Folks, pardon me and please disregard the below message. Chi Jaama Joe > > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: RE: [pdoisgroup] Buharry is on top of it. > From: "Amie Sillah" <[log in to unmask]> > Date: Thu, July 1, 2004 1:59 pm > To: [log in to unmask] > > > Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue > Issue No. 52/2004, 1-03 July, 2004 > Editorial > DIALOGUE OR DICTATION > THE PRESIDENT AND HIS COUNTRYWIDE TOUR > The IEC Should Take Note! > The president of the republic has been making it very clear that he > will not give regard to his oath to perform his executive duties > without fear or favour, affection or ill-will. In stead, he has been > telling the people that if they fail to vote for him he will not > provide them with public services such as hospitals, schools, > ambulances, boreholes, milling machines and other services. The > president has gone very far to undermine the integrity of the > Independent Electoral Commission by asserting that the polling stations > are increased so that they would know how people vote. This would > determine which communities are to receive or be deprived of benefits. > It is outrageous for the president to make such comments, which are > calculated to intimidate the voter. It also does not tell well on the > independence of the I.E.C. The fact of the matter is that it has been > observed by many voters that if polling stations are far away from > people’s homes many tend not to vote. It has been a popular demand for > the polling stations to be increased and to be situated in places > closer to the voter. This speeds up the voting process and prevent long > queues. The practice has the tendency to reveal the number of votes per > polling station that each candidate receives. However, this should not > be a disadvantage in a genuine democratic society with a > democratically minded leadership that wishes to promote free and fair > elections which produce the undiluted choice of the people. If the > president wants to use the process to victimize those who exercise > their freedom to choose who they want, that should lead people to bow > down to his wishes. That would amount to blackmail. A free people can > never allow themselves to bow down to intimidation. The people should > therefore continue to express their will freely to vote for who they > want. If the president fails to deliver services without fear or > favour, affection or ill-will he should be considered unfit to preside > over the affairs of a sovereign people and be removed. This is the only > way to prevent a sovereign people from being subjected to the dictates > of rulers. The president should be shown that the Gambian people will > not accept threats from leaders they can remove from office. If the > president does not desist from such threats the people should teach him > the lesson that they are responsible for putting him in office and he > is not responsible for giving them citizenship. They are citizens > irrespective of his will while he is a president because of their will. > If he seeks to dictate to them they should remove him to teach him who > has power in a sovereign > republic. CULTURAL TOURISM OR HOMECOMING > THE CONTRADICTIONS OF THE ROOTS FESTIVAL > Halifa Sallah Speaks to Some of the Guests > Some of the guests who came to The Gambia in search of an African > identity were advised to speak to Halifa Sallah. In an interview with > FOROYAA he said that the Roots Festival has contradictory objectives. > He said that many of those who advertised the festival see it as part > and parcel of cultural tourism. This puts it as a part of the travel > trade aiming to attract spenders to promote economic well-being. He > said that the people he had spoken to had a different impression of the > festival. They saw it as a form of homecoming, a journey in search of a > place they can belong to and identify with as their home. Those who > have > commercialized the programme create activities to entertain. They > expose the visitors to traditional practices without explaining their > relevance to the creation of a positive African and human identity. > Those who see the festival as homecoming often want explanation, why > huts, bad roads, beggars and general poverty still plague the continent > after decades of independence. They want to know why The Gambia / > Africa they want to be proud of or belong to still harbours so many > ills they are not proud of. Halifa explained that the current nature of > the Roots Festival excludes this agenda of mental liberation and > self-discovery and simply > perpetuates a narrow cultural viewpoint. He told the visitors that in > 2005 the People’s Centre will have its own programmes to sensitize > those who wish for a homecoming experience on Pan Africanism and the > legacy of those who have struggled for Africa to be homeland for people > of African descent. Halifa told them that Africa is very rich but > harbours 340 million poor Africans because of our own failure to create > a united Africa immediately after attaining national liberation. He > explained that there is need to combine the three stages of production > for a modern economy; that there is need to produce raw materials as > the primary stage of production. There is need to process the raw > materials as the second stage of production and there is need to > produce machines to support both the primary and secondary stages as > the tertiary stage. He argued that at independence most African > countries were at the primary stage; that they lacked the banks to > invest in the secondary and tertiary stages; that people like Nkrumah > spoke about a cooperative banking system where all newly independent > African countries could make contributions to, establish an African > Investment Bank to support the secondary and tertiary phases ! of > development. > The visitors were told that many of the leaders were only interested in > occupying the mansions left by the colonialists and become rulers of a > poor people rather than work towards unifying the continent and create > a United States of Africa. He lamented that the end result of narrow > materialism is that most countries are still at the primary stage > producing mainly raw materials and importing everything else from their > former colonial masters. He said that the huts and general poverty they > see is not African culture but the signs of a neglected people and > continent. He said the potential is there but could only be realized if > we have leaders who would stop pulling money in Swiss banks and instead > put it in an African Investment Bank to finance the projects needed on > the continent. He told them that their own brothers and sisters at home > think that they are coming from rich countries and should give them > creativity. He told them not to be disturbed by the lev! el of > ignorance and poverty but see it as a sign of the failure of African > leadership. He argued that they should educate their brothers and > sisters that the perceived prosperity of the US is being mystified by > credit cards. They should explain their real situation and then help > their brothers and sisters to see that they should unite their efforts > to create an African leadership that will be true to their mandate to > articulate the plans and programmes that will ensure that the total > economic emancipation of the continent and the empowerment of the > people to have the true architects of a destiny of liberty, dignity and > prosperity. The visitors took videos and promised to spread the message > far and wide. To them it was > homecoming indeed, not commercial cultural tourism. D-DAY FOR > JARRA WEST > The electorate of Jarra West constituency, which became vacant after > the conviction and imprisonment of the former Majority Leader, Baba K. > Jobe, will be going to the polls today to determine the fate of the > vacant seat. This shows that power lies with the people. In fact, > section 1 of the constitution stipulates that the sovereignty of The > Gambia resides in the people. The election in Jarra West today is more > than just deciding who is to replace Baba K. Jobe. The electorate of > Jarra West will decide today whether or not they will assert their > authority or allow someone to impose his or her will upon them as the > president has indicated. > THE APPEALS OF BABA JOBE AND WAA JUWARA > WHAT IS THEIR STATUS? > As the saying goes justice delayed is justice denied. I have been > motivated by this statement to find out the status of two important > appeals now before the Court of Appeal, namely the appeal of the > Secretary General of NDAM, Lamin Waa Juwara who was released on Friday > 25th June and that of Baba K. Jobe who is still serving a term of > imprisonment of more than nine years. My investigation has revealed > that the legal representatives of both appellants are yet to receive > certified copies of the records of court proceedings which are > necessary for the appeal to proceed. When I contacted the courts and > the legal > representatives of both appellants I was duly informed that in fact the > records have already been typed and the judge is now doing the > proofreading. For the information of the reader Lamin Waa Jawara was > tried and convicted for sedition and imprisonment for six months. He > has already served the six months while the appeal is yet to be heard. > For his part Baba K. Jobe was convicted and imprisoned for a term of > more than nine years on 29th March 2004. His appeal was filed on 6th > May 2004. UN EXTENDS MANDATE OF GAMBIAN PEACEKEEPERS > The Chief of Staff of the Gambia Armed Forces, Colonel Baboucarr Jatta > has informed this paper that the UN has extended the mandate of the > Gambian peacekeepers in Liberia who were due here last month. According > to Colonel Jatta, the peacekeepers who were due to return home in June > will instead come in September. Colonel Jatta said despite the fact > that The Gambia did not meet the quota for UN operations, the level of > professionalism demonstrated by its soldiers has impressed the UN to > the extent that the mandate of its soldiers has been extended. “Others > have met the quota for UN peacekeeping missions, but the UN is urging > them to go. They (Gambian soldiers) have excelled in executing their > duties which is why the Field Commander in Liberia and the UN are > interested in them,” Colonel Jatta remarked. Colonel Jatta said that > the UN has urged > countries without a battalion in Liberia to leave the aforesaid > country. He said despite the fact that The Gambia has a company (about > 100 to 150 soldiers) in Liberia, the UN has urged her to stay. He said > that in order for a country to meet UN standards for peacekeeping > missions, it must be in a position to deploy a battalion and must have > standard equipment which the Gambia Armed Forces lack at the moment. He > posited that The Gambia government is presently leaving no stone > unturned in order to get standard equipment for the Armed Forces. He > posited that peacekeeping missions are a source of foreign exchange > earnings for the country. MAI FATTY ACCUSES JUSTICE PAUL > The treason trial involving Abdoulie Sonko and the State is never short > of controversy. Mai Fatty, counsel for the accused, on Monday urged the > trial judge, Justice M. A. Paul to refuse from hearing the matter. > Fatty’s application came at a time when the defence was supposed to > make a no case submission. “There has been a change of situation with > regards to the defence position. We are applying to the court to refuse > itself from hearing this matter. The court has manifested substantial > bias towards the defence and our position is that the court cannot > dispensate justice on this matter. There has been many instances when > the defence has been denied proper hearing,” Fatty remarked. At this > point, Justice Paul, urged the prosecutor, Chernor Marenah to respond > to Fatty’s > submission. Marenah stood up to say that he has left the matter to the > court to decide. “I don’t know you. I only met you here as a lawyer. > You have a problem, you don’t want to learn. If you think the court > does not want to do justice in this case, there is a proper way of > doing it (applying). If I am not taking insult from you, that does not > mean I am biased,” Justice Paul remarked. Fatty posited, “It is our > duty as > counsels to protect the integrity of this court. The integrity of this > court is the common interest of everybody. I will not insult any > counsel, and I will not take insult from counsel or anybody.” Justice > Paul at this juncture ruled that Fatty has made very serious > allegations against him, noting that unless the latter take the correct > steps, he will not > withdraw from the matter. He later asked Fatty to make his no case > submission or ask the witness to enter his defence. Fatty asked the > court to grant him an adjournment in order for him to make a no case > submission. Justice Paul asked Marenah to respond to Fatty’s request, > the latter urged the court to grant Fatty an adjournment. MANSONG > DAMBELL LOSES CASE > The Gambia Court of Appeal headed by Justice Gibou Janneh on Thursday > delivered judgment on the protracted legal battle involving prominent > businessman, Mansong Dambell and the West African Examination Council. > The Court of Appeal turned down the judgment delivered by the High > Court in favour of Mansong Dambell. The latter was awarded D3, 636, > 000.00 by the High Court. The appellant, WAEC later filed an appeal at > the Court of Appeal. The appellant did enter into a business deal with > Mansong. Two of the contracts were executed by the latter but the last > contract was terminated by the appellant. This prompted Mansong to file > a writ at the High Court claiming D1, 818, 000 as damages for breach of > contract. According to Justice Janneh, after reading the relevant > portions of the judgment, the court found out that the High Court judge > made an error in that the correct amount representing 20 % of the > overall contract price of D1, 818, 000.00 is D363, 600.00 and not D3, > 636, 000.00 as read by the former judge. In delivering judgment, > Justice Janneh stated that the Appeal Court thought it relevant to > award D3000.00 costs at the High Court and D5000.00 in the Appeal Court > in favour of the appellant. > > > MSN 8 with e-mail virus protection service: 2 months FREE* > > > -- > Chi Jaama > Joe Sambou -- Chi Jaama Joe Sambou ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~