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Amadou Samba’s appeal against Janneh Commission findings starts

Ebrima Dampha
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Amadou Samba’s appeal against Janneh Commission findings starts

By Bruce Asemota

The Gambia Court of Appeal presided over by Justice Awa Bah, Justice Omar MM Njie and Justice Basirou V.P Mahoney, yesterday ordered parties in the civil appeal case, Amadou Samba versus the Attorney General to file briefs of arguments.

Amadou Samba filed an appeal challenging the adverse findings of the Commission of Inquiry otherwise known as the Janneh Commission and a motion for a stay of execution before the Gambia Court of Appeal.

The Janneh Commission had described Amadou Samba as a close associate of former President Yahya Jammeh and its findings made recommendations which the applicant, Amadou Samba is challenging before the Gambia Court of Appeal.

During yesterday’s sittings, the court gave lawyer Ida D. Drammeh, legal counsel for Amadou Samba and lawyer Binga D. of the Attorney General’s Chambers separate days to file their briefs of arguments and the matter was adjourned to 15 January, 2020 for adoption of the said briefs of arguments.

Dr Cessay says Barrow will set bad example if he refuses to go

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Dr Cessay says Barrow will set bad example if he refuses to go

By Alagie Manneh

Political scientist Dr Ismaila Ceesay has warned that a “bad precedent” will be set in The Gambia’s political history if President Barrow refuses to step down after three years.
“It will be also bad for our democracy and a wrong signal to our young people who want to become politicians because they will believe that it is okay to lie and not fulfil promises,” he told The Standard Bantaba.

Dr Ceesay further disclosed that the issue of three years or five years should not have become a bone of contention in the country.
“It should have been simple and straight forward. You made a three years promise and you came to power, I understand, it can be overwhelming – multiple reform processes ongoing at the same time. It can be difficult for anybody but simply go back and have a word with the people you made the promise to. Tell them I made a promise but allow me to stay on. People are reasonable, but the confrontation and approach was wrong,” he stated.

Dr Ceesay said the country has been thrown into a state of dilemma and warned that the reaction to Barrow’s desire to stay on could backfire.

“For the first time in our history, we are in a serious dilemma. If Barrow refuses to step down, it is bad for our fragile democracy. But if Barrow is forced out through popular uprising, that also sets a very bad precedent for this country, as it is going to reset our democratic culture and a trajectory of presidents not finishing their terms will start here just like it is happening in Guinea Bissau and in other parts of the world.”

Dr Ceesay said the way out of this dilemma is through dialogue.
“Let’s have a dialogue, let’s sit as a country and discuss what we want as Gambians, what kind of Gambia we want, how do we want to move ahead in these difficult times, in this transition from authoritarianism to a democracy.”

Dr Ceesay said this is an opportunity for the country after 54 years of self-perpetuating rule.

“God helped us and gave us an opportunity to remove a government. That is why the spirit of the MoU was that you serve for three years and resign. It is going to be the first time in our political history for a president to serve a short period and resign. It is going to reset our democratic culture and the trend would continue but if we don’t handle it properly and the president is forced out through popular uprising, is going to reset the system and… we are at a cross roads. We need to be careful how we handle this. I think dialogue is important,” he said.

Dr Ceesay also denied ever insulting Barrow and said those people who condemned his remarks directed at the president are today the ones calling Barrow names. “It is hypocrisy,” he stressed.
Read the full Bantaba this Friday

Economic and finance streaming around Africa African countries with controlled foreign exchange rates

Ebrima Dampha
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Economic and finance streaming around Africa African countries with controlled foreign exchange rates

By Momodou Camara

Several African countries have come under scrutiny over their foreign exchange regimes, that are often strictly managed by states in the face of thin reserves and dollar shortages. While some like Egypt and Angola have recently loosened the grip on their currencies, allowing for economic adjustments through their exchange rates, there are still quite a number who still control their foreign exchange rates.

Nigeria
Africa’s biggest oil exporter operates a multiple exchange rate regime, which it has used to manage pressure on the currency. The official rate NGN= of 306.90 is supported by the central bank but the NAFEX rate (Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Rate Fixing) of 362 is widely quoted by foreign investors and exporters.

Central and West Africa (CFA Franc)
Countries in the eight-nation West African CFA franc zone (Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo) and the six-nation Central African CFA franc zone (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon) have their respective currencies pegged to the euro XOF=. Both are guaranteed by the French treasury and were pegged to the French franc before the euro. Although the two currencies are in theory separate legal tenders, they have been effectively interchangeable. The CFA franc is pegged at 655.957 to the euro.

Ethiopia
Africa’s biggest coffee exporter has operated a carefully managed floating exchange rate regime since 1992 for its birr currency ETB=. In September, the country’s central bank governor said Ethiopia should slowly liberalise its exchange rate regime but was unlikely to move to a fully floating rate within the next three years.

Morocco
The dirham MAD= is pegged against a euro-U.S. dollar basket, with the latter having a weighting of 40%. In January 2018, Morocco widened the band in which the dirham trades against hard currencies to 2.5 percent either side of a reference price from the previous 0.3 percent.

Algeria
The country’s dinar DZD= is managed against an undisclosed basket of major currencies.

Africa: foreign currencies in short supply
Today we reflect on the problem of the currency crisis in several African countries…
From Nigeria to Zimbabwe to the Central African states, the problem is real. The Dollar, the Euro and the Pound Sterling, which are widely used in international trading, are in short supply. Much has been said about the origin of this situation. Beyond the fact that economies are essentially extroverted; oriented towards satisfying external needs, beyond the structure of African economies refractory to the transformation of their own raw materials to specialize in exports of raw materials. This situation should challenges our states as a priority. How do we get out of this? Many, like the analyst Idriss Linge, believe that it is imperious to transform the structure of African economies from top to bottom, so that they cease to be mere powder suppliers of raw materials to the rest of the world… Certainly we can question the role of certain companies and multinationals that export the essential, if not all their benefits… Some companies, businessmen and even individuals can be blamed for their currencies in foreign bank accounts. Accentuating the currency crisis… Economic intelligence specialists we consulted during the preparation of this segment implore with all their hearts the advent of strategic states in Africa… They underline a kind of physical inactivity, lack of audacity, lack of revolt of our states… In Africa it is still normal to import most of what we eat while arable land in abundance suffers from fallow. In Africa, it is normal to import biscuits, eggs, mineral water, needles, etc… In short, to squander the rare currencies laboriously acquired to obtain products that are within our reach… President Buhari, whose country spent $503 million on food in 2018, has been hostile to spending precious Dollars now to buy food that can be produced… And $503 million, I would point out that this is the profit made in China in 2015 by the American car manufacturer General Motor… This is the amount that the continent’s largest economy spent in 2018 to import rice only. It is thinking time for Africa.

Sudan, international lenders agree on reforms
Sudan has agreed on a roadmap to “rehabilitate” the country with the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and African Development Bank, its finance minister said. Finance Minister Ibrahim Elbadawi said the plan involved structural reforms but did not go into further details. He said as part of the deal Sudan would not have to pay its lenders debt arrears. There could also be non-financial support. Sudan’s inclusion on a list of countries deemed sponsors of terrorism by the United States makes it ineligible for debt relief and financing from lenders like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, cutting off a crucial source of finance. Elbadawi was speaking to reporters at Khartoum airport after he flew back from Washington, D.C., where he was attending the annual World Bank and IMF meetings. He said negotiations with other creditors would begin in March. “Based on that, Sudan’s debt relief programme will start by the end of 2020,” he said, without giving further details. Elbadawi said that “friends of Sudan” will fund its 2020 budget, and said the ministry has submitted financing requests for 20 projects to donors, without identifying who those donors were. A “friends of Sudan” meeting will be held in Khartoum in early December, he said. Another meeting for donors will be held in April. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have given Sudan $3 billion in aid, agreed on after former president Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April, throwing a lifeline to Sudan’s new military leaders at the time. Sudan’s new transitional government, formed as part of a three-year deal agreed by military and civilian leaders in August, has been working to remove Sudan from the U.S. sponsors of terrorism list, to potentially open the door for foreign investment. Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok is expected to visit the United States soon, Elbadawi said, without saying when.

THE CURRENCY MARKETS

*** These are indicative figures as per the 6th. October, 2019.
THE COMMODITY MARKETS IN THE GREATER BANJUL AREAS
*** Market prices are as at 05th. November, 2019
ENTREPRENEURSHIP CORNER AND SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURS’ QUOTES
It may be easy to get caught up in the startup and entrepreneurship buzz, however, it is going to take a lot more to start your own venture and keep your head above the water. Wondering what it takes to become a better entrepreneur or build a successful business? Pay heed to the words of some of the finest African entrepreneurs.
“Be prepared to sacrifice, and work harder than you’ve ever thought possible. Be prepared to work around the clock, to be laughed at, called a dreamer, and to be told several times that your ideas will not work.”

By— Nkemdilim Begho, Future Software Resources Limited, Nigeria
“If I had worried about everything that could go wrong, I would never have started. Sometimes, you just need to take a leap of faith.”

By— Ken Njoroge of Cellulant, Kenya
“Getting things done is better than having things perfect. Done is better than perfect. Whatever you have in your hands, get going with it. Just do it.”
By—Charles Igwe, Nollywood Global Media Group, Nigeria
“To build a successful business, you must start small and dream big. In the journey of entrepreneurship, tenacity of purpose is supreme”.

By—Aliko Dangote, Dangote group, Nigeria
“Dreaming is good. But now your dream must be profitable. For example, you cannot find investors who will put funds in your project without them seeing the potential for profitability.”

By –Olivier Madiba, founder of Kiro’o Games in Cameroon
“Businesses that are spoilt with too much capital make the wrong decisions. Constraints are the most wonderful things in business, because constraints allow you to be innovative and come up with different solutions.”

By –Michael Jordaan, South, MonteGray Capital, South Africa
If you are already in business, keep these in mind…
“Focus on making your product or service awesome. I see a lot of guys go into business with a ‘how can I make money’ approach. But if you go in there saying ‘how can I make something awesome’, the money will follow.”

By –Alex Fourie, iFix, South Africa
“Business is always a struggle. There are always obstacles and competitors. There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to failure. Every great success has always been achieved by fight, every winner has scars. The men who succeed are the efficient few –they are the few who have the ambition and will-power to develop themselves. So choose to be among the few today.”
By –Chris Kirubi, Centum Investment, Kenya

Letters: Our bane: Smug satisfaction with the status quo

Ebrima Dampha
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Letters: Our bane: Smug satisfaction with the status quo

 

Dear editor,
And so I have been reflecting…. We want to progress as a society and yet we haven’t progressed in real terms. We know accountability is at the heart of development, yet we aren’t able to hold ourselves and others to account. We want to be “modern”, yet we are steeped in certain beliefs and practices which are antithetical and antagonistic to modernism (not Westernisation) and tenets of a progressive society. In effect we are hanging on to the status quo, Obedience to and reverence of the “status quo” and “our old ways of doing thing” are what we preach.

You are not supposed to rock the boat; it is heresy to do so. Thinking outside the box is frowned upon. Challenging things as they are is unacceptable. Woe betides one who wants to be an iconoclast, who wants to shatter the glass ceiling or upset the known applecart. Group thinking (The herd mentality) is one applauded.

We are comfortable with things as they are…. And no society has progressed with such comfort, mentality or “slaved” frame of mind. Every revolution, every innovation, every invention, every leap in human development and progress has been brought about by non-conformism and non-conformists, through “rebellion” against the status quo, through questioning and challenging things as they were. All the Prophets and Messengers were revolutionaries who also challenged and dismantled the status quo of their times. Copernicus, Newton, Einstein, Marx, Nkrumah, Anta Diop, Malcolm X, Mandela, MLK Jr, Francis Small et al “attacked” a group think of their time and by doing so changed not just their society but the world.

As it was then, with revolutionaries and iconoclasts, so must it be with us today if we want to bring about meaningful changes in the lives of our people. We must challenge the status quo; we must refuse to be part of the herd mentality; we must insist on rebellion to beliefs which inhibit accountability, transparency, progress, participation in decision making, creativity, financial or fiscal discipline, pluralism, innovation, positive change. Fatalism, “why change it when not broken”, “this is how it has been”, “Allah would change it when the comes”, satisfaction with one’s state as it is, are anathema to progress.

The hand that makes idol can as well dismantle it. Each must be prepared to be what MLK Jr called “creative maladjusted non- conformist”. And unless every man or woman holds certain things obnoxious in his or her mind and heart- corruption, hatred, bigotry, intolerance, abuse of power and trust, discrimination, misogyny, etc- the status quo would prevail over progress…

And so like lawyer Darboe stated, each of us must refuse to be “contented” or satisfied with the status quo, with things as they are. Dissatisfaction with things as they are contains the seed of progress, innovation and creativity. But not just a show of dissatisfaction, we must also proffer tangible alternatives, must show the way.

The moth becomes a butterfly because it is dissatisfied with its state…… We can’t be satisfied with bigotry, hatred, poverty, poor services, averages, mediocrity, underdevelopment.
I hail the creative maladjusted non-conformist.
Njundu Drammeh
Fajara

The Diaspora Club

Ebrima Dampha
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A club known simply as the Diaspora Club which has been registered as an international Non-governmental Organisation has been and continues to do tremendous work in the area of giving back to Gambians.

The idea came about when some Gambians residing in Europe and America decided to hold a party (here at home) in December of 2017. During that event the idea was floated around that the ‘semesters’, as they are called, can only criticize but hardly contribute to the development of the country.

They therefore came up with an initiative that yearly, they would organize a get-together like that and raise funds which will then be ploughed back and given to deserving institutions as part of their contributions to the socioeconomic development of the country.

Of recent, they have donated to the prisons, to the Edward Francis Small Teaching Hospital and other institutions which need and deserve assistance from the country’s sons and daughters who have travelled and have succeeded in getting good jobs abroad.

It has been revealed that they (the Diaspora Club) are planning to hold another fundraising event in order to donate to institutions in the country come December. This is one of the ways in which they wish to take part in solving the many problems the country is faced with at the moment apart from their regular remittances.

This type of initiative needs to be encouraged and emulated by all and sundry. Everyone has a thing or two they can do for the country so that it can move on.

Gambia tries to fill Thomas Cook void

Ebrima Dampha
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Gambia tries to fill Thomas Cook void

The Gambian government is looking into new partnerships with operators and airlines to fill the gap left by Thomas Cook, according to tourism destination manager Malick Jeng.
Prior to the collapse, Thomas Cook accounted for around 40 percent of all Brits to the destination, whose economy is largely dependent on tourism (representing 30 percent of its GDP) and where the UK is the biggest overseas market.

He told Travel Weekly: “We’re talking to as many people as possible to see what we can do right now. That’s the key focus for the government. I don’t want to name any specific operators that we’re in talks with, but we have a few considering launching here.”

He said the Gambia Experience (part of Serenity Holidays) was now supplying the majority of UK visitors to the country and had picked up some of the business from Thomas Cook customers who had already booked when the company collapsed.

“Some Thomas Cook customers may have been diverted to other destinations, but some insisted on going to The Gambia and I believe they were provided with the opportunity to do so, thanks to The Gambia Experience and some of the other operators,” he said.

The Gambia Experience operates flights from Gatwick on Titan Airways and Enter Air from Manchester and Birmingham. Brussels Airlines, Royal Air Moroc and TAP Air Portugal are also continuing to carry passengers on indirect flights, according to Jeng.
Other UK operators including Olympic Holidays and Saga Holidays sell The Gambia, but Jeng said airlift was the main issue.

“We are looking at these operators, but a lot depends on finding an alternative carrier. I’m not sure if these operators are planning on increasing their product in the country yet – it’s about finding easy access to the destination with alternative flights and taking it from there.”

Jeng said so far there hadn’t been any hotel closures, but that the economic impact would likely be substantial.

“Tourism and agriculture are the two biggest industries for the Gambia,” he said. “It’s very important in terms of employment and other sectors. If Thomas Cook represented around 40 percent of UK tourism in the The Gambia, you can imagine what that means to the industry.”

Banjul+3 forum ends in Gambia

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Banjul+3 forum ends in Gambia

By Aisha Tamba

Hundreds of youths of the African continent took part in the third African regional youth forum that ended in Gambia recently.

The “prestigious” African youth consultation, which seeks to promote respect for political commitment, democracy, governance, human rights and guaranteed freedoms, social cohesion, conflict prevention, peace and security, brought together young leaders from all over Africa from 28 to 30 October 2019 in Banjul to discuss the role of African youth in peace building and conflict resolution.

The forum also analysed the innovative capacity, creativity and new forms of emerging expressions of young people with a focus on the best benefit that can be derived from them.

he overall objective was to provide young African leaders of both sexes, of all categories and backgrounds with a platform to reflect and exchange between different segments of youth and to give them the opportunity to interact with other actors in the societal space to create the necessary synergies to bring solutions to their problems and those of society.
Senior government figures including the vice president attended the forum.

The vice president said The Gambia has set an example in shaping the narrative of Africa from a conflict-stricken region to a continent that can progress through peaceful means.
She urged young people to work to establish and encourage peace and liberty in their countries.

The chairperson of the National Youth Council, NYC, said: “This is a very important day where people gather to discuss about paving a way for peace, democracy, development and empowerment of young people in the African continent. We cannot continue to dwell in poverty and in conflicts. This is the time for Africans to stand and work to unite as one young people and put away our differences.”

The Banjul+Forum is a continuation of the two previous ones (Banjul 2016 and 2017). It reflects Unesco and partners commitment to work with and for young people to ensure their autonomy and promote their leadership.

The forum was co-organised by Unesco, OHCHR and other UN agencies in close collaboration with Gambian authorities, PAYNCOP and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).

D1.2 billion climate resilience project launched

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D1.2 billion climate resilience project launched

By Saidou Baldeh

ActionAid International The Gambia Thursday inaugurated a D1.2 billion climate resilience and sustainable agriculture demonstration farm.

Entitled Promoting Agro-ecology and eco-restoration practices in Southern Central River and North Bank regions of The Gambia, the project will be implemented in 30 communities across the beneficiary regions in close collaboration with Njawara Agricultural Training Centre.

It is expected to benefit 34, 000 people.
Omar Badjie, executive director of ActionAid International – The Gambia, said because of climate change, the lives and livelihood of farmers are negatively impacted which is why they developed the resilience sustainability project.

He said an estimated17 percent of the Gambian population has migrated and as such, draining the rural areas active labour force.

He said resilience building and adaption of good farming practices is key to development, stressing that the farm must be open to all those who need it, particularly women and youth but also urged beneficiaries to take care of the farm for its sustainability.
“People have lost interest, hope and trust in agriculture due to climate change,” he remarked.

Darrell Sexstone, EU Delegation programme manager, said by focusing on women and youth in particular, the intention is to provide viable alternatives to migration to urban areas or even Europe, through providing them with the necessary knowledge, skills and inputs to engage in sustainable agro-ecology farming practices for food security and gainful employment within their communities as well as contribute to restoration of the local eco-systems.

He observed that at present, agriculture is not attractive for youth as there are low prices for agricultural produce, a weakness of basic services in rural areas and a lack of connectivity.

“The adaption of eco-restoration and agro-ecological approaches could be essential to change these trends and make agriculture more attractive to the youth by fostering higher prices for organic produce, for production diversity and lowering dependency on external inputs and making farming a lifestyle choice again”, he observed.

Bai Jabang, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, said the project is well aligned with the prioritisation of agriculture in the National Development Plan of The Gambia government. He said it is also in line with The Gambia’s National Agriculture Investment and the Ecowas agricultural programme.

Fanta Jatta-Sowe, head of programmes and policy at ActionAid International The Gambia, said ActionAid believes in empowering communities and bringing development to them.
“For us to continue living we have to co-exist with the environment. Our attitude and behaviors contribute negatively or positively in impacting the environment.”

Mama Manneh, director of Njawara Agricultural Training Centre, deliberated on the negative consequences of climate change and its effects on the livelihood of beneficiary communities.

He said they expect things to be learnt at the demonstration farm to support communities to be resilient in the face of climate change.
The overall objective of the project is to contribute to job creation and food security for women and youth through agro-ecology and resilience building to mitigate climate change and irregular migration.

Scorpions Ready For Angola

Ebrima Dampha
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Scorpions Ready For Angola

The euphoria and excitement from the ever- groovy Super Nawettan has not distracted the nation from two big football matches coming days after each other later this month.

The first is in Angola on November 13 and the other, at the Stadium here on November 19, against DR Congo in Group D of the Afcon qualifiers. Gambia Coach Tom Sainfiet yesterday unveiled his final list of players for the matches.

The return of Hamza Barry, Modou Barrow, Sulayman Marreh and Babucarr Trawally (Steve) are making headlines as fans believe their addition could boost the strength of the team.

FINAL LIST
Modou JOBE (Jeddah FC, Saudi Arabia)
Sheikh SIBI (Virtus Verona, Italy)
Boubacar GAYE (Wattenscheid, Germany)
Pa Modou JAGNE (FC Zürich, Switzerland)
Alieu JATTA (CasaSport, Senegal)
Omar COLLEY (Sampdoria, Italy),
Mohammed MBYE (Mjällby, Sweden)
Bubacarr SANNEH (Göztepe, Turkey)
Sulayman BOJANG (Kongsvinger IL, Norway)
Ngine Faye NJIE (CasaSport, Senegal)
Alasana MANNEH (Górnik Zabrze, Poland)
Dawda NGUM (FC Roskilde, Denmark)
Ebrima SOHNA (Gambia)
Sulayman MARREH (KAS Eupen, Belgium)
Hamza BARRY (Hajduk Split, Croatia)
Ablie JALLOW (AC Ajaccio, France)
Ebrima COLLEY (Atalanta, Italy)
Modou BARROW (Denizlispor, Turkey)
Assan CEESAY (FC Zürich, Switzerland)
Bubacarr JOBE (Mjällby, Sweden)
Bubacarr ‘Steve’ TRAWALLY (Ajman, UAE)
HoweverLamin Jallow (Salernitana, Italy)
Musa BARROW (Atalanta, Italy) and
Muhamed BADAMOSI (FUS Rabat, Morocco) are all reported to have sustained injuries while hot prospect Bakery Jatta (Hamburger SV Germany), Nuha KruballyMarong (Racing Santander, Spain), Ibou Touray (Salford City, England) and Ebou Adams (Forest Green Rovers, England) have all excused themselves from the matches.

Is the National Council for Civic Education well funded?

Ebrima Dampha
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Is the National Council for Civic Education well funded?

By Musa Bah

Given the important role of participation of citizens in democracy; and given the importance of civic education in a democracy, particularly a budding one like ours, I decided to go on a fact finding mission at the National Council for Civic Education (NCCE) today. I had an hour or so meeting with the Chairman, Alhagjie Serigne Faye, and discussed a number of issues with himpertaining to how we, as a nation, can better inform our citizenry so that they can participate meaningfully in the socioeconomic advancement of our country.

As we keep hearing that democracy is participatory, the question that begs to be asked is: who should participate and who do we expect to be those who should participate? Many will of course jump and say the citizens; but, do those citizens have sufficient knowledge about their government and governance structures to take part in the process of governance? The answer; unfortunately, is an emphatic NO. At least most of the citizens in this country.
To gauge the civic awareness of many Gambians, just listen to politicians – and sometime public officials – speak and say that ‘waxtupolitikjeexnaleeginagneandaligey’ (the time for politics is over, now let us come together and work).

This is a flawed statement which we keep hearing repeatedly and sometimes from people who are supposedly expected to know better. There is a huge difference between elections and politics. Whereas we can have time for elections which can come to an end, politics has no particular time. Whatever is done in terms of governance is politics.

The ordinary people, or at least many of them, are worse off. Many will simply tell you that a president is chosen by God and thus we should not go against him, that we should not say certain things about political leaders. Thus, this serves as a stumbling block for holding public officials accountable.

Whenever I hear such statements, my mind goes to the National Council for Civic Education and what they should do in this transition from dictatorship to democracy. It has dawned on me today that it is not only about what they should, but what they can, do to better the lives of our people.

The National Council for Civic Education is arguably one of the most important institutions in a democracy. This therefore requires that it be a permanent and independent institution which should be fully funded to meet a certain mandate. Its work should not be seasonal (as we have often seen them only shortly before, during and immediately after elections). Rather, it should be a continuous process which should never stop.

As it is though, the National Council for Civic Education is underfunded, under-resourced and does not have permanent structures in the country. For instance, up until now, the NCCE is renting a building in Kotu which they have to pay for thus taking a bulk of their money every year. This should not be the case, the importance of this institution should merit a permanent building of their own so that they can concentrate on sensitizing the people.

Secondly, the NCCE currently has only one road worthy vehicle. This is unacceptable given the fact that they have to cover the entire country to be fully effective. In fact, sometimes, when the executive is traveling around the country, this lone vehicle is also commandeered by government officials leaving the NCCE immobile until he returns.

The NCCE is simply under the government which means that they don’t have a separate budget of their own. What happens is that they prepare a budget and send it to the office of the president. Every month, depending on what is available, an amount will be sent to the NCCE. This fluctuates. Sometimes a huge amount, at others, a meagre amount. The fact that they do not know what will be given to them for the next month makes it very difficult, if most impossible, to have plans.

As an awareness sensitization outfit, it is necessary that they have a series of programmes: trainings, radio and TV talk shows, workshops and other activities every month. How on earth will they do all that if they do not know what amount of money they will receive every month?

Way Forward
The National Council for Civic Education (NCCE) should be made into a permanent and independent institution with fully equipped office space. They should be given enough vehicles to run their errands and sensitize the Gambian public. They should also have regional offices in each region of the Gambia. This is a must if we are to headway in enlightening our people.

The NCCE should be placed directly under the National Assembly so that every year they prepare a budget to be approved by the National Assembly and at the end of the day, they report to them (the National Assembly).This will enable them set up their plans properly to do their work properly and enlighten the public about their civic rights and responsibilities. This should be a continuous process.

For the long-term solution, the NCCE should be incorporated in the education curriculum so that children begin to learn about their civic rights and responsibilities from primary school onwards. In this way, majority of the citizens will be aware of their roles, rights and responsibilities even before they complete school.

If we want our change to be meaningful and bring about the transformation required, the National Council for Civic Education has to be at the cent restage of things!

Presidential Adviser Calls For Calm In Sic Row

Ebrima Dampha
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Presidential Adviser Calls For Calm In Sic Row

By Alagie Manneh

Dembo Bojang, the religious adviser to President Barrow has called on the rival Islamic leaders currently locked in a row over control of the Supreme Islamic Council, to observe restraint as efforts are made to address the dispute amicably.

A dispute between Rawdatul Majaalis and the leadership of the SIC flared up after news emerged that the former has selected Sheriff Muhammad Nano Hydara, the Caliph of Brufut as the head of a rival Supreme Islamic Council. The SIC called this a violation of the Council’s constitution.

Last weekend the situation degenerated into near brawl when a man was called for questioning by the police for allegedly insulting Hydara over the matter.
Contacted by The Standard to state Government’s stance on the matter, Dembo ‘By Force’ Bojang, who first called for calm, saying he will meet the president today to discuss the issue.

“But first I will have to consult the local government and lands minister. As of now I have not discussed it with the president but I will do so,” he said.

Bojang further stated that by its name alone, Islam is a religion of peace, unity and harmony and those spirits should be maintained.

“We should educate our people about the fundamentals of Islam because failure to do so could cause havoc in the country.”

He described the two factions as genuine Islamic leaders, adding that fighting between them is the last thing anyone desires.

“Islam is a religion with different people and groups. The religion brought us together, which means we are all one,” he noted.

He said a date will soon be fixed in a bid to bring the two parties to the table. “We can sit and discuss this amicably. The Gambia is our Gambia. If a conflict comes, what we do as Gambians is to sit at a table and iron out the issues. We will resolve this soon,” he promised.

Man appears in court for assaulting soldier

Ebrima Dampha
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Man appears in court for assaulting soldier

By Bruce Asemota

One Bakary Jatta, a resident of Jambur village yesterday appeared before Magistrate A.B. Faal of the Brikama Magistrates’ Court on charges of going armed in the public without authority and assault on one Jerreh Jarju, a military officer.

When the case was called, prosecution officer Corporal 4443 Aisatou H. Sowe disclosed that the incident happened on 23 August, 2019 at Jambur village near Farato in the West Coast Region after the accused had a brawl with one Mbye Jobe who had accused him together with two others of stealing his Samsung mobile phone valued at D7,000.00.

The prosecution further disclosed that Bakary Jatta got angry and when Jerry Jarju asked him to leave his compound gate, he took his cutlass and assaulted him causing harm on his left hand, head and left ear.

Meanwhile, a medical report and photographs of the injuries were tendered in evidence.
Bakary Jatta was granted bail in the sum of D40,000.00 with two Gambian sureties.

TRRC responds to Baba Galleh’s arrest request

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TRRC responds to Baba Galleh’s arrest request

Press release

The Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) takes note that on the 4th November 2019, during the Yankuba Touray Trial, Counsel for Mr. Yankuba Touray requested that the Court issue a Bench Warrant against the Executive Secretary of the Commission Dr. Baba Galleh Jallow, for failing to appear and present certain documents requested by the Defence.

Without delving into the merits of the application of the Defence, the Office of the Lead Counsel of the TRRC wishes to inform the general public that the TRRC in fact sent a representative who was present in Court during the hearing. It is sufficient in this particular instance that an authorized official of the TRRC was present in Court in pursuance of the Summons to Produce Documents. The Court was also notified of this fact by the Prosecutor in charge of the case. As such, the TRRC is of the view that the application of the Defence for a Bench Warrant against Dr. Jallow was unnecessary. In any case, Section 25 of the TRRC Act 2017, grants immunity to the Executive Secretary and other staff of the Commission from civil and criminal proceedings for any act or omission done in the official performance of their functions. In this context, a Bench Warrant against the Executive Secretary or any other staff of the TRRC would be unlawful.

The TRRC wishes to inform the general public that it will always comply with all lawful orders of the Courts addressed to it, including orders to produce any documents that it may be lawfully requested to produce. In this case, the documents that the Executive Secretary of the TRRC was requested to produce before the court were not produced by the representative of the Commission because of the arguments between the parties which are yet to be ruled upon and also the absence of an order by the judge for that person to take the witness stand and submit the documents to the Court.

The TRRC wishes to further inform the general public that all the available materials requested by the Defence to be produced during the hearing were in fact already provided to Mr. Yankuba Touray as required by the TRRC Provisional Rules of Procedure. As such, the submission of the same set of documents to the Court as requested by the Defence of Mr. Yankuba Touray would have just amounted to a duplication of the process. Nonetheless, the TRRC was represented in Court by an official of the Commission who possessed the relevant documents and was available to produce them to the Court if asked to do so.
Finally, the TRRC assures all concerned that it will always endeavor to comply.

Pilgrims sue travel agency

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Pilgrims sue travel agency

By Momodou Torp

Six pilgrims who took part in the last hajj have dragged Alpha Travel Agency to the consumer protection tribunal seeking redress for what they alleged was great discomfort and failed promises.

But the case could not proceed yesterday due to a delay in serving the key players, including the Hajj Commission which would have allowed prosecution witness 2 to appear and testify.

In the interim, when the case was called at the Bundung Magistrates’ Court, NST Baldeh and P.K Njie appeared for the respondent while the claimant was not represented.
“This is the third time the witness is not appearing before the court for not receiving the service document. I will allow him (witness) the last chance to appear otherwise I will apply for the matter to proceed and will rather ask for the court to caution the plaintiff to ensure the services are effective,” the magistrate said.

According to the particulars of the case in May 2018, each of the claimants paid D252, 000 to the respondent for the hajj package and they travelled in three groups.

“The advertisement published by the respondent which constitutes the general terms of the contract between the two parties included round trip tickets from Banjul to Madina and from Jeddah to Banjul by air, land transportation in Mecca and Medina, feeding and accommodation.”

It added that to the dismay of the complainants, the promises made by the respondent were misrepresented.

The pilgrims claimed their lodging in Senegal, Mbour was not well arranged or comfortable as they had to literally walk around with their luggage looking for available rooms in different lodges.

They further alleged that “most of the rooms were not up to standard as they were not clean enough.”

Ethnic belief is equal to self-hate – Halifa

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Ethnic belief is equal to self-hate – Halifa

By Omar Bah

Reacting to a question raised at a youth forum over the rising tribal sentiments in The Gambia, the leader of the People’s Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism, Halifa Sallah said ethic inclination is equal to self-hate.

“Ethnic belief is about you dealing with your mindset and if you have that mindset and you look at yourself and you pretend to be a Gambian citizen, then you are not a Gambian citizen because the Gambian citizen doesn’t discriminate against his fellow Gambian irrespective of religion or tribes,” Sallah said recently at a national dialogue held at the American Corner.

The Serekunda national assembly member said a Gambian citizen cannot discriminate against his or her fellow Gambian or see the difference between him or her with a fellow Gambian.

“If you are travelling, you travel with a passport which is not Mandinka, Fula or Wolof passport but a Gambian passport. Then who are you if you are going with a Gambian passport and cannot still answer that you are a Gambian?” he said.

Sallah said Gambia has failed since 1970 to build a republic.
“We have failed. So we are failing and we want to succeed now but unless we challenge who we are and accept that we are Gambian citizens, I don’t know what type of society we are going to have.

I will be gone but you will be killing and fisting each other and that trajectory has not changed because the mentality is still the same. You must fight that mentality for all Gambians to be safe in Gambia; without that, there is no safety for anybody. We are only going to be safe when we create a Gambia that is owned by the Gambian people. Where we see each other as equal irrespective of our religion and ethnicity,” he observed.

Seminar on news media for Africa ends in China

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Seminar on news media for Africa ends in China

By Tabora Bojang
reporting from Beijing

A three-week seminar on news media for African countries and African Union ended Monday in Southeast China.

Sponsored by the Government of the People’s Republic of China, the programme attracted 37 participants from 15 African countries and was held from October 15 to November 4 at the Zhejiang Normal University.

The 21-day colloquium is expected to enhance greater cooperation between China and Africa in news media development as well as help develop a sophisticated human resource capacity for African media practitioners and enhance participants’ operational capacity, skills and managerial ability.

The African delegation also had the opportunity to closely cooperate and had interesting exchanges with experts involved in China’s news media covering cross-cutting topics and emerging issues of global importance.

“As we return home, hope that we all can take the knowledge and experiences from the seminar to implement in our daily reporting and help advance information flow in Africa,” Laura Harivola, communication officer at the AU, remarked during events closing the ceremony.

She added that the seminar is a demonstration of the Chinese government’s commitment to moving, amid with speed, efforts to realise Africa’s development aspirations.
Jonathan Hindolo, the station manager of Njala University in Sierra Leone, said the program has built the knowledge of African media practitioners in highly specialised areas in journalism, communication, skills development and as well as the discovering of the rich cultural heritage of China.

The vice-rector of Zhejiang Normal University, Zhang Xiaozhen, called on the participants to use the seminar as an opportunity to promote the already existing people-to-people cooperation between China and Africa.

He equally congratulated the participants for successfully completing the seminar and ably representing the various media outlets in Africa.

He said: “I sincerely hope that through this platform we have shared our experiences in news media development which will be carried home, to further cement our strong bilateral ties.”

Gambians in Norway donate to TRRC

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Gambians in Norway donate to TRRC

The Association of Gambians in Oslo, Norway presented a cheque for D100, 000 to the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission as their contribution towards victims’ support.

Speaking at the Presentation ceremony at the TRRC, Mr Sheikh Tijan Nyang, a representative of the association in The Gambia said the association was formed in the ’70s with aim of supporting Gambians in Norway.

The association’s support he added, has now been extended to education by providing scholarships to students in both conventional and Arabic schools and health.
Mr Nyang spoke about the revelations at the TRRC hearings and expressed hope that justice would be served, and that the D100, 000 would help to heal the wounds of those that suffered.

Mam Sait Njie, another representative of the Association in the country, said the composition of the Commission, has given great hope to Gambians that issues surrounding rights violations would be addressed. He hoped that the commission would be able to manage the situation despite its complexity. “Whatever the commission recommends, that’s what the people will believe”.

He recognised that the task is difficult and finally thanked the Commission for the noble job.

The deputy chairperson of the Commission, Mrs Adelaide Sosseh, who led the Europe leg of the TRRC Diaspora engagements, said their visit was in line with the TRRC mandate and one of the main objectives was to raise funds for the interim reparations to victims.

She said they were met with great Gambian hospitality, adding that Gambians in Norway and other countries responded positively towards the engagement. Mrs Sosseh revealed that while in Europe, the team did not only embark on fundraising but also managed to reconcile people. She thanked the donors for the support and clarified that the government is primarily responsible for granting reparations.
Source: TRRC

Letters: Don’t let fake news fake you out!

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Letters: Don’t let fake news fake you out!

 

Dear editor,

Fake news is so real and so pervasive that already rings disturbingly familiar to real news. Fake news or junk news or pseudo news. It’s the production and dissemination of false information meant to influence the direction of our people’s way of life by deluding anyone unsuspecting enough to swallow it. Real fake news is circulated by counterfeit activists, a type of yellow journalism or propaganda that consists of deliberate disinformation or hoaxes spread and broadcast news media or online social media. Don’t let fake news, slacktivism and clicktivism fake you out!

To our thinking, it’s a matter of championing a healthy democratic process in The Gambia, if nothing else protecting a healthy cash cow. The Gambian people can and should do much to rid their services of malicious fake news sites, ‘attention seeking activists’, haters and trolls. A fetid stream of garbage had diluted the quality of honest debates in our political climate in a time of post-truth discourse, in practice, undermines the intellectual values of our democracy. Bad for our emergent democracy. Fake news is doing great harm!! Beware of Slacktivism, clicktivism, and real social change

If we are not serious about facts and what’s true and what not true, if we can’t discriminate between serious arguments, lies, misinformation, double speak, half-truth and propaganda, then we have problems. May be the cure begins with a new challenge of civic education, common sense and political maturity. Facebook, Facebook Watch Party, Facebook Live Show! WhatsApp, WhatsApp! Social media has been drowning in fake news increasingly serving the needs of authoritarians and their allies as well as power addict politicians. Social media, once seen as a profoundly democratic technology, activists of both sorts benefit from spreading falsehood about their opponents, ginning up panics about minority groups, and undermining people’s trust in the independent media.

In Gambian politics, during dictatorship and in our evolving democracy proved social media is a perfect tool for this activity, often aimed at undermining political leaders and decent people. Social media and fake have rotting our democracy from within, enable so-called activist to undermine our democracy. A share of the fake news and misinformation was blamed on a sophisticated propaganda campaign by dishonest people. What role, if any, it played in the fight against dictatorship and in our nascent democracy is unknown, but the risk it holds for democracy is clear.

Democracy relies to a significant extent on a public well enough informed to make wise decisions about its own government. If those decisions are based on misinformation purposely created to skew the views of some portion of the electorate, then self -government begins to deteriorate. It’s a scary thought, especially given some of the fake news spread in recent times: The fake news, fake doctored videos circulating on social media. Who believes this stuff? Sadly, there is an open market for the preposterous. It’s not hard to find people who believe even the most absurd stories, if the stories support their own prejudices. The good news out of this is that, for people who want to, this pernicious trend is easy to counter.

First and for must, is to pay attention to that nagging question in the back of the head. This only works for those who take time to think, but it’s effective. Be doubtful, even -may be especially, of convenient information that supports your worldview. If something seems unlikely or too ‘good’ to be true, check it out.

Second, adopt the journalistic code and insist upon corroboration. If your mother says she loves you, get a second source. The difference between real and fake news. Real news is reported by professionals with a commitment to accuracy and objectivity. It is checked and edited. Time and money are put into the serious work of providing information that is factual and valuable. It’s meant to inform, not to manipulate. It’s hazardous trend for any democracy that intends to sustain itself. Social media sites, especially Facebook and Twitter, need to combat a practice that is bad for them and worst for the country.

What is more important, Gambians must learn how to distinguish between what is real and what is fake news, misinformation and propaganda at this crucial stage of our transition to democracy. It’s very fragile. When people make their choice on any candidate or any party based on false information, they and the country that relies on them are being abused. That is dangerous to go unchallenged.

Alagi Yorro Jallow
USA

 

 

 

Let us stand against these scheming, hollow demagogues

Dear editor,

It is utterly sad and demoralizing to realize that our politics and governance have been reduced to demagoguery and sensible, smart and issue-based debates are crumbling under the weight of tribal sentiments before our eyes! This, however, is reinforced by the clear absence of a unified, fierce and uncompromising repudiation and condemnation of President Barrow behavior in office.

In mandating the President to tour the country at least twice in a year, section 223 (15) of the Constitution does not enjoin Barrow to meet a particular tribe or a region but to visit Gambians in all regions. For Barrow to defy or flout this Constitutional Provision barely two months to the end of the year and replace it with group meetings and including open tribal overtures constitute the single most imminent, real and dangerous threat to our country. If 34 months of Barrow’s presidency could get us to this polarizing moment with an even darker prospect for our country, should we be this naive, this self-defeating and this indifferent to let him further taint and ruin our country beyond 2021?

So, if Gambia means so much to us, if we value the unity and peace of our country, if we desire to change the dangerous political trajectory President Barrow is setting and if we are concerned about the future, welfare and prosperity of our fellow citizens, President Barrow should be stopped at the polls. Let us translate our disgust into massive mobilization and campaign efforts to deny Barrow the selfish chance to set our country ablaze on tribal lines. We owe this to our country, to ourselves, to our people and to the future generation.

Zakaria Kemo Konteh
Queens, USA

ToT on renewable energy training modules concludes

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ToT on renewable energy training modules concludes

By Maimuna Sey-Jawo

The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) under the UNIDO/GEF 5 project on Friday completed a five-day training of trainers (ToT) on renewable energy training modules for vocational and higher education students in The Gambia.

Entitled Greening the productive sectors in the Gambia: promoting the use and integration of small-to- medium scale renewable energy systems in the productive sectors, the project is being funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and being implemented by the petroleum ministry through its project management office (PMO).

The objective of the project is to develop a comprehensive curricula with relevant training materials to strengthen technical capacity of students in senior secondary schools, vocational training institutions and higher education institutions such as Gambia Technical Training Institute and University of the Gambia.

Students who took part in the training were exposed to topics such as designing and maintenance of renewable energy and technologies.

Jankey Jassey, a participant, described the training as “very useful”. She said they have learnt how to install solar systems in homes and in other institutions, thanking the ministry and partners for boosting their knowledge.

Doudou Trawalley, GEF’s operational focal person, challenged the participants to use the knowledge gained wisely. He challenged them to work to create their own projects and partner government institutions.

Director of energy at the Ministry of Peroleum and Energy, Kemo Ceesay, said the purpose of the project is to increase the knowledge and technical skills of people in the country.
“The project came to address challenges. Remember, we have limited potential in wind energy and biogas,” he said.

On Baghdadi’s death: not enough to destroy Islamic State

Ebrima Dampha
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At the end of June 2014 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was announced as a caliph of all Muslims in a declaration that not only proclaimed a new “caliphate”, but also warned fellow believers in Islam that they must “pledge allegiance and support”.

Baghdadi, the latest leader of so-called Islamic State, had made a name for his group with a murderous reign of terror culminating in the shock fall of the city of Mosul into his hands a fortnight earlier. His claims about “crushing the idol of democracy” and defeating “agents of the crusaders and atheists, and the guards of the Jews” were followed by a campaign of genocide, slavery, rape and ultra-violence against Muslims primarily.

Baghdadi’s empire-building came to nothing when the “caliphate” collapsed in March this year. The world’s most-wanted terrorist ended his life as a fugitive who decided that he would kill himself rather than surrender to justice. He came to an ignominious end; reportedly cornered by US Special Forces, Baghdadi blew himself up in a tunnel in Syria, killing three of his children as well.

Unfortunately, Donald Trump could not resist the opportunity to make a series of questionable statements and promote himself. His claim that Baghdadi “died like a dog” was unpleasant, unnecessary and will cause unintended problems for the United States that will require undoing, especially in the Muslim world where canines are considered unclean. It would help first to get the facts straight, instead of shrouding them in the “fog of war”.

When Osama bin Laden was killed under the Obama administration in 2011, days after the event it had to offer an account that contradicted its previous assertions. There’s good reason to expect that the Trump White House might have to correct a few self-serving myths in the coming days. The fact that Baghdadi took his own life means that the policy of killing members of terrorist groups as part of America’s war on terror continues without the necessary and long overdue debate about the ethics and legality of targeted assassinations.

The US will need all the help it can get to defeat terrorism in the Middle East. The death of Baghdadi is a blow to Isis but not a mortal one. Following the loss of its citadels, it had become a loose, decentralised series of terrorist groupuscules, which allow followers to carry out its violent ideology on their own. Baghdadi was no fighter, he was an ideologue, and under him the Isis security and military apparatus had been mainly controlled, analysts thought, by a group of former Iraqi army officers.

To defeat Isis would require the Sunni community in the Levant to rise up against the organisation and its affiliates, as it did in 2007 in Iraq with the “sahawat” or “awakenings” of tribes who turned against terrorism. This is made more difficult with the chaos and instability in the region. From the protests in the streets of Iraq and Lebanon to the wars of Yemen and Libya, it seems that the “nation state” and its political system are witnessing a slow disintegration in many parts of the Middle East.

What is troubling is that instead of a global coalition being maintained against the threat of Isis, the linchpin of such an alliance – the US – is crippled by its commander-in-chief’s capricious nature. The extent of the group’s terrible reach can be gauged by the fact that more than 40,000 foreign fighters are thought to have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join terrorist groups. The sociology of violence espoused by Isis has been exported abroad – with a spate of deadly attacks around the world last year. While the Middle East is embroiled in a vicious cycle of crisis, the world will be cursed by terrorism. There needs to be a serious attempt to transcend the religious, nationalist and ethnic schisms in the region. Economic and political modernisation, forgiveness and peace would help lay ghosts to rest. That is what the world needs to be working towards now.

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