DELIBERATIONS on HUMAN RIGHTS SEMINAR STOCKHOLM(SWEDEN)
A seminar took place on above theme on 22 January 2012 in the city of Stockholm in Sweden on January 22 2012,and
attended by Gambian residents in Sweden under the umbrella of HUMRA(A Gambian Human Rights Organisation based
in Sweden).
The Event was chaired by Koro Sallah.
Sallah
opened the Seminar by welcoming all to a much needed event following the outcome of the recent General
Elections in Gambia.He encouraged participants to critically evaluate the situation in Gambia and suggest a way forward
for the future of our country.
Koro welcomed and thanked Abdulai Jobe of Sene-Gambia Human Rights Defence League, for coming from
London to address the occasion.
Jobe proceeded to give a broad-based definition of Human Rights as enshrined in the articles of the United Nations and
other global organisations. He informs delegates that” Human Rights “is not simply about the business of Rights of
assembly, expression of dissent and struggle and protestations to free prisoners and the fight to stop torture. Human
rights, he says, also includes the right to Education, Health
services and equality of opportunity for individuals and
communities to realise their full potential.
Jobe gave a brief but succinct account of the History of the Gambia from pre-colonial times to date,and along the way
touched on the sufferings of the people of Gambia under various forms of domination. He makes mention of the
continuous struggles of the Gambian people in their various forms such as organised resistance against slavery and
feudal domination, workers and trade unions, student bodies,women,peasants and the lower rung of the civil service for
better conditions of living and for freedom and liberty.
Jobe insists such struggles for better conditions and the right to freedom and liberty still underpins the History of the
Gambian people, who continue to live under tyranny and fear of apprehension as well as subject to torture, frequent
incarceration,imprisonment,enforced disappearances and extra
judicial killings.
Jobe encourages resident Gambians in Sweden to join other groupings in the UK,France,Germany,Holland,Norway,
Denmark ,the USA and Senegal to form a broad based coalition to confront a tyrannical regime, which has proved time
and again to have zero tolerance to voices of dissent individually or collectively.
He implores fellow Gambians to take a proactive role in confronting the Regime of yahya Jammeh which is corrupt to the
core and grossly inept in delivering what the Gambian people want. He advises, reactions to the regime’s failings will
always engage us, but thatwe need take a proactive stance on issues.
He suggests critical stock taking of what obtains in Gambia and the recent outcome of an Election which was fraught
with imbalances and fought on an unequal playing field. Despite their shortcomings, Jobe praises the political parties in
Gambia putting up a fight(all be it on
stages disunited),against the most brutal and tyrannical regime in recent memory.
The Gambian political parties,he suggests, have under the most trying circumstances, with minimal resources and under
all sorts of constraints, put up a brilliant fight they were never the less going to lose. He sees and advocates a more
robust role for diaspora Gambians to push the frontiers to gain Freedom, development and peace and to save our
country from international shame and humiliation.
He refers to the recent Dialogue in Gambia between the Government and diaspora Gambians, as bogus,uninclusive,
selective and stage- managed to give the impression of engagement so as to attract foreign and local investment, in an
Economy already saddled with debt and debt servicing liabilities. Gambia ,Jobe says,is still, unable feed her people,
provide education for all our children, lift the quality of life for our women and even unable arrange
for the marketing
and purchase of our groundnuts from the fields. Jobe suggests, any act of Government or lack thereof which infringes
on the basic rights of people to feed themselves and be fully provident for their families constitutes a Human Rights
violation and abuse.
Jobe then proceeds to present a prepared paper for the Seminar entitled”Socio-economic History of Human Rights in
Gambia”,which follows later this week.
Sallah again thanks Jobe for his part and presentation and invites comments and questions.
This session lasts an hour and explores in detail the following areas of concern to delegates:
1..Recent Elections in Gambia. Delegates discussed and analysed the Elections from pre-registration through to the
actual ballot. Individuals identified flaws such as double
registration, the registration of aliens from south Senegal,
registration of minors and fictitious enlistment of voters.
Delegates cited (a) the total control and monopoly of the electronic media (Gambia radio and TV) by the regime.(b) The
imposition of the 10 day rule prohibiting any electioneering campaigns until 10 days before the ballot while the regime,
under the guise of a country tour propagate for the APRC.
©The use with impunity, of public resources(Gvt transport and the use of civil servants for direct propaganda.
(d)The Threats...in attaching and tying development projects to the delivery of votes to the ruling APRC.
All these constitute a violation of the constitution, of rules of civilised engagement and conduct and disregard for
procedure.
2.Judiciary,legislature and Executive…..Delegates observe that in Gambia ,these 3 arms of the state simply blend
into each other. That the executive(singularly the office of president),rides shod over both the legislature and the
judiciary. Many a Gambian dissident(politicians,journalists,members of the National Assembly etc)have been arrested,
charged without cause, hauled before law courts and judges and magistrates instructed to impose sentences as the
president wills. Many such cases (Sam sarr, pap Saine etc) were cited and named. Other incidents include
disappearances of the likes of Chief Ebrima Manneh,Ndongo Mboob,Buba Sanyang etc. who have disappeared without
trace since 2006.
Lynching and torture of Gambian dissidents, the likes of the late Sidia Sanyang and the UDP official Shyngle Nyassi ,as
well as the late SM Dibba were also cited. The direct close range shooting of Deyda Hydara remains Green in the
memory of Gambians and
symbolises the epicentre of the struggle against Jammeh’s tyrannical rule. Delegates
condemn without reservation these dastardly acts of wanton abuses of Human Rights and call for all Gambians and
friends of The Gambia to remove this despotic reign of terror being visited on Gambian people.
3.Land Grabbing….Delegates(some of whom had direct experiences)cited Yaya Jammeh’s insatiable desire for
grabbing land belonging to others ,stretching from Oyster Creek( Saro )through the Kombos,Fonis and to the upper
reaches of The Gambia river. This has deprived many Gambians of family and traditional land on which to build homes
or use for agricultural reproduction. Delegates deplore the wholesale trade of Gambian land to foreign enterprises and
individuals and the presidency’s total control of the allocation
of land in the urban areas.Seminarees condemn this act
of high mindedness, corruption and the abuse of of our main life- sustaining resource. Delegates call for a halt to these
practices and insist on a public enquiry on land distribution and allocation.
4.Discussion of Jobe’s paper:Sallah summarised the paper and deliberations pointing to the salient points for
discussion as they impact on the Rights of Gambian citizenry.Sallah implored Gambian residents in Sweden to mobilise
into a formidable force to work with Gambian organisations in the Diaspora.He emphasised the need for a Delivery
approach to Gambian matters and to walk away from “talking shop”groupings that have not produced much result. He
encourages the formation of Relief and welfare associations to assist underprivileged Gambians who live
in urban decay
and rural stagnation, and whose rights continue to be trampled by all Governments and dominant groupings in Gambia.
Sallah reminds the Seminar that the leadership of the Gambia present and past have all failed Gambians in their hour of
need. He cited the need for Food sovereignty and the general upliftment of the quality of life for children,women and the
forgotten disabled Gambians ,the old and infirm and those who are reduced to a system of caste existence.
Delegates discussed other areas such as Gambia’s archaic land tenure system, the system of caste, inequality of
opportunity and violence against fellow citizens by the coercive arms of the state.
A.Land Tenure.:Delegates discuss the need for a fairer allocation of land for starting homes and for agricultural
reproduction, and
deplore a system of land tenure where a few have control and ownership .
B.Caste..Delegates discuss at length this unfortunate relegation of those who produce tangibles for our sustenance to
the level of “untouchables”, and call for a debate to address these issues openly and honestly. The system of caste,
delegates observe, is not in conformity with modern day Gambian habits of exchange, is out of sink with our desire for
equality and infringes the rights of large numbers of our Gambian population. Seminar calls for a debate on this archaic
feudal legacy lingering on in today’s Gambia, and an introduction of school lessons in the curriculum to address these
matters to our children with a view to abandoning this unsavoury and inhumane treatment of fellow citizens.
C.Women:Delegates deplore the status of women in our communities.Most of our women have been reduced to hewers
of wood and drawers of water, providers of our food and carer’s of children, the old and infirm and carry the burdens of
household chores. The odd case of women rising to positions of pre-eminence is not a sign of the end of the servitude
of women. That only comes when the emancipation of our people from all forms of domination is attained and a lead
taken by our women for their own upliftment against the domination and bondage to menfolk. Delegates request the
enrolment of all girls in schools and to be afforded the same opportunities as boys. Delegates recognise that women
constitute more than 52% of our population; produce over 60% of our food needs yet control less than 10 % of our
wealth. This constitutes a
violent infringement of the rights of the majority of our population and must STOP. Seminar
asks for quota systems where practicable, and a fully-fledged ministry(not a token agency masquerading as one) with a
budget and powers to enhance the upliftment of women and stop the violence against them and the servitude they are
subjected to.
In concluding CHAIRMAN Sallah encourages London to broaden its planned Spring Convention, and to take on board
issues raised here in Stockholm in our joint search for a way forward for Gambia.
HUMRA/Sene-Gambia Human Rights Defence League.