>From: Matarr Amadou Sallah <[log in to unmask]> >Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list <[log in to unmask]> >To: [log in to unmask] >Subject: Re: Sheriff Dibba Taken To Task In London >Date: Fri, 24 Jan 2003 02:13:37 +0100 > >Ebrima >Thank you for forwarding this wonderful piece. i really admire your >courage >and may God grant you the strength and energy to continue. >As for Sheriff Dibba, he need mental check-up. It seems as he is >forgetting >that he was a part and parcel of the PPP. He have proven to the >Gambian >people the type of opportunist he is. > >Ebrima get touch.Its been a long time. > >Matarr > > > > > >>From: Ebrima Ceesay <[log in to unmask]> >>Reply-To: The Gambia and related-issues mailing list >><[log in to unmask]> >>To: [log in to unmask] >>Subject: Sheriff Dibba Taken To Task In London >>Date: Thu, 23 Jan 2003 23:17:18 +0000 >> >>Dear Readers, >> >>The scheduled Royal Commonwealth Society public lecture, featuring >>the >>guest >>speaker Sheriff Mustapha Dibba (Speaker of the National Assembly of >>The >>Gambia), took place last night (Wednesday 22nd January 2003) at the >>Royal >>Commonwealth Society offices in West London. >> >>The public "lecture" on the theme "Consolidating Good Governance in >>The >>Gambia: What Role For The Parliament?" was attended by officials of >>the >>British Foreign and Commonwealth Office, by staff of the >>Commonwealth >>Secretariat in London, by friends of The Gambia (including one >>English man >>who taught Mrs Satang Jow at Gambia High School in the 1960’s!!), >>and by >>Gambians residing in the UK or visiting the UK at the moment. >> >>The "lecture" was moderated by Dr Karen Brewer, Secretary General >>of the >>Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association. >> >>Mr Dibba read from a prepared text and spoke for about one hour, >>after >>which questions and comments were allowed from the floor. >> >>I am still waiting to receive the official text of Mr Dibba’s >>speech, and >>so >>I am not able to do a comprehensive report at this time. The full >>text is >>in the hands of Mr Aime Sangara, Head of Public Affairs at the >>Royal >>Commonwealth Society. He has promised to forward this to me next >>week. >> >>The Royal Commonwealth Society plan to publish Mr Dibba’s speech in >>full on >>their webpage (www.rcsint.org). I told them that they also had a >>duty, in >>the name of fairness and objectivity, to similarly publish a >>rebuttal which >>I shall be undertaking, once I have received the full text of Mr >>Dibba’s >>speech. >> >>What follows in this message is my brief first report of what >>transpired at >>the public lecture. Please take note that there were occasions >>when Dibba >>spoke "off the cuff" or deviated from his prepared speech. Some of >>my notes >>below may well not appear in Dibba’s prepared text when this is >>published, >>but they do reflect the actuality of the meeting. >> >>Mr Dibba claimed that the PPP and former President Jawara were to >>be >>blamed >>for the 1994 Coup d’Etat, because Jawara overstayed his time in >>power. >>Dibba said that he personally welcomed the Coup and thanked the >>Coup >>leaders >>for the way in which they undertook their mission – not one drop of >>blood >>spilt !! >> >>Dibba went on to say that President Jawara had announced his >>decision to >>retire in 1992, but people around the president had persuaded him >>to stay >>in >>power. In Dibba’s view, this was a grave mistake. >> >>In Dibba’s view, democracy under President Jawara was just a >>façade. Dibba >>cited his own detention in 1981 to support his views. He said that >>he was >>illegally detained by the PPP regime, in connection with the ’81 >>abortive >>Coup, until he was later acquitted by a Court of Law. >> >>Dibba claimed that under Jawara, the electoral process was neither >>free nor >>fair, and that he himself during many elections was denied access >>to the >>media, and even in some cases, he was personally harassed. Dibba >>castigated >>the PPP and laid the blame for the past problems (and even the >>current 2003 >>problems in The Gambia) at the feet of the deposed Jawara regime. >> >>Dibba said that The Gambia, under Jammeh, is "progressing very well >>in most >>areas", that "there are human rights violations but these are very >>minimal" >>(he likened these to finding a needle in a haystack !). He told >>the >>audience that he was proud to have combined his party (the NCP) >>with the >>ruling party. >> >>He claimed that following his careful studies, that it was in the >>best >>interests of his party and himself to join up with the APRC. He >>said that >>the October 2001 Presidential Election, which he himself contested, >>was the >>fairest and free-est in the history of The Gambia !!! >> >>As for the new Constitution, Dibba said that it was the best in the >>sub-region in terms of its provisions, and that it guaranteed the >>rights >>and >>movement of Gambian citizens. >> >>First to react to Dibba’s comments was Mr Abdoulaye Jobe, a Gambian >>living >>in the UK. Mr Jobe rebutted Dibba’s claims, adding that based on >>the >>information he was receiving from the media and from people in The >>Gambia, >>the opposite was in fact happening. He said that the human rights >>record of >>the APRC regime was poor, that people were arbitrarily arrested and >>wrongfully dismissed from their jobs. He went on to say that the >>poverty >>in >>The Gambia had worsened, and he did his best to set the record >>straight for >>the audience. >> >>Next to speak was Mr Ebrima Chongan, the former Deputy Inspector >>General of >>Police in The Gambia, and now living in the UK. Chongan also took >>Dibba to >>task: he said that contrary to what Dibba was claiming, The >>Gambia under >>Jammeh left a lot to be desired in terms of good governance! >> >>He cited the dismissal by the Jammeh regime, of Justice Hassan >>Jallow from >>the High Court of The Gambia, and went on to remind the audience >>that the >>Constitution of The Gambia does not allow for this type of >>dismissal. He >>went on to catalogue the many human rights abuses of the APRC >>regime under >>Jammeh, and told Dibba that he, Chongan, was illegally detained by >>this >>present regime for 30 months at Mile Two Prison. >> >>Chongan said that the issue was not about the past, but rather >>about the >>need to confront present realities, and for Gambians to address >>these >>current issues. >> >>Following Chongan, James Bahoum of the Movement for the Restoration >>of >>Democracy in The Gambia (UK branch) completely shattered Dibba’s >>statements. >> Using his legal mind and his considerable oratory skills, Mr. >>Bahoum >>exposed Dibba as a propagandist and mouthpiece of the APRC regime. >> >>He set the record straight for the benefit of the audience, and >>painted a >>picture of the true Gambia of 2003 and since Jammeh came to power. >>He >>spoke >>eloquently about the repression, the poverty, the wrongful >>dismissals, the >>arbitrary arrests and corruption, all of which he noted to be >>growing by >>the >>minute. >> >>He reminded Dibba of the massacre of our students on April 10/11th >>2000 and >>he noted how Jammeh indemnified all those who were connected with >>this >>terrible outrage, by the enactment of an Indemnity Act. >> >>By the end of his contribution to the lecture, James Bahoum had set >>the >>record straight and people were in no two minds about the state of >>affairs >>in present day Gambia. >> >>At this point, Tamsir Jallow, the Deputy High Commissioner for The >>Gambia >>in >>the UK, came to Dibba’s rescue. He described Jammeh’s regime as >>being good >>for the country, and he blamed the PPP and Jawara for whatever >>wrongs were >>happening in The Gambia today. Jallow regretted what happened on >>10/11th >>April 2000, and claimed that his own nephew was one of the victims. >> >>He then claimed that the present Indemnity Act was just an >>extension or an >>amendment of the 1981 Indemnity Bill, signed in to law by former >>President >>Jawara. He attempted to downplay the importance and significance >>of the >>current Indemnity Bill, saying that it was less draconian than the >>1981 >>Indemnity Bill of Jawara. >> >>Mr Ousman Manjang, former spokesman for MOJA, interrupted Tamsir >>Jallow and >>told him to shut up: Manjang pointed out very forcefully that the >>UK was >>NOT >>The Gambia, where APRC members or speakers could monopolise a >>public forum >>and present an unchallenged viewpoint. >> >>He also reminded Tamsir Jallow that he was NOT the guest speaker – >>this was >>Sheriff Dibba’s evening !! Tamsir duly took note, and sat down !! >> >>I then myself had the opportunity to take the floor, and I started >>by >>saying >>that as far as I am concerned, Dibba is an insignificant player in >>The >>Gambian scene of today. I told the audience that Dibba was not >>competent >>to >>answer my questions, and that I wanted Yahya Jammeh himself to face >>me and >>his critics in an open forum anywhere in the world (except The >>Gambia !!). >> >>Since however, Dibba was there and Jammeh was not, I went on to ask >>him >>some >>leading questions. >> >>I prefaced my questions with a heartfelt statement that I believed >>Dibba to >>be a Liar – "Mr Dibba, I put it to you that you are a Liar and an >>idle >>dreamer. You lied to this audience by painting a kind of Gambia >>which you >>know in your heart does not exist". >> >>I then went on to tell him that many Gambians are sick and tired of >>his >>type, and that of Tamsir Jallow. People like them just keep >>spinning for >>Jammeh or telling lies on his behalf. >> >>The moderator of the lecture interrupted me and asked me to >>rephrase my >>questions and comments in quieter language. She objected to me >>publicly >>calling Dibba "a liar", but I did insist that I stood by my words >>and that >>in the name of fairness and objectivity, the Royal Commonwealth >>Society had >>an obligation to publish my rebuttal of Dibba’s text. >> >>At this point, Dibba was very angry: he lost his temper as much as >>I had. >> >>I asked him to describe to the audience the content of the Media >>Commission >>Bill and explain to the audience how this Bill could consolidate >>good >>governance in The Gambia. >> >>In reply, Dibba, of course, failed to convince people that the Bill >>represented good governance. Nonetheless, he claimed that >>journalists did >>need to be checked and that he had no problems with the Bill and >>its >>provisions. >> >>Ousman Manjang and O.J Jallow (currently visiting the UK) demanded >>the >>opportunity to contribute to the discussion, but the Moderator >>brought the >>meeting to a close, saying that "time was up". >> >>It was a good forum and there was time for both sides to air their >>views. I >>am sure that Mr Dibba has learned a good lesson, that he may not >>take >>Gambians for a ride any more. >> >>I really do urge Gambians to attend meetings such as this one, in >>order >>that >>we can present OUR case. If no Gambian had been present at this >>particular >>lecture, then many officials in the West could have been misled and >>duped >>into believing that all was well in the state of The Gambia. As we >>know, >>this is far from the case. Hopefully, we conveyed our opposition >>and our >>evidence for it, to the forum. >> >> >>Ebrima Ceesay, >>Birmingham, UK >> >> >>_________________________________________________________________ >>Surf together with new Shared Browsing >>http://join.msn.com/?page=features/browse&pgmarket=en-gb&XAPID=74&DI=1059 >> >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >> >>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] >> >>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > >_________________________________________________________________ >MSN Messenger http://www.msn.no/messenger - Den korteste veien >mellom deg og >dine venner > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > >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] > >~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~