I am pleased to subsequently share with you that Lamin
Sanyang former MD of Gambia International Airlines who has been under
detention for over a month at the Police HQ in Banjul has been
unconditionally released last Friday.
From:
[log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: I
have a big friggin question!!! / Bailo To: [log in to unmask],
[log in to unmask] Date: Friday, 12 September, 2008, 8:06
PM
Bailo,
I concur with your sentiments about Sir Dawda Jawara, Gambia's
first president from independence to July 22nd, 1994. Sometimes, and
amid seemingly overwhelming decrepitude and abject squalor, Africans
do not stop to reflect or accord commendation and encouragement for
goodness. Every flicker of light must be extinguished to remain in
absolute darkness with no guide therefore to salvation.
Anyhow, I say Ameen to your wonderful prayer and wish you good
health and the requisite energy to work for personal and national
democracy.
Haruna.
In a message dated 9/12/2008 11:42:07 A.M. Mountain Daylight
Time, [log in to unmask] writes:
Haruna,
For all his shortcomings, which all humans have, I like
Sir Dawda for one good reason: He adhered to and lived the
"Golden Rule" than most African leaders of the past or
present era.
His catchphrase was "Nie mang ku keh, kuteh kang".
Regretably, as I write this, Lamin Sanyang former MD of Gambia
International Airlines is still held under detention without
trial for a month at the Police HQ in Banjul. What about
newspaper reporter Chief Manneh? His family are spending
another ramadan without him or knowing his exact fate or
whereabouts. Who is next? May be me.
Let's us pray: " Oh Allah! Creator of the heavens and
the earth! Knower of all that is hidden and open: It is Thou
that wilt Judge between Thy servants in those matters about
which they have differed" (Al-Quran: 39:46).
Amen.
From:
Haruna Darbo <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Re: I
have a big friggin question!!! / Bailo To:
[log in to unmask] Date: Thursday, 11 September,
2008, 4:08 AM
Bailo, I know at the face of it, having a population
data bank at the president's office creates the impression
of malfeasance. This is because of Yahya's history of
rigging elections. However, there could be a benign
explanation. The proximity of population data to Yahya in
itself, is not valuable as to his criminal activity. His
votes came in large part from MFDC sympathisers in Southern
Senegal and refugees from SierraLeone and Liberia who are
resident in Gambia.
During the UK's colonial rule of Gambia, the population
census bureau was part of the governor's coterie of
"bureaus". The information collected by statisticians then
was used in ominous expeditions and was available to the
Commonwealth Office and the Home office of the colonies. We
all understand that such information was relied on heavily
to maintain or advance colonial enterprises. When Sir Dawda
became President and Gambia gained independence, he
inherited a this governance structure. A concerted effort
was made to decentralise all of these efforts because the
president of an independent Gambia does not need exclusive
custody of population when there are ministries of
Education, economic planning, social welfare, health etc.
However, there are adhoc commissions set up from time
to time that conduct actuarial analyses and data
collection. These are generally adhoc and of specific
duration. A secretariat for the commission may be set up at
the President's office where some documents may end up. I
expect therefore that whatever documents end up in such
secretariats is only copy and the originals are housed at
CSD.
I looked at the CSD website a bit more and found out
the CSD is under the purview of the Department of State for
Finance & Econ. Affairs. If you look on the Demographics
page at the same website, scroll down to the bottom and
click on National Population Policy. You will discover one
such secretariat referenced in a report. I present the
Report's title here.
REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA
NATIONAL POPULATION POLICY (REVISED)
National Population Commission
Secretariat Office of The President, State
House Banjul, The Gambia JANUARY 1998
One thing that surprised me was that a [National
Population Data Bank - President's office] was cited in a
state of Education Report for 1994. So I was a bit
confused. I wonder if these adhoc secretariats do not
continue to exist at the President's office even after their
adhoc purposes expire. And why would a report writer cite a
Data bank at the President's office when the CSD seems the
most reliable reference? Or is it the most reliable
reference? When I find this report, I will forward a
link to it here. I forget the names of the Gambian
participants.
So, even though it is tempting to read malevolence into
it Bailo, upon further review, it could just be benign
ignorance and reckless abandon. Anyway the quest for reasons
continues.
Haruna. | |