > Unlimited Internet access -- and 2 months free! Try MSN. > > http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/2monthsfree.asp > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the >Gambia-L Web > > interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To >contact the > > List Management, please send an e-mail to: > > [log in to unmask] > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L >Web interface >at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html >To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: >[log in to unmask] > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ _________________________________________________________________ Internet access plans that fit your lifestyle -- join MSN. http://resourcecenter.msn.com/access/plans/default.asp ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~