G-L Community: What follows is a summary of the various proposals and strategies that were posted on the Bantaba and to me privately. I found them to be thoughtful and reflective of the twin themes of "National Reconciliation" and "Positive/Constructive Engagement" with president Jammeh, his Government, the National Assembly, Political parties and other institutions and groups in Gambia's civil society. In looking at all the postings on the issue, several key categories emerged. A. ENHANCING DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS. * Consensus built around the principle of Gambians freely electing those that govern and manage affairs of state; * Protecting the rights of individuals, groups, political parties and others in civil society to freely express, associate and choose those that govern them without fear or retribution from the state or its agents; * To engender a level playing field to ensure competitive party politics and a Government based on the rule of law. STRATEGY: * Unban all political parties and politicians and hold free and fair elections; * Obey electoral laws and regulations enacted by the Independent Electoral Commission so as to ensure a level playing field for all parties and candidates; * Provide access to media outlets for Political parties to have their platform(s) known to the public; * Review the Constitution, introduce a "Term-Limit" clause and rescind all military decrees; * Create an enabling economic and political environment such that Gambians irrespective of social standing, ethnicity, gender, age and religion can pursue a livelihood in/with dignity; * Work toward and vigorously support gender equality and other activities that empower women and young girls; * Protect the civil and political rights of Gambians and work toward enhancing their economic rights and train security forces to both defend and promote the human rights of Gambians and those resident in Gambia. B. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. The proposals under this category build upon and extend some programs already in place in our Community by Organizations such as Geso, GLC, the Book Project and many others. They are dedicated to improving the medical/health, educational and disaster relief assistance programs at home. Mention was also made of assistance to Gambians in the diaspora especially in times of bereavement. STRATEGY: * Establish committees to address and monitor each issue area, possibly in collaboration with existing Organizations in order to engender efficiency and effectiveness of their respective tasks; * Provide "expert" and professional assistance to Government/agencies and other societal institutions, groups and individuals to enhance national development; * Enhance business activity by investing in Gambia and Gambians and in so doing, create meaningful and sustainable employment; * Entertain and explore the issue of "dual citizenship" for Gambian residents abroad to ease travel, business ventures, absentee voting and provide the basis for enduring ties for the children born of Gambian parents abroad. OTHER STRATEGIES. * Valuable proposals were made under this general category that included: * Creating a "Committee of 10" to monitor, recommend, commend and if necessary condemn action/inaction by Government, other political actors, citizens or residents in Gambia whose policies, acts and /or activity may threaten the "national interest" not of the state necessarily, but of ordinary Gambians. CONCLUSION. It was also recommended as part of the healing and reconciliation process that those accused and found guilty, in a court of law of violations of individual, family and group rights be punished accordingly. And that truth telling and accountability must accompany the healing and reconciliation process. In my attempt to keep this short and to the point, I may have unintentionally failed to include adequately some specific proposals sent to me or posted on the Bantaba.. This is not intended as a slight to anyone's ideas. We can always add to these proposals. This is an evolving document that should serve as a springboard into the national debate. Cheers! Abdoulaye ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html ----------------------------------------------------------------------------