Stemming abuse of public property?

Last Thursday, November 5 2009, another minister took oath of office to serve ‘‘without fear or favour, ill will or affection.’’ Dr Abubakar Gaye became part of the rank of Gambian ministers as the new minister of Health, replacing recently sacked Dr Mariatou Jallow in the most unpredictable government on planet earth. A ‘‘difficult task,’’ Yahya Jammeh himself admitted, when presiding over the swearing ceremony at State House.
A very important thing about this development is that quite a number of important issues were raised at the cabinet room, interestingly by the president himself as when it comes to talking, he dominates such gatherings. Corruption, mismanagement of public properties, drug theft, etcetera, are frankly regular happenings in today’s Gambia.
However, even before he would officially assume his duty, Dr Gaye naively suggested the obvious; that is, that the oath of office doesn’t actually matter as far as serving Yahya Jammeh is concerned. The president himself has become the greatest desecrator of the Holly Qur’an which he swore by as president, violating the rules on a constant basis.
As part of his acceptance speech, the newly sworn-in minister said: ‘‘I will thank our dynamic leader in whose heart God has placed me and has accepted God’s will to appoint me as the minister of Health. I am grateful and do hope that I will never disappoint you and you will never be disappointed.’’
While there is absolutely no problem thanking the president for bestowing hope on you, it is important to realize that you have been hired to serve the Gambian people. It is therefore worth noting that the concern here is the Gambian people, not the president. Yahya Jammeh barely knows it when things have gone wrong, when the people do not get proper medical attention, when negligent officials abandon their responsibilities. Corrupt officials, from the minister right on top, have put down measures to ensure that no such information goes out. All the talk of failure to meet responsibilities is nothing but cover-ups. The only explanation to all these endless sackings is that rogue elements and state-paid liars report people for demonstrating some anti-Yahya Jammeh or anti-APRC feelings. That is all! The quickest way to get sacked these days is by denying anything to anything relating with Yahya Jammeh or anybody related to him. That is why Kanilai has become a place of abuse of public properties.
The mention of God’s name as having influenced Yahya Jammeh’s decision is a very important factor that will guide Dr Gaye’s running of the ministry. Just like it has always been, the interest of the person of the president is the number one priority. As a matter of fact, unfortunately, things are only considered public properties, and their abuse condemned only when they involve all other people other than Yahya Jammeh, his immediate family and a select group of people in his best list.
This leaves me wondering if he (the president) really means it when he challenged the new minister to tackle the corrupt practice of using public health properties for individual purposes. The whole Gambia knows that Yahya Jammeh is the master in that today.
Nonetheless, probably all this is supposed to end as from now on. Dr Gaye though would certainly render a great service to Gambians if he begins by clearing the new Serrekunda Hospital complex of those so-called HIV/AIDS patients whose time is being wasted as they wait for the cure of an incurable disease. Nurses that have been trained and employed by state coffers are being used by Yahya Jammeh as theatrical objects in his shows of HIV/AIDS and other fantasy cures.
To the minister, at the end of the day what matters is what satisfaction you will derive from looking back after been sacked and say I have done this, this and that for the people, not for the president.
And I am just weary that we are set to lose yet another of our well trained doctors who will soon abandon his ethical principle to embrace the ridiculous claim of HIV and other diseases cure.

Politicizing corruption

Any success in pulling off the desired state of affairs in Gambia is enormously dependent on a genuine disposition to hold all sections of society accountable - accountable first and foremost to our consciences. This is the only sure way through which can be reached an appreciated system of governance that is based on the true aspirations of the citizenry.

Have you ever wondered why, despite the obvious humiliation that awaits appointees into the APRC government, there has always been a pool of readily available people to hire (No disrespect to the very few trustworthy people I have come across who worked/work with the government)? It’s because the same sickness of dishonesty, treachery and hate that plague the top is what abound at almost all levels of society.

To say that Yahya Jammeh is difficult to work with will be an understatement, but it is also fair to point out that he has people who help somehow to justify his ways of doing his things. Thanks to an entrenched fidelity to selfishness, some Gambians, even if they are oppressed, as is obviously the case for most Gambians today, are better-off keeping quiet. The reason? The system in place is a perfect one for them to subsist.

The APRC as a political party is the most corrupt institution in Gambia. I say so because I have seen, heard and experienced some of it. The number and frequency of changes that has been effected by the party’s supreme can also attest to this. Or are there other reasons for those sackings? I’d like to know. Additionally, Gambia’s position at 158 out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s 2008 corruption index speaks volume.

An abhorrent attitude of arrogance within the leadership, unfortunately, has added to the difficulties in tackling this as it has made it impossible to pass on information to relevant authorities for appropriate action. Everywhere is infiltrated by so called APRC bigwigs, actually wielding powerful influence as far as the present government is concerned. A slight demonstration of honesty on the part of anybody is enough reason to get rid of you by all necessary means. Many people, very many people, have suffered humiliation just because they saw counterproductive acts been done, and in their effort to stop it, they were branded as the bad ones.

The son of Momodou Sanyang, ‘Director-General’ of GRTS, is one such person under the protective shield of his father who is sparing no chance in exploiting his deceitful influence over a president who rules with emotion rather than wisdom. Yes, Sanyang, if his own words are to be believed, does have influence over Yahya Jammeh.

Actually this article is not about Sibi, but just to make a common reference, was it not Lamin Sibi Sanyang who got arraigned on economic crimes related charges in Banjul? And all of a sudden we saw him reappeared stronger at the same place where he purportedly committed those crimes? If the APRC government under Yahya Jammeh is actually serious about stamping out corruption, like he stated on his facebook page as his mission, ‘‘Fighting corruption, witchcraft and H.I.V,’’ Gambia’s Washington mission is a good place to work on.

Certainly pardoning someone like young Sanyang and rewarding him in this manner is not a good example at all for some one who really wants to stamp out corruption. Is it not fair to say that it is morally wrong to treat Lamin Sibi Sanyang the way he has been treated? Some other people who have had to be prosecuted on similar or lesser crimes have had to serve their terms and they never got to be reinstated. Young Sanyang r even got to see the inside of the court; he was pardoned under so-called humanitarian grounds and effectively rewarded with another position, probably higher than what he had been assigned to, in the same mission. What kind of message is Yahya Jammeh sending?

But it is obvious that that terrorist of a director general called Momodou has been able to influence many of Yahya Jammeh’s decisions no doubt, and he goes about bragging about it.

But Momodou Sanyang is just one among a club of senior people at high position who use their position to perpetuate their acts of corruption and deception.

Take for instance the Gambia Football Association (GFA), as it is the latest focus of attention, although both the government and the bunch of ham-fisted crooks that run that institution are doing all they can to redirect focus away from it, the reasons being quite obvious.

By the way, I am not one of those fanatical football lovers, but our humiliating performance in Nigeria touched me just like it certainly did all other football lovers, and it has rekindled a lot of thinking in me. In my quest to make a sense out of it, I have established some similarity to the idea of exploiting politics to perpetuate retrogression.

What operates at state level, in many respects, has quite a bearing on what goes on in places like the GFA, GNOC and the many, many other Mafia-like institutions that abound in Gambia today. These unjust people have been able to succeed in their trade by infiltrating the APRC party – most, if not all of them, are by no means loyal to neither the party nor its leadership, but to their individual interest which to them clearly supersedes that of the greater Gambian people. Unfortunately, they will always succeed in their gimmicks because of the excessive pleasure the president derives from praise singing, which many Gambians have become accustomed to.

If anything, the appalling performance of the Baby Scorpions clearly suggests that something is amiss within the sport governing body of the country. The least you would have expected of members of the GFA is resignations – at least from within the executive rank. Hasn’t some one got to take responsibility? That is the way people who have scruples operate, anyway. That way you do not only give chance to others to learn from your obvious mistakes, but you also demonstrate a feeling of remorse and responsibility.

The more I read about the team now, the more it becomes clear that since after our commendable performance in Algeria, we had been set to end the Nigeria tour dismally. And all indications are that the GFA top officials are responsible for this; no matter what they say today in defense of their records. Instead of resigning, all the GFA did was to come up with some demeaning press release, packed with boisterous vocabularies, recounting past glories. As if winning the World Cup twice in the past is reason enough for a team to perform so badly without some one having to be blamed.

My indictment of GFA officials is based on inconsistencies I have realized which apparently stemmed from their reluctance to deal properly with the so-called MRI test.

After Algeria, a responsible football association would have been able to know who among their players were likely to make it to Nigeria. In this day and age, the argument that birth certificates are not reliable isn’t a tangible excuse. Since we are talking about national issue, hospital records can be exploited to establish facts about players concerned. But this is in fact not about not knowing the age of the players; it as about timeliness. Countries like Nigeria foresaw and did what they were supposed to do. There timely action allowed them enough time to prepare their new crop of players for the good job they are doing now. As I write now, Nigeria is beating New Zealand 3-0, and there is every reason, according to the able commentator, that, that they might extend that lead. But GFA would wait for about four months – April through September, before considering wasting money to carry out the MRI test.

Having carried out the test again, GFA officials refused to disclose the result, hiding behind frivolous talks of protecting the image of Under 17 players. What image? Since when did it become a source of discomfort for one to grow older? Could there have been some hanky-panky game by the football officials? Probably that explains report that eventually emerged that the team was forced to send off four players while they were already in Nigeria. Could it be that was why GFA refused to disclose the result of the early MRI test? So that it could include players they know quite well were unqualified?

And after the team had played it second match, it emerged that in fact the fans were still in Gambia. One begins to wonder what went wrong with Yahya Jammeh’s highly publicized offer of ferrying 350 Scorpion fans. Clearly they were waiting to see if the boys would make it far before state coffers would be tapped and the entire credit given to Yahya Jammeh on his so-called humanitarian gestures. This is how he has exploited national gains in the past and made them political capital, all at the expense of a rather naïve segment of the youth population. And he has largely been able to succeed in doing so thanks to the corrupt and largely incompetent and shameless officials within these institutions concerned.

So if we are to stem some of Yahya Jammeh’s tricks, we should be able to focus the pressure somehow on some of these people when there is the reason.

A marriage of inconvenience

Lately I have been wondering what has come over the opposition in Gambia. But the thought of the perilous condition under which they operate leaves me with little basis to blame them entirely for the predicament that faces the country.
As time unfolds, reasons of passed and present happenings reveal themselves. One very important thing that recently captures my attention is the delirious ranting that continues to come from that tragedy of a figure, Waa Juwara. I can remember someone at the heart of the APRC establishment confiding in me in those hopeful formative days of the now almost whacked opposition alliance grouping, the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD), that this guy had been planted within as part of plans to frustrate efforts to achieve the real purpose of the alliance.
Unfortunately for Gambians that malicious intent was achieved, thanks to Waa’s unbecoming and premature behaviour all over the place. But after such an epic malevolence achievement, I expect this guy to keep quiet and enjoy his benefit, the reward of appointment, first at the ridiculous position of a local government area councillor, and then as a governor. But that is not Waa. It is only death that will silence him. That is one of the negative implications of studying in the former Soviet Union and failing to upgrade oneself. Jammeh knows this very well about Waa. No wonder he threw him at the Lower River Region where he is likely to have problem making telephone calls. Besides, what are political puppets for? To be used and dumped; that is all. Between Yahya Jammeh and Lamin Waa Juwara, it is just a matter of time. All I have to say is that this is a marriage of inconvenience we are witnessing.
I assume the rest of the opposition people in Gambia equally know this about Waa, and that is all the more reason why I do not expect people like Ousainou Darboe or Femi Peters and the rest of the opposition community to react to him, because when you do, you are only helping him in legitimising his worthless views. But more importantly, you are giving him the voice he so desperately desires.
The man is so desperate for a platform to voice himself out that he is capable of luring half-baked reporters to publish whatever nonsensical statement he utters in the name of freedom of speech.
I have the feeling that what I have found out to be a dangerously erroneous piece of news published by the respectable AFP news agency must have come from no one order than Waa. He is of the habit of cornering reporters and enticing them into giving him space to make irresponsible statements. I do hope that AFP will have the courtesy to question their person in Gambia and find out about the authenticity of that report. We do not know AFP for this sort of erroneous publication.
Yes, there is/was a coalition of five political parties that formed what is now called NADD (National Alliance for Democracy and Development) and not National Democratic Alliance Movement, which in fact has never existed in the Gambia as a political party, before or after independence. I have searched throughout the World Wide Web; the conclusion of my finding is that it is only AFP that published such a joke and demeaning release, which I blame on their clearly unethical reporter. Such a statement could only have come from a sell-out like Waa Juwara. It is therefore unfair for it to be portrayed as a statement from the Coalition. It sent shock waves through my spine.
Even as that article was been published, a section of the opposition in Gambia, which forms part of NADD, was battling with that very same government for campaign space, despite the spacious nature of Serrekunda. How can it be correct under such circumstance to report that the opposition is calling on Gambians to support a vicious government?
And for Waa Juwara to say that the opposition in Gambia is dead, as published on the Daily News in Gambia is a shameful indictment on himself, for someone who spent his whole life in the opposition wing, despite been the master political scientist he considers himself.
His unwarranted condemnation of respectable and principled people like Femi Peters in that interview further exposed a deep seated feeling of jealousy and hatred Waa harbours for Peters; but it also tells the real side of a frustrated bigot.
I hope you have come to the ultimate realisation that your days in Gambia’s political platform are over, because you have joined the wrong group. As a neo-Nazi-like bully, you have no place in a vindictive system like the APRC, because, (1) you are no asset anymore and you have no political followership; (2) you are mouthy, and president Jammeh wants people who will do only what he tells them to do; (3) you are obsessed for power, and president Jammeh thinks he was sent down to die for Gambians in that State House in Banjul; (4) you are intolerant, and two intolerant people can not fit in the same boat - the simple physics rule – (like charges repel, unlike charges attracts); (5) you are a thorough-bred tribalist, and Jammeh can not watch you outshine him in that game. By the way, you remember what you said to Baba Jobe at the entrance of the High Court in Banjul when he was being escorted to his cell in Mile 2 after been sentenced? That Jammeh is anti-Mandingo? What has changed since then, Waa? Or are you trying to fool the present Grand Master of Gambian politics? Remember, he has spent all these years reading contemporary literature, while you wallow in an illusory feeling of supremacy in political science with your old fashion Soviet Union theories.
I have spoken to many people who, at one point, were so much convinced that you were sincere in the stance you took; so much so that they could even shed their blood for your course. But your present demonstrations of dishonesty have made them shun politics as a practice. So stop fooling yourself with the thought that you have a political base, you have none. You can never do what people like Yankaba Touray has not done.

The Next Revolution

Africa's latest brand of dictator

The problem with Africa is that its entire leadership core is a composition of contradictions, rendering it quite a compromised entity to making any form of judgment on individual states immersed in crises. This is very much responsible for the constant upheaval that engulfs its many innocent people. Count out the few countries that are, to a reasonable extent, democratic in their dealings, and you will come up with the shocking realization that they constitute far less than 10% (not based on any empirical calculation). How do you expect that kind of a minority to prevail on the largely guilty, conning majority? This is the underlying factor behind the continent’s seemingly interminable woes.
In the latest predicament facing Africans regarding Guinea Conakry, for instance, while the UN and other governments outside the continent are calling for real justice (U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton calling for Camara to ‘‘apologize and step down’’, the International Criminal Court signaling preliminary investigation into last month’s massacre of innocent civilians, and the United Nations looking into the possibility of establishing an international commission to look into the murderous act by Camara and his gang of murderers), African leaders are busy taking a line that will clearly only help prolong the junta’s stay in power.
“In view of the atrocities that have been committed, and the steps taken by the CNDD (Guinean government) authorities to acquire new weapons, the authority decides to impose an arms embargo on Guinea,” said Mohammed Ibn Chambas, president of the ECOWAS commission.
Is that all we expect from ECOWAS … arms embargo? What a mockery of justice and democracy!
As if all this was not enough of insult to the people of Guinea, President Chambers went on to say, ‘‘ECOWAS would direct its mediator, Burkina Faso’s President Blasé Compaore [another matchless character of contradiction] to ensure that “those who hold high offices in the transitional authority will not be candidates in the forthcoming presidential elections.”
How can the involvement of someone like Blasé Compaore in any serious matter like this make any serious appeal to anyone. No wonder the likes of Captain Dadis Camara and the megalomaniac ‘‘Professor’’ Yahya Jammeh will never take these regional bodies seriously. And for the latter, bragging about his lack of respect for these regional bodies is a commonplace. The case of the situation in Niger makes a sad addition to the continent’s mounting quandary. And all this plays well for these leaders to reduce these regional bodies into a state of disrepute. The truth is that if the conduct of Camara’s men is any reason to have him step down and be tried, very many of his colleagues who have presided over similar atrocities will be guilty of the same charges. President Yahya Jammeh’s government, for instance, still has to answer for the gunning down of over a dozen innocent young students in the year 2000, not to mention the many disappearances and torture of opponents. Therefore, it is no surprising that no African leader will make any comment that encourage talk of stepping down or possible trial. And for Dadis to apologize for his misdeeds! That is just not in the blood of a typical African dictator.
One thing our leaders have gained reputation for is their undue disregard for assuming responsibility for their actions. The best thing a person like Captain Camara could have done was to resign in the wake of the massacre of over 150 of his citizens by his own men. But no! Instead of this, he and his men set themselves to manufacture a death toll, with the aim of playing down the effect of their callous act, blatantly denying a reality the whole world witness on a broad day light. And as usual, the routine has been for African leaders to tap on taxpayers’ money and embark on unnecessary journeys in the name of sub-regional discussion, only to emerge with such comical communiqués.
Even as these futile discussions are being held at the regional level, rogue outsiders are ignoring no chance to keep the junta in power, in pursuits of their own selfish gains of course. And again, African leaders are showing signs of encouragement for this by their total silence on the outrageous move by the Chinese to pump billions of dollars on the junta leaders in the name of some frivolous mining investment - another form of the so-called ‘blood diamond’ saga.
By all indications, ordinary Africans no longer have hope on the bodies they were supposed to look onto as their last resort for solace. This leaves me wondering what else is there for us as a people at the mercy of our largely apathetic leaders.
Perhaps a new body run by some of Africa’s finest breeds (the likes of Wolley Sonyinka, Kofi Anan, Chine Achebe, Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu, Kenneth Kaunda, etc.), independent of African governments, and its disposal a special military powerful than the existing ones under the total control of unrepentant dictators, might be good. In case you are wondering where such a body will come up with funding, well, I suppose this will be something peace loving nations who want democracy, like the US, will want to support. And certainly there are so many African dissidents abroad outside the continents, enough to add up to the many disgruntled people on the continent itself to make the military core. The Niger Delta front in Nigeria, for instance, will be willing to join a course that is sure of righting the wrong they have been fighting for for ages. The marginalized Southern Sudanese are another eligible force to be reckoned with.
And for those remain frustrated pro-African unity institutions and individuals, this will serve as a sure way of gaining a dream that has continued to escape us for centuries. What we need to do now is to commence the lobbying work. Call this the next revolution.

A popular revolution will make a difference

Jammeh’s latest move, an executive gimmicks?

What would make anyone lose sight of the fact that President Yahya Jammeh was bound to come up with something that would serve as a fitting distraction of the attention of the Gambian public from a self-inflicted nightmarish experience caused by the previous weeks’ horde of misfortune? There was a seemingly unending condemnation of his latest eruption, threatening to eliminate human right defenders; prospects of indicting him for gross human right violations gained momentum as human right groups intensified their moves; his plans to get the ECOWAS Court compromised thrown out of the window; and, as if all that was not enough, rumours too strong to be rumours went all over that a largely edgy military core was up to something dirty.

Since nobody among those around the president was ready to put their job on the line (and I will not blame anyone for that), the president had a tormenting air of guilt all over him as he would not have anyone to talk to him about this. And so to dilute the compounding feeling of tension within himself, he was desperate to create a scene that would keep the Gambian public (the media included) busy deliberating on. The so-called unexpected visit of parts of Banjul and its outskirts, military barracks included, was just a perfect way of starting this. As usual, Gambians will have to be made to believe that President Yahya Jammeh is not to blame for the fact that things aren’t going on well. And the characteristic threats of sacking, sacking and sacking ‘‘until I have the people who are ready to work…’’

Surely the living condition of soldiers in the barracks isn’t enough reason for any sensible commander-in-chief to axe their army chief. So, then comes the technical problem that prevented the presidential entourage from attending the UNESCO conference. General Tamba, the man credited for the famous abortive Col. Ndure Cham coup, was sacrificed.

This whole thing is getting messy and confusing. But wait a minute! Could this evolving situation be the ploy to legitimise the execution of the promise to clamp down on human right defenders? Well, journalists, opposition figures, human right defenders, beware, this could well be an executive gimmicks, because what is happening in Gambia is tantamount to a state of emergency. This is the line of action in the wake of every reported attempted coup.

But President Jammeh hasn’t been good enough to see that he can’t play this game well, because anytime he tries it, it only helps to accentuate his overall responsibility for the existing problems Gambians are going through. This, Gambians have become well aware of.

I think that what the Gambia needs today is not only a government of trustworthy people, but one with a leadership that is good enough to make a choice of the right people to work with for the achievement of its goals. In either way, both Yahya Jammeh and the APRC have failed Gambians woefully. They say ‘show me your friend and I will tell you who you are’.

It is a well known policy that President Jammeh does not tolerate any divergent voice around him. You can only get a ministerial post by being an ardent APRC supporter, and that would mean demonstrating unbending allegiance to the party’s supreme leader, His Excellency Rt. Lt., Rt. Cap., Rt. Col. Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh.

The question now is, by the number and frequency of changes we have experienced since 1994, is it not fair enough to say that the APRC lacks all its takes, in terms of human resource, to provide Gambians with their basic needs?

“I am sick and tired of going to tell people what they should know for themselves and come and tell me?’’ President Jammeh is reported to have said to journalists, a statement these very journalists have reported time and again by the very same president. It just serves as an indictment on his rule as it shows that either the people he works with have lost confidence in him, or he has lost confidence in them. It goes to prove that the APRC no longer has what it takes to steer the Gambia’s affairs forward. All Jammeh has to do now is to resign; that is if he is really a democrat. I can imagine him dismissing this suggestion of mine as democracy bullshit! Never mind.

True, true there is every reason to complain about the state of affairs in Gambia these days as nothing is working at all. But in my own opinion it is also somehow unfair for anyone to put the blame squarely on ministers or permanent secretaries, or security chiefs. The fact is that civil servants have been hired on the basis that they just have to serve the person of the president and they will be ok. That explains the situation of the Gambia police force. Forget about the structure. That force is among the most undisciplined in the sub-region. The whole world knows that if there is any security officer in Gambia who needs disciplining it is the head of the Gambia’s police force.

While I would not rule out the eminent existence of discontent within the ranks of the military (as the rather biased distribution of position within the security forces is enough to cause rancour within), I do have a strong feeling that Jammeh probably made up his mind at the last minute not to attend the UNESCO meeting as there happened to be bigger stakes for him being present at the Independence Stadium instead. What matters at the end of the day is what Gambians think.

Take a look at that photo on the front page of the Daily Observer’s Wednesday 7^th edition, 2009, and you will see the powerful message embedded therein with that huge number of people at the background. But hey, my experience as a journalist at the Daily Observer is enough a reason not to have me carried away by such gimmicks.

Since the GFA got information about the coming of the trophy, they must have laid down plans to transport Gambians from the interior, who are busy working on their farms. But I do also know that 50% of those who eventually turned out at the Stadium did so purely out of their adoration for the game. Unfortunately their presence there has been exploited by Jammeh. And an innocent General Tamba and his men have been sacrificed.

Re-Challenging the editors and Diaspora oppositions

I normally would not respond exclusively to individual pieces of articles. I have decided to do so in the case of this gentleman, Omar Jallow of Raleigh NC, as published on Freedom Newspaper Online, Thursday October 8, 2009, only because, unlike the rest of those who have done something that attracted my attention, he has put up some very good and salient points that I would not want to pass without discussing as it will be of very great importance to all.
By the way, Jallow, thank you for the wonderful piece of advice embedded in your article occasionally lined up with mild premeditated attacks. I appreciate your bravery and show of literary prowess.
Having said all this, I am a little bit concerned about your tendency for suppression of free speech. I must remind you at this point that you are in a country which was founded on the basis of fundamental values that included free speech. The guarantee of these values is what made you and all the online Editors-in-chief you are chastising encouraged to resettle there. Nonetheless, I do accept the fact that as human beings, we all have our buts. It is the individual advantages that we possess that make us prevail over one another in terms of our thinking. I just intend to point out a few things I think you should take note of for your future articles.
In fact, at first thought I was going to write to you through your personal mail because I did not want to get drawn into a cyber battle with somebody who is clearly looking for cheap popularity, which I know will not only discredit me, but will also add on to my already regrettable feeling of disappointment. Yes, it was me who described President Yahya Jammeh as noble or what have you. I even went further to reproof the editors at Freedom for being too personal against the president, and I still stick to that view. I however did not say no body should criticize the president or any other person in his government, did I? I am in a situation, and this situation was caused by people who work with President Jammeh. Remember I promised to share my experience with the rest of the world. When I recount my problem, you will be certain to have me mention President Jammeh. Is it my fault that the president continues to harbor and glorify people who have the blood of innocent people in their hands? Or could it be that it is because they carried these crimes on his behalf?
I do not know when you left Gambia, or under which circumstances you left in the first place, but you sound to me like one of those opportunist Diaspora Gambians who take advantage of situations like this only to have the president’s attention for possible appointment or something. This is attestable in your statement ‘‘I am openly inviting the APRC government into Raleigh and you better trust me on this with no strings attached the turn out will be overwhelming.’’ And you went on to put you number at the end of the article hoping to receive a call sooner or later from State House in Banjul. Well, I tell you what, you are the kind of people Jammeh falls for so easily. But let me warn you, find out what has become of the people like before you try it. I swear you might regret it. Yahya Jammeh will use you and then dump you! And then you might not be able to return to North Carolina because you probably have overstayed your visa now.
I want you to understand one thing, Jallow; I was never a registered member of the APRC government because I was not interest in political position. If I supported Yahya Jammeh I did so purely out of genuine feeling. I probably have done so many things more beneficial for the president and his government than you might have done. And I did all what I did with the genuine feeling that he was the right guy. My change in attitude today is as a result of a feeling of disappointment. So you do not sit there and preach me as if you love the Gambia more than I do. I do not need any position from Yahya Jammeh. So I do not give a damn (sorry for my language) about what he feels. Even if I am going to die in exile, I am resigned to that fate. I have a story to tell, and I am going to tell my story. Do you know that my blood brother is behind one of the papers you commended for doing good job because they did not lose sight of the need to highlight our sporting achievement? In this world, we all can not be on the same path. I worked at the Daily Observer, a paper owned by Yahya Jammeh. And I tell you what; it is a crime there to mention the name of anybody that is seen as opponent of the president. It is no secret that President Yahya Jammeh detests seeing his opponents being made mention of. What a pathetically selfish attitude of a leader of a whole country. This is part of the story I have to tell the world. So if you do not want it, you can go and tell Yahya Jammeh to put a stop to his murderous spree that is responsible for the making of so many online editors-in-chief and Diaspora oppositions. Sorry, I maybe sounding aggressive now, but it is because I hate people who always take advantage of other people’s unfortunate plight and advance their selfish course. I am afraid, that is what you are.
I am happy, however, that you agreed that we should criticize one another but constructively. But do you know that constructive criticism is what the government you claim to be supporting refuses to accept?
And please, just a point of correction, I have never been recruited by any online paper editor to criticize Yahya Jammeh or the APRC. I am a man of independent thinking. Do you know that all the articles you read online which are authored by me are actually on my personal blog Justice For The Press? I am not a sellout, so I do not need to appease any online newspaper editor as they have nothing, absolutely nothing, to offer me. We only happen to share a common goal, and that is how to cleanse our country of the dictatorship there. I accept that you are entitled to you opinion by describing editors of online newspapers as using their media to settle personal scores, but do you also know that this Yahya Jammeh you support is a master in that? I served as editor-in-chief of the Daily Observer, where I have evidence of him getting personally involved in using the paper to strike at his opponent abroad, people like the Senegalese President Abdoulie Wade. And of course, you are right to say that ‘‘there is nothing wrong with criticism if it is genuine, because it will make the person in question deliver from his mistakes.’’ I just want to point out here that in the case of Gambia, I am afraid, it is no more a matter of mistake…For how long is the free world going to be appealing to a man who has no respect for genuine decent? Ours is a matter of getting rid of the dictatorial regime. Simple and straight forward! Besides, you criticize and hope for change from a government that tolerates criticism.
The more I read your article, Jallow, the more I get a reinforced feeling that you have no idea about what is happening in Gambia, which makes me wonder if you have any genuine reason to say anything on this matter.
You went on to say ‘‘I also happen to notice that with the exception of the DAILY OBSERVER, THE POINT, GAMSPORTS, GAMBIASPORTS none of the other online papers is covering the sports in our country, as if that is not part of nation development.’’
Again, do you realized that the Yahya Jammeh you support hates all these papers you mentioned except the Daily Observer, which is because he owns the latter? Have you asked why no journalist from the independent media is allowed to report on presidential affairs other than Daily Observer and GRTS? Please do and get back to me.

Mo Ibrahim Index: Gambia ranks 19th

The Gambia, according to the 2009 Ibrahim Index of Governance, published today by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, an organisation committed to supporting great African leadership, ranks 19^th out of 53 African countries.

The Ibrahim Index is Africa’s leading assessment of governance, established to inform and empower the continent’s citizens. The Ibrahim Index measures the delivery of public goods and services to citizens by government and non-state actors across 84 indicators of governance. Those governance indicators are grouped in four overall categories: Safety and Security, Participation and Human Rights, Sustainable Economic Opportunity, and Human Development. All 53 of Africa’s countries are then ranked according to their total scores across the categories. The 2009 Ibrahim Index of African Governance shows that half of Africa’s 10 best performing countries are in Southern Africa.

Gambia’s performance in the 2009 Ibrahim Index of African Governance

In 2007/08 Gambia scored 55.1 out of 100, and was ranked 19th out of 53 African countries. Within the West African region, Gambia was ranked sixth. Gambia scored above the West African regional average which was 51.7. Gambia also scored above the overall continental average which was 51.2. At category level, Gambia scored just above the continental average in the Safety and Rule of Law, Participation and Human Rights, and Sustainable Economic Opportunity categories. But in Human Development Gambia's score was much higher than the continental average, which was 53.8.

Category	2007/2008 Score (out of 100)	Overall Rank (out of 53)	Regional Rank (out of 16)
Safety and Rule of Law	57.7	24	8
Participation and Human Rights	49.8	27	11
Sustainable Economic Opportunity	48.5	23	5
Human Development	64.6	13	4
2009 IIAG	55.1	19	6

Across the Index:

· Mauritius tops the 2009 Ibrahim Index with a total score of 82.8, ranking first in all four main categories. Cape Verde is ranked second with a total score of 78.0. Seychelles is ranked third with a total score of 77.1, followed by Botswana with a total score of 73.6. South Africa is ranked fifth with a total score of 69.4.

· Somalia is the worst governed country on the continent, with a total score of 15.2. In 52^nd place, Chad has a total score of 29.9, while Zimbabwe is third from bottom in 51^st place with a total score of 31.3.

· Southern Africa is the continent’s best performing region, with an average score of 58.1, followed closely by North Africa with an average score of 57.7. West Africa is ranked third with an average score of 51.7, followed by East Africa with a score of 46.9. Central Africa is the worst performing region, with an average score of 40.2.

· Central Africa is the worst performing region across all four categories. All seven Central African countries are ranked outside the top 20 in the 2009 Ibrahim Index, with all of them except Gabon performing below the average for the continent.

Reflecting important structural and methodological improvements to the Ibrahim Index over the last year, the 2009 Ibrahim Index includes a new framework for assessing governance, and improvements to make the index more reflective of current governance realities. For the first time, in 2009 the Ibrahim Index covers all 53 countries in Africa. It also includes data from 2008, making it more current than any other assessment of African governance.

The full Board of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation convened in Cape Town this morning for the launch of the third iteration of the Ibrahim Index. Mo Ibrahim, the founder and Chairman of the Foundation, says:

“The 2009 Ibrahim Index gives us the clearest – and most current – snapshot of governance performance on the continent we have ever had. With Southern Africa outperforming North Africa, we can see a picture emerging that fundamentally challenges our perceptions about Africa. Our objective is to generate debate about what we can expect our governments to deliver in our name.”

The Mo Ibrahim Foundation is supported by a research team at the Foundation, headed by Dr Hania Farhan, a Technical Committee of representatives from key African institutions, and Dr Daniel Kaufmann of the Brookings Institution, who co-produces the Worldwide Governance Indicators. The Foundation also draws on the expertise of an Advisory Committee of academics drawn from institutions across Africa.

The Ibrahim Index of African Governance was created in recognition of the need for a robust, comprehensive and quantifiable tool for citizens and civil society to track government performance in Africa. The development of the Ibrahim Index reflects the Foundation’s long-term commitment to support African ownership of the governance debate, to develop capacity in African institutions, and to improve the quality, reliability, and availability of data about Africa.