Foroyaa Newspaper Burning issues Issue No. 29/2004, 8-11 April, 2004 Editorial “OPERATION CLEAN THE NATION” THE POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE ASPECTS OF THE PRESIDENT’S SPEECH The UN declares days, years and decades for the promotion of issues of concern to the people of the world. The Millennium Development Goals need to be transformed into advocacy programmes to promote their realization. President Jammeh is in order to focus minds on health and the environment. However his militarization of social policy is not in line with the principles of participatory democracy. This principle is against the top-down approach of involving the people in matters that concern them. The President indicated that development is linked to the health status of inhabitants; that there is need to mobilize the public to embark on a nationwide Communal Cleansing exercise. He called on all Gambians to join the crusade to clean the nation. At this point what the president should have done was to indicate what his central government in collaboration with the councils intended to do in terms of providing fitting waste disposal facilities within a given time frame. In the KMC area one would have expected comments on the Bakoteh dump site. It has to be reorganized before further trash is dumped there. On would have expected the unclogging of the drains by KMC and the collecting of trash from all dump sites. Furthermore, there is need to involve the NEA in indicating the type of protective gears necessary to remove certain types of waste. The council must be committed to providing such gears to minimize infection of well meaning citizens. In short. As is characteristic of the president social policy is to be implemented by dictation and might. He set aside 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month for the operation. April 10th which is set aside by children to pay respect to the dead and injured of April 10 and 11 is set aside to kick start the operation. He added that during the exercise no traffic except essential services like the security forces and medical services would be allowed throughout the country. This means that the president is calling for a state of emergency under which alone freedom of movement can be curtailed. Furthermore, it is maintained that, “Community leaders should write the names of people that refuse to participate and forward them to his office.” “All members of the National Assembly are instructed to be at their respective constituencies to co-ordinate the exercise on these stipulated days.” He warned that, “Alkalolus, Seyfos, Mayors, Commissioners and National Assembly members would be held responsible for the cleanliness or otherwise of their areas of control.” Can you imagine what a National Assembly member can do to coordinate cleansing exercise in all villages in a constituency where you have village or ward development committees? Foroyaa holds that the NEA and the Department of State for Health should coordinate efforts to get the councils to map out their strengths and weaknesses in terms of environmental sanitation. They should then educate the community groups on how to intervene without exposing themselves to health risks. Secondly, the NEA and the Department of State for Health should go on Radio and TV to educate people on preventive strategy to promote environmental sanitation. Lastly, let us remind our security forces that the president’s speeches are not law. They are of persuasive influence. They should not interfere with the freedom of movement of law-abiding citizens in the name of the operation. Currently, there is a truth and reconciliation exercise going on in Ghana and members of security forces are appearing before panels to acknowledge violation of the right of people, which they claim, were done on the basis of dictation. We need education and voluntarism not dictation and militarism. YANKUBA TOURAY ORDERED TO PAY D2.9 MILLION TO GTA DID HE PAY? In responding to a question raised at the National Assembly during the question and answer session, the SoS for Tourism Momodou Sallah indicated that as at December 31st 2002, a total sum of D39, 869,310 was collected and paid to the Tourism development Fund including the equivalent of D17, 001,891 received in foreign currency. He went on to indicated that the projects and programmes financed by the Gambia Tourism Authority (GTA) using the Development Fund as at December 31st 2003 are the following:- 1. Nine separate physical projects 2. Seven-tourism fairs and one promotional tour 3. Numerous promotional materials and publications 4. Maintaining offices in United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden 5. Industrial training 6. Establishment and support given to the Roots Foundation 7. Digital Project SoS Sallah acknowledged that a letter was written to former SoS for Tourism Yankuba Touray ordering him to pay a total amount of D2.9 Million to the Gambia Tourism Authority. He asserted that he could not confirm at the time whether the amount had been paid since the money would not come to him directly but to the Gambia Tourism Authority. He however promised the Assembly that he would find out from GTA and inform them accordingly. SoS Sallah indicated that there are criteria for allocating land in the Tourism Development Area and the criteria are as follows: 1. The applicant must register a business in the Gambia and provide a business registration certificate and in the case of corporate enterprise, a copy of the memorandum and articles of association is required. 2. A detached feasibility report document that is subjected to technical, financial and environmental evaluation. 3. Evidence of availability of funds to implement the project. 4. A non-refundable processing fee of D20,000 must accompany all applications. 5. A refundable deposit of five percent of the total project cost may be required where necessary. He pointed out that all applications are reviewed and evaluated by the land allocation sub committee of the GTA board before final review and approval by the Gambia Tourism Authority. Foroyaa got in touch with the Acting Director of the Gambia Tourism Authority, Mr. Kaliba Senghore to find out whether Yankuba Touray has paid the amount of D2.9 Million. The Director said he was not aware of the order because such a letter was not copied to GTA nor has it been conveyed to him orally. ABDOULIE SONKO’S TREASON CASE & BATCH FAYE’S TRIAL Judicial sources have it that the treason trial of Abdoulie Sonko will not be heard this term. Sources have it that the trial judge, Justice M. A. Paul has traveled outside the country. The treason trial was supposed to be heard this week. The High Court is going on vacation this week and Justice M. A. Paul is not the Vacation Judge. Judicial sources said the state has already written to the Registrar of the High Court demanding the file of the following people: Mballo Kanteh, Sulayman Sarr, John Dampha and Essa Baldeh, who were convicted on treason charges. It is not clear whether the state wants to use it as evidence. Sonko together with the aforesaid convicts were alleged to have attacked Farafenni Military Barracks in 1996, causing a lot of havoc. The Batch Faye murder trial which is also before Justice M. A. Paul will also be transferred to next term. Batch Samba Faye is standing trial for the death of one Malick Njok John. HALIFA ON THE PAN AFRICAN PARLIAMENT Part 4 Foroyaa: Did they listen to you? Halifa: The sitting was suspended for a while as the legal experts grappled with the problem. Later on President Chissano announced that that was the correct view and election was held on the basis of a “yes” and “no” votes to determine the simple majority. Foroyaa: What are the lessons? Halifa: Clarity is essential in representation and adherence to rules and procedures is the only way to promote order in a parliament. Secondly, I was happy that the Gambian parliamentarians had seen how election can take place even if only one person is nominated. I raised this issue when our own parliamentarians decided to amend the Constitution to get rid of Second Round of Voting and the Yes or No Vote, should only one candidate remain nominated. It is a pleasant coincidence that Mr. Fabakary Tombong Jatta who questioned the practicability to hold election for only one candidate during the debate in the Gambian Parliament was a witness to the exercise. President Chissano emphasized that voting even if there is only one candidate is an AU principle. Were the Parliamentarians from the Gambia free from party allegiances? Halifa: When we arrived we held consultative meetings during which I elaborated on the protocol, the draft rules and pointed out some concerns. We shared opinions. Infact, we initially agreed that I would be a Vice Presidential Candidate for the West Africa Region. Since candidates came from Nigeria, Togo, Niger, Benin, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Burkina Faso, I proposed a meeting of all the candidates. We had the mandate to put up one man and woman from the West African sub region for consideration. When we met we came to a consensus that those countries whose candidates have been left out in the following of AU posts should be considered. Eventually we selected a male candidate fro....... Foroyaa: How do you interpret this? Halifa: I took it in good faith. I was really not interested in posts. The committees are just temporary ones. They are designed to last up to our next sitting. The committees are designed to prepare a foundation for the parliament. I simply felt that I could contribute my quota in the area of institution building and procedural development of the parliament. I had already made my mark. I believe Fabakary Tombong Jatta also believe that he can make contributions to the budget committee. Foroyaa: How do you avert such contradictory decisions? Halifa: Of course, the protocol has already given us answers. Each parliamentarian is representing the African people. Hence when there is any responsibility to be given to a person those who feel competent to handle them should stand to be counted irrespective of national origin. What should be done next time is to leave each member from The Gambia to stand for any post and allow the rest of the parliamentarians to vote for the person on the basis of merit. Foroyaa: You do not believe that the national delegation concept would work? Halifa: We cannot promote regionalism and narrow nationalism in a Pan African Parliament. Each parliamentarian must be taken for his or her merit. Otherwise the Pan African Parliament would be the parliament divided into ruling parties and opposition parties in Africa. Furthermore, the national delegation concept leads to elitism. In short, we would begin to establish which parliamentarian is the senior in the national parliament in our case; in terms of protocol we have the speaker, the deputy speaker, the majority leader and the minority leader. This is the order in the CPA Gambia branch. I am sure it would amount to belief in fairy tale for a delegation with four APRC members to be led by the minority leader. From all angles it is best for each Pan African Parliamentarian to participate in his / her individual and independent capacity. I will be promoting this provision of the protocol so that all will forget our regional and national origins o. Foroyaa: Do you have more lessons to give? Halifa: Let me first give you my speech for publication before taking any question. See next issue for the speech. Issue No.30/2004, 12-14 April, 2004 Editorial The Ethics of Journalism On the Bahoum Controversy Journalists are members of the community. They write to inform the public. This information enlightens, consoles, guides, entertains and simply gives food for thought. This requires respect for the principles of journalism that what is published is the truth; that it is published in good faith; that it is not published to promote the interest of the journalist or that of some other person but the public. Journalists are not only after facts but are also obliged to promote professional integrity and decency. One must not publish what is said in secret unless one has done thorough investigation. A journalist who publishes privileged information is likely to suffer social exclusion as people close their mouths when he/she appears. Journalists are not informers or secret agents. The profession does not demand witch hunting. What it demands is impartiality in investigation and collection of facts and fair play in reporting them. To publish information to terrorize persons constitutes media tyranny. To have a wrong headline and refuse to apologise to .... The lesson learned by Foroyaa is that it is not enough to provide regular in-service training to reporters as Foroyaa does. In addition, it is necessary to have Professional Assistant Editors who would screen articles to determine whether they accord with the principle of truth, good faith and being above personal interest. This will lessen the burden of editors and avoid embarrassing slippages in content and quality. It is noble to accept imperfection and apologize when one is wrong and strive for more perfection. CENTRAL BANK CASES D417 MILLION When will they Proceed? Central Bank criminal cases now before the high court and related to foreign exchange bureaus involves sums of foreign exchange amounting to a total of 417 million Dalasi. Five criminal cases are known to be filed before Justices M. A. Paul and Savage. All the cases are related to offences committed in contravention of the Economic Crimes (Specified Offences) Decree No. 16 of 1994. The cases are all alleged to have been committed by foreign exchange bureau operators, either on their own or jointly with former Central Bank officials. Cases No. 4, 5 and 6 have already been mentioned in court and have been adjourned for further hearing. On the other hand cases No. 8 and 9 are yet to be mentioned in court. The following are the cases mentioned above: 1. Criminal case No. 4 is against Lang Conteh, Betty Saine, Begay Ceesay, Bintou Conteh, Clarke Bajo, former Central Bank Governor and Wechit / Faling Bureau de Change for D68 Million. It is before Justice M. A. Paul. 2. Criminal case No. 5 is against the former APRC Majority Leader, Baba Jobe now serving imprisonment for economic crimes and other offences, Lang Conteh, former foreign exchange department manager and the Global Finance and Assets Management Ltd., for D156 Million. It is before Justice M. A. Paul. 3. Criminal Case No. 6 before Justice Savage is against Mr. Winston Able Thomas and GAM Investment Brokers Ltd for D68 Million. 4. Criminal case No. 8 before Justice M. A. Paul is against Mr. Emmanuel Ina George and IG Financial Services Ltd for D85 Million 5. Criminal case No. 9 before also Justice M. A. Paul is against Mr. Charbell Elhajj and Boule Financial Services Ltd for D40 Million. It is clearly stipulated in all the summons that the people and companies mentioned above have contracted the respective amounts stated above from the Central Bank of The Gambia for the purpose of supplying foreign currencies to the Central Bank and have failed to execute their contracts, thereby causing economic losses to the bank. THE PAN AFRICAN PARLIAMENT HISTORY, CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD Speech Delivered At The Inaugural Session Of The Pan African Parliament, 18-20TH MARCH 2004 Honourable President of the African Parliament, Mrs. Gertrude Ibengwe Mongella, from the land of Mwallimu Julius Nyerere. Humility and serenity rule every aspect of my being as I speak before this august gathering. Great challenges lie ahead of us. Africans must become the architects of our own destiny or perish as victims of blind destiny. As a young student, going to school in the USA, I followed the liberation struggle in Guinea Bissau, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. I bought a picture of Josina Machel of the Mozambican struggle and pasted it on the wall close to my bed. Every morning I woke up to see a woman with a rifle in hand and a baby on her back. She symbolized to me the sacrifices that had to be made in order for us to be here today. Some had to undergo torture, imprisonment and death in order for their children and children’s children to live in liberty, dignity and prosperity. We must focus on this vision and mission in order to meet the challenges of destiny. Sacrifice, perseverance and determination is what led us to be where we are today. This is why history will not forgive us if we fail to recall the contributions that have been made to build the African Nation. The objective of seeking lessons from history is not to live in the past but to build a strong foundation to shape the future. Honourable President, I am compelled to go into the history of Pan Africanism because of my disagreement with the focus put on Menelick II and Haile Sellassie of Ethiopia as prime movers of the struggle to unify our continent by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Alpha Oumar Konare. There was not a single mention in his speech of the first Pan African Congress held in Paris in 1919, which is the mother of this Pan African Parliament. The bodies of Sylvester Williams, Dubois, Garvey, Padmore and Nkrumah would turn in their graves if I fail to correct the notions conveyed by Chairperson Konare. Honourable President, when the colonization of Africa became complete on the eve of the twentieth century the battle to dehumanize the African and deprive us of dignity, confidence and identity raged. They refused to recognize the worth of any African and treated us as baboons fit only for the rain forest. After realizing that education did not lead to their extrication from the chambers of the wretched of the earth, people like Sylvester Williams were compelled to promote solidarity between peoples of African descent to carve a common identity and rely on the power of organization to combat racial discrimination. This is why he convened the first Pan African Conference in London in 1900 to promote African solidarity to combat oppression, discrimination and dehumanization. Honourable members of the Pan African Parliament, Padmore, that erudite historian of Pan Africanism reminds us that it is this conference of 1900 that put the word Pan Africanism on the historical agenda. This is an important omission in Mr. Konare’s speech. Padmore bequeathed to us the historical lesson that the idea of Pan Africanism arose as a manifestation of fraternal solidarity among Africans and peoples of African descent. I am still wondering why on this historic inauguration of . The movement to nurture an African identity and African nationalism grew both at home and in the diaspora after 1900. The collaboration between African leaders at home and in the diaspora gave birth to the first Pan African Congress in Paris in 1919. Honourable Pan African Parliamentarians, this Pan African Congress is the mother of our Pan African Parliament. I must assert that the authorization given by the French Prime Minister, Clemenceau to Blaise Diagne from Senegal in collaboration with Dr. Dubois, to hold the first Pan African Congress in France was not due to mere generosity. On the contrary, this was done in recognition of Diagne’s mobilization of 80, 000 African troops to participate in the battle of Marne in July 1918, which permitted the French to be saved from German domination. The French government promoted the policy of assimilation as well as tolerated the holding of a Pan African Congress on French soil. It should be noted that while the first Pan Africanist Conference aimed to promote solidarity among Africans and peoples of African descent on the basis of common suffering, identity and heritage, the first Pan African Congress embraced the agenda for self-determination and self-government. The delegates committed themselves to defend the right of the African peoples to self-determination, the right to own their land, and be free from exploitation of investment capital. By 1920 movements have developed on the continent, which started to struggle for self-determination and self-government. These Parliamentarians from Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Ghana and Gambia who know our history cannot be oblivious to the Nation Congress of British West Africa held in Gold Coast in 1920. Dubois teaches us that the participants of the congress criticized the exercise of power by the governors to select members of the legislative councils instead of representation being determined by the will of the people through an elective system. The conference held in March 1920 in Accra resolved itself into a permanent official body for the purpose of representing constitutionally British West African needs. This body was referred to as the National Congress of British West Africa. They called for legislative and administrative reforms including the granting of the franchise amidst opposition by the colonial authorities. These congresses are the mother. Honourable Parliamentarians, the Garvey Movement is also worthy of mention. The International Conventions of the United Negro Improvement Association expanded the mass movement for An African Nation. Garvey constantly referred to a 400 million strong African peoples who have to surmount difficulties to lift ourselves to the standards of freedom common to all human beings. The Garvey movement gave the slogan “Africa to the Africans” universal appeal among the members of the growing mass movement for an African Nation. The Garvey Movement suffered reversals because of the lack of the financial base to promote the liberation of the continent from abroad. Honourable Parliamentarians, Commission Chairperson Konare has said that Ethiopia, South Africa and Liberia defended Africa’s interest in the League of Nations. He alluded to the fact that since Ethiopia had never been conquered, its patriarch Haile Sellassie had the authority to urge the African leaders who assembled in Addis to put aside their differences and establish the OAU. The bodies of Dubois, Padmore and Kwame would be restless in their graves if I fail to interrogate the assumptions advanced by Mr. Konare. History has documented the lack of vitality of the League of Nations. Moreover, South Africa’s Tan Smuts advocated for a Pan African Movement where white majority regimes in Kenya, Rhodesia and the Union of South Africa based on race would rule the African Continent in collaboration with the colonial multinational corporation and other economic interest groups of the colonial powers. Liberia was a neocolony and could not defend Africa’s interest. The weaknesses of the institutions established by the League of Nations became manifest when fascist Italy invaded Abyssinia or Ethiopia leading to the Italo- Ethiopian War of 1935-1936. Ethiopia was not saved by its emperor but by its peasants who sacrificed their lives to defend her sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Pan African Movement at home and abroad gave remarkable solidarity to the people of Abyssinia. To be continued. BABA JOBE IN COURT Former APRC strongman, Baba Kajali Jobe appeared before the Banjul High Court on Wednesday morning. Mr. Jobe was served with judicial order on Monday for him to appear before Justice Abdou Karim Savage on Wednesday in connection to a suit filed by Guaranty Trust Bank pertaining to a loan the defendant benefited from the plaintiff, but failed to honour the payment terms. The suit was filed by the plaintiff’s lawyer, Sheriff Marie Tambedou, against Baba Jobe and the Youth Development Enterprise. The defendant, Baba Jobe was in court on Wednesday, but the case did not proceed. The case will be heard next term. We will endeavour to establish the amount owed by Jobe. Guaranty Trust has instituted another legal action against Baba Jobe, Salifu K. Jaiteh, Momodou Fofana and the Youth Development Enterprise were said to have served as guarantors to Momodou Fofana who benefited from a loan given to him by the plaintiff. As at the time of filing the suit, Momodou Fofana owed Trust Bank over seven million Dalasi. The bank is urging the court to make an order on the property, which is situated in Kololi. The case is to be heard next term. AT THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY: NO QUORUM, NO SITTING On Wednesday, April 10, 2004 the members of the National Assembly resolved to meet in the morning of the following day, Thursday at 11.00 am in order to finish their agenda for the first sitting of the legislative session 2004. The sitting was however called off because up to 12.30 p.m. there was no quorum. The Speaker and some National Assembly members had gone to the Airport to see off the President. When this reporter contacted a National Assembly member he indicated that he was going home because some members have no regard for the National Assembly. They give more importance to seeing off the President than attending National Assembly proceedings. Issue No.31,15-18 April, 2004 Editorial WAR AGAINST PRINTING MACHINES The Gambian Press has been satisfying all shades of opinions in the country. Different newspapers give different emphasis to the same new item or focus on different information gathered for public knowledge. This has been very healthy for the society. Journalists have been taken to task by the public regarding the quality and content of their papers. The people are beginning to demand for more professionalism and newspapers are engaged in self-criticism to overcome their weaknesses and provide better information services to the people. It is becoming clearer to enlightened people that one has the right to reply to any allegation made by a newspaper. In short, the best way to promote a sense of responsibility in press coverage is to speak out against unprofessional conduct. In short, words in the press are fought by words. Those who fight with petrol and matches are the worst enemies of freedom. Such people seek to stifle freedom of expression through intimidation. They fail to realize that every time they set a printing house on fire the more the press earns publicity and sympathy and the more they transform the perpetrators into outlaws on the run. Why should any Gambian accept to be the running dog of a fellow Gambian? Which family would want to have such a degenerated person as a relative, father or household member? Words are not the monopoly of any citizen. No one should be intimidated by the press. Each shou. Suffice it to say, the opinions expressed in a newspaper cannot always be attributed to the Editors and proprietors of newspapers. Reporters and columnists have some degree of independence in what they cover and how they do so. Anybody with any knowledge of how the press operates would not take printing machines as command and control structures to be destroyed in order to silence the press. We are told that a gun with four bullets has been found. We are equally told that one of the culprits suffered burns. These are clues. GUNMEN ATTACK THE INDEPENDENT On Tuesday the 13th April 2004 at 2 a.m. employees at The Independent press house in Kanifing South witnessed yet another cowardly attack by six gunmen wearing black-masks, which eventually led to the burning of the printing machine. According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen arrived at the premises while they were printing the newspaper. The reports say that the gunmen stormed the building and forced the people who were to compile the paper to lie down at gunpoint. The reports also say that two of them, one with a pistol and the other with a container of fuel then rushed into the inner room, which contains the printing machine. The reports indicate that the man carrying the container quickly poured the petrol on the printing machine while the other set it ablaze. The gunmen, the report went on then quickly disappeared but one of them sustained burns. In the process, gunshots were fired but no injury from gunshot wounds have been reported. A pistol, some bullets and burnt apparels were found at the scene of the incident. Amadou Bah, a printer claimed that after the departure of the culprits, he rushed to the main road to get a taxi to the Serrekunda Fire Service. He claimed that upon arrival at the Serrekunda Fire Service there was no tank on the spot. He said that he then went to Bakau but before his arrival Bakau Fire Service had arrived and put out the fire. Eyewitnesses also claimed that Namory, the senior printer sustained injuries. Present at the scene in the late morning of Monday were Editors of other media houses, the President of the Gambia Press Union (GPU) and a cross section of journalists and concerned individuals. The matter is said to be reported to the police, who are said to have visited the scene. The Police have taken the pistol and other things. “OPERATION CLEAN THE NATION” During & After the Exercise On Saturday 10th April 2004 the Gambian people underwent a form of forced labour in the name of operation clean the nation. In the early hours of the morning when this reporter went out, there were very few people seen cleaning the surroundings of their compounds. Then by 9am more and more people could be seen everywhere cleaning around their compounds. But the people who participated well are the women and children below the ages of 15 years. This was the trend in the Serrekunda area, Brikama, Bakau and Sukuta. As I moved around these areas a similar situation could be observed in other settlements. The most interesting thing about the whole exercise is that it nearly went through without the notice of political connection. Among the communities where participation had political connection was seen in Tallinding, New Jeshwang and Serrekunda Central around the NAWEC water tank. Even there, these were very few women in their fifties followed by children dancing and singing. As the day went by mountains of trash could be found everywhere. Since most people had used the occasion as an opportunity to take out all the unwanted materials and trash from their compounds into the streets. This was the trend almost everywhere. In other areas, the order of the day was burning. As I moved from Brikama to the Kanifing Municipality dark clouds of smoke could be seen above the buildings. This was most serious as we approached Kanifing Municipality. A friend of mine argued that there was a serious fire accident ahead of us in the KMC. NEA may have to advise government on the effects of burning rubbish like this. All the markets in these areas were closed. The same went for shops and workshops of all kinds. Vendors in market and shop owners could be found around their businesses and workshop staring desperately. “COLLECTION AND DUMPING OF TRASH, BIGGEST OBSTACLE TO OPERATION CLEAN THE NATION,” LAMENTS KMC CLEANSING SERVICE ACTING MANAGER The Acting Manager, Cleansing Services, KMC, Mr. Edrissa Njie has lamented to our reporter that the biggest obstacle to Operation Clean The Nation is the collection and dumping of trash. Mr. Njie was speaking to our reporter after seeing the huge turnout given to the president’s call for people to come out, during the launching of Operation Clean The Nation. Mr. Njie indicated that this exercise used to take place in some communities but that since the declaration by the president the turnout had been unprecedented. He said that the exercise is expected to be continuous, as the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of every month have been declared by the president to be the days set aside for the cleaning exercise. He however expressed concern regarding the huge tons of waste exposed off as the cleansing services is seriously handicapped in terms of vehicles to transport these. He also condemned the burning of waste as a means of disposal and said that this will have a very serious negative impact on the atmosphere. He equated this to the emission of greenhouse gases by powerful industrial countries, and said that this will immensely contribute to the serious climate change, which will have adverse effe.... On his part, Mr. Saihou Njie, Senior Programme Officer at the NEA said that the burning of waste has been an age-old tradition in this country. He however said that this tradition is a very bad tradition especially within our present day, because of the material that is included in the trash we burn these days. He called for more sensitization on the issue of waste disposal. Speaking to our reporter during the exercise, many people expressed dismay that the waste generated had not been collected; that if it remains like that, the objective of the exercise will never be achieved. Up to the time of going to press, this reporter has seen a lot of waste, left by the gate of compounds, and at different sections of the road. RUBBISH CONTINUE TO PILE UP AFTER THE OPERATION The rubbish gathered was piled up by these residents at various locations near their homes. It is now four to five days since this was done but the rubbish was not collected. Residents in the area are complaining of the pollution and bad odour. Editor: As it stands residents have cooperated by cleaning their compounds and their surroundings but have no means of disposing them. The KMC and other local authorities need to come up with effective collection plans and identify dumpsites to facilitate the collection of rubbish. Otherwise, Operation Clean The Nation will become futile. The KMC also needs to coordinate its operation with the health authorities and the NEA. REGISRATION OF VOTERS KICKS OFF ON MONDAY Supplementary registration of voters who for one reason or another have not been registered before is to conducted by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) throughout the country from Monday 19th April 2004. As from this issue, we shall resume a column to inform readers about their rights as voters, who is entitled to be registered, the process of registration and the appeals and objections. Read on to be enlightened. Gambians must realize that their citizenry is meaningless if they do not take part in carving the destiny of this nation. This is why the Preamble of the constitution makes it explicit that the “constitution guarantees participatory democracy that reflects the undiluted choice of the people.” In fact, it goes on to say in section 1 subsection 2 that “the sovereignty of The Gambia resides in the people of The Gambia from whom all organs of government derive their authority and in whose name and for whose welfare and prosperity the powers of government are to be exercised in accordance with this constitution.” This is why the constitution makes it a fundamental right under section 26 of the constitution for every citizen of The Gambia of full age and capacity to take part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives. How can we select these freely representatives? Section 26 of the constitution again gives every citizen of The Gambia the right to vote and stand for elections at genuine periodic elections for public office. How can one exercise the right to vote and stand for election? To exercise this right a citizen of full age and capacity must be registered and possess a voting card for identification purposes. Hence section 39 of the constitution stipulates that: “1. Every citizen of The Gambia being eighteen years or older and of sound mind shall have the right to vote for the purpose of elections of a President and members of the National Assembly, and shall be entitled to be registered as a voter in a National Assembly constituency for that purpose. “2. Every citizen of The Gambia who is a registered voter shall be entitled to vote in a referendum held in accordance with this constitution or any other law. “3. Every citizen of The Gambia being of the age of eighteen years or older and of sound mind shall be entitled, in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter and any Act of the National Assembly providing for such elections, to vote in elections or local government authorities and traditional rulers in the area in which he / she is ordinarily resident.” In short, once registered on is entitled to vote at elections of a president, members of the National Assembly, mayors and chairpersons of local government authorities, etc. Furthermore, a Gambian citizen who is 18 or more can vote in any of these elections. The question now arises: Who is a citizen of The Gambia? Where can one be registered? What must one do in order to be registered as a voter? A two-day training programme for Senior Registration Officers (SROs) was organized by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) on the 6th and 7th April 2004 at GTMI in Kanifing. The representatives of political parties were also invited to participate as well as the members of the press and the security. This training is said to be a preliminary to prepare for the forthcoming supplementary registration of voters exercise by the IEC from the 19th April 2004 to 17th May 2004 and covering the whole country. According to IEC the supplementary registration is meant to register all those eligible voters who had reached the age of 18 years before the 17th May 2004 and those who were away and are now back in order to enable them to vote in any by-election or general elections. Replacements and transfers of voter’s cards are also ongoing until 6 months before general elections. A Revised Registration Manual for 2004 was also prepared by the IEC and the parts of which that are deemed relevant to the voter and the members of the public will be published or serialized by Foroyaa. The training had dealt with many important aspects and issues regarding the whole registration process and these include among others; the registration team / composition, eligibility and electoral law, forms and documentation, registration procedures, the interview process, card issue, list of voter register, site requirements, setting up of registration station, security, resolving problems, role of party agents, etc. THE PAN AFRICAN PARLIAMENT HISTORY, CHALLENGES AND WAY FORWARD Speech Delivered At The Inaugural Session Of The Pan African Parliament, 18-20TH MARCH 2004 Honourable Parliamentarians, Commission Chairman Konare has said that Ethiopia, South Africa and Liberia defended Africa’s interest in the League of Nations. He alluded to the fact that since Ethiopia had never been conquered its patriarch Haile Sellassie had the authority to urge the African leaders who assembled in Addis to put aside their differences and establish the OAU. The bodies of Dubois, Padmore and Kwame would be restless in their graves if I failed to interrogate the assumptions advanced by Mr. Konare. History has documented the lack of vitality of the League of Nations. Moreover, South Africa’s Ian Smuts advocated for a Pan African Movement where white minority regimes in Kenya, Rhodesia and the Union of South Africa based on race would rule the African continent in collaboration with colonial multinational corporations and other economic interest groups of the colonial powers. Liberia was a neocolony and could not defend Africa’s interest. The weaknesses of the institutions established by the League of Nations became manifest when the fascist Italy invaded Abyssinia or Ethiopia leading to the Italo-Ethiopian War of 1935-1936. Ethiopia was not saved by its emperor but by its peasants who sacrificed their lives to defend her sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Pan African Movement at home and abroad gave remarkable solidarity to the people of Abyssinia. One must recall that in October 1935 when Italian troops stationed in Eritrea and Somaliland invaded Ethiopia the government of Haile Sellassie did appeal to the League of Nations which it had been a member of since 1923, its members paid lip service but could not defend the territorial integrity of Ethiopia. It fell on the shoulders of the 400 thousand Ethiopians who were killed, the 35, 000 who perished in concentration camps during occupation and the guerilla fighters to save Ethiopia from foreign domination. During that period Haile Sellassie was in Britain until 1941 when he returned. This gave focus to the unity of all the fighting detachments to push the Italian forces once and for all from Ethiopian soil. Historians have largely acknowledged that the fundamental weakness of the League of Nations is that no government was prepared to surrender even an iota of degree of its sovereign right to pursue its own interest in its own way. It is the first Pan African Congress in general which established some degree of cooperation between the people’s of African descent throughout the world to promote African nationalism and the unification of the continent. The fifth Pan African Congress gave the clarion call for the African nationalist movements to take firm root in all colonized parts of the continent. The African nationalists started to mobilize all civil society organizations such as trade unions against colonial domination and for self-determination and self-government. The intensification of the struggle in Ghana in 1950 led to strikes, boycotts and mass resistance against colonial domination. History teaches us that Nkrumah and many of the leaders were imprisoned to suppress the resistance. However, the growth of the mass movement against colonial domination gave birth to elections to test the will of the Ghanaian people. Some people claim that democracy began to take root in Africa after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This is a poor interpretation of African history. How can people establish governments based on consent without the assertion of their right to self-determination, independence and sovereign existence? The anti colonial movement for self-determination and independence is the first stage of the democratization process. The African people had to have land that they can call their own before they could become the architects of their own destiny. Suffice it to say, the colonialists would have never yielded if the Pan African movement did not earn the support of the vast majority of the people of Africa. This is precisely why they introduced democratic elections to test the will of the people. The people of Ghana stood the test of sovereign existence by giving decisive support to the party for national liberation under the leadership of Nkrumah in the 1951 le.. Within a period of six years Ghana attained rapid constitutional changes, which provided a blue print for the constitutional evolution of many British colonies. In 1957 Ghana attained the right to self-determination and self-government. Nkrumah declared that the independence of Ghana was meaningless unless it was linked to the total liberation of the African continent. In this respect, Nkrumah gave the Pan African agenda sharper focus. The independence of individual countries were to serve as stepping-stones for the total liberation of the continent. Continental unification was given a boost as Nkrumah called for meetings of independent African states and All Peoples Congresses, which involved liberation fighters and other civil society organizations. These conferences of independent African states, which took place in Ghana in 1958, is the seed for the establishment of the OAU. The All Peoples Congresses, which superceded the Pan African Congresses, con. Ghana under Nkrumah sought to be the bridgehead for the struggle to liberate Africa. Ghana paid a heavy price for the unification of Africa. Instead of being obsessed by narrow nationalist pursuit Ghana started to invest in the African revolution with the plan that the African revolution will in the middle term come to the aid of Ghana and that in the long term African nationalism will provide a blue print for the economic liberation of the continent. Nkrumah shared the same vision with Dubois who in response to an invitation to attend the March 6 1957 declaration of Ghana’s independence called for Ghana to lead a movement of Africans for Pan Africanism. He called for the continuation of the holding of Pan African Congresses on African soil which will continue to search for the type of political system and the economic, cultural and other cooperation necessary to build an Africa that would be able to guarantee the general welfare of her people and ensure peaceful coexistence with other nations irrespective of political system. Ghana sought to carry out such leadership by promoting African solidarity and integration. In 1958 when the French government abandoned Guinea Ghana gave eleven million pounds to Guinea as solidarity. Ghana provided refuge and education to Pan Africanists struggling in other areas for liberation. In the economic sphere, Nkrumah acknowledged that economic development had three spheres that is, raw materials production, processing and machine building to produce the instruments of production. None of these is possible without educated and skilled Africans. He gave education and training a priority. Furthermore, he built energy sectors both hydro electric and nuclear. No industrialization was possible without a reliable energy source. Ghana built up its ore industry to produce Aluminum. Without the building of a metal industry industrialization was inconceivable. Ghana developed a dam to promote an agro-industrial base. These were capital-intensive projects... My fellow African Parliamentarians, the IDA section of the World Bank came into being in 1960, three years after the attainment of self-determination by Ghana. If the World Bank, which in a period of 51 years had membership contribution of just 11 billion dollars, could boast of giving 280 billion dollars worth of loans as of 1997 one could imagine how much wealth an African Investment Bank could have accumulated since 1960 if all the money stored in Swiss Banks by African political leaders had been kept in our own bank. We would have provided all the finances necessary to support the three phases of economic development on the African continent by our own resources instead of being slaves to the multilateral institutions like the World Bank and the IMF who impose conditionalities to exercise debt repayments. Nkrumah invested in the African liberation. He called on all nations to seek the political kingdom and attain the right to self-determination and s.. Nkrumah invested in the African revolution but it never materialized to reward Ghana’s investment. Consequently, people continue to accuse Nkrumah of neglecting Ghana’s development in pursuit of prestigious projects to be the king of Africa, some even making the rhetorical statement that seeking the political kingdom has not brought everything when they know very well that the right to self determination was just the first step and the second step in bringing African unity never materialized. Fellow Parliamentarians, by the time the leaders met in Addis to discuss a way forward for the continent the original Pan African idea was embraced only by few of them. This is why the leaders who met in 1963 simply worked out a historic compromise. It is our duty to consult history to know the price and consequences of such compromise. To be continued. APRIL 10 AND 11 COMMEMORATION GAMSU FORGIVES April 10th and 11th which is always commemorated every year in remembrance of the students who were shot to death by the security forces during a peaceful demonstration for the death of fellow student, Ebrima Barry in the hands of fire service personnel and the rape of a female student. On Sunday 11th April 2004 Gambia Students’ Union (GAMSU) executive and members organized a symposium at Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) to commemorate the occasion. Prior to the symposium at GTTI, GAMSU, which is the main student body with representatives from various educational institutions, held a procession from Westfield Clinic to GTTI by some students and the executive of the union. At the symposium the hall was full to capacity with students and invitees. This year’s commemoration is the first of its kind because the turnout was impressive as compared to previous commemorations, and the response from the invitees especially the government was positive. At GTTI where the procession ended, the students and invitees proceeded to GTTI Silence Hall to start the symposium. In welcoming the student body, the President of GAMSU, Alhagie Nyabally introduced the panelists at the high table. Each of them was given a topic to dilate on. The panelists were: Hon. Halifa Sallah, National Assembly member for Serrekunda Central and Minority Leader, Mr. Sano, Public Relations Officer (PRO), National Intelligence Agency (NIA) deputizing for his Director General, Landing 13 Badjie, Inspector General of Police, Dembo Krubally, a Gambian resident in Germany, Mrs. Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay, a nominated member of the National Assembly, Dr. Pap Sey, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Department of State for Education, Sheikh Lewis, Chairman, Amnesty International(Gambia) and Ebrima Ceesay, Secretary General, GAMSU. The first speaker to deliver was Halifa Sallah who dealt on Patriotism and Nationalism. Mr. Sallah started by saying that human beings are beings who can learn from the past in order to build the future; that no other being on earth has that capacity. It is important for each of us to realize that we are very important; that we should not be tools for other human beings to use us. When we talk about patriotism and nationalism we are talking about people. When Africa was under domination and we were mere raw materials to be utilized for other’s development, African intellectuals began to think of the dilemma of the African continent. The concept of patriotism emerged at the First Pan African Conference in 1919 held in France and the lesson drawn from that conference was that the only reason why the French government allowed the Pan Africanists to hold their conference in Paris was because Blaise Diagne of Senegal who was then a Deputy in the French Assembly mobilized 100, 000 Africans in the first world war, on behalf of their colonial maste..... “The Africans then started to ask themselves if they could die for other people to have their countries what about their own. That was when they called for their right to self-determination.” That is what nationalism is all about. When a group of people develops a common identity a nation is born. People must develop an identity and they must have land. People must have a common ability. They must have a common identity that they belong somewhere and that love of that land and the people because you cannot talk about the land without the people. What is the use of the land without the people, Mr. Sallah asked. “You cannot talk about patriotism without land and when you talk about patriotism or love of the land that is the right to self-determination. It is what the Pan Africanists fought for Africa to be liberated. That is why we are talking about independent nations.” Mr. Sallah further said that countries emerged which sought to liberate themselves from their colonial masters so that we can become the architects of our own destiny; and that is how nationalism emerged. “The emphasis here is the awakening of people. You cannot talk about nationalism and patriotism without national consciousness and awareness. And it is that awareness that the leaders like Nkrumah injected in people and they fought to own their land.” “The freedom and independence we talk about now is not a gift.” Mr. Sallah informed his audience that 800, 000 French troops were stationed in Algeria to help prevent the Algerians from being liberated. You all know about the Mau Mau struggle. You know what happened in Guinea Bissau, Angola and Mozambique. How many people have to die for others to live, he asked. People have to die, to go to prisons for others. Nkrumah spent one year three months with eleven other prisoners in the same cell with a bucket on one side to defecate and urinate, before the people elected him to become ultimately the Prime Minister of Ghana. People sacrifice for liberty to be achieved. Mr. Sallah said that young people today are confronted with still the task of nation building. The object of liberation was not only to declare independence but also to be able to build nations, which can really be able to assert its right to self-determination. And the right to self-determination goes with the right to control your territory, the territorial integrity and it goes with the right to sovereignty, that no one dictate to you how you run your own affairs. It goes with the right to political independence. You dictate how you govern yourself. It goes with the unity for without people there can be no nation. And that is the task confronted by our leaders, to educate us to know that we are a people. Self-determination Mr. Sallah asserted is collective identity. The assertion of right to be the architects of our own destiny, which means that each of us together become one, to attach our ownership to our country. What confronted our elders yesterday is still confronting us today. How do we ensure national unity? How can we ensure that we love our nation, people and land? How can we be devoted to that land and people that we work for our collective liberty and prosperity? That is the fundamental question. Mr. Sallah said that the movement for independence led to the creation of a republic, which gave rise to a new meaning to patriotism and nationalism. Nationalism in some countries where monarch still remain, for people just fought for other’s domination, but still internally they were dominated. If you study the history of nations in Europe most of those national movements were led by monarchs but with the birth of republics an end to monarchy came into being. And what the republic symbolizes is the equality of human beings. When you have a republic each member of that republic is an equal partner. When you are equal to someone Mr. Sallah concluded, then you will not allow that person to dominate you, to use you as a tool. You will own yourself, you will own your mind, but you cannot own your mind without awareness. Sovereignty requires to be mature mentally, to acquire a level of understanding and consciousness, where you become immune to domination and subjugation. It means each person is a sovereign to himself or herself. _________________________________________________________________ From must-see cities to the best beaches, plan a getaway with the Spring Travel Guide! http://special.msn.com/local/springtravel.armx ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~