My trip to USA was to meet party supporters - Shyngle Nyassi

Shyngle Nyassi: " we are sure of victory in Nov. Polls"

By Hon. Sainey M.K. Marenah, Managing Blogger

 The National Organising Secretary of the opposition United Democratic Party (UDP), Shyngle Nyassi, has denied reports that his recent trip to the United States of America was to solicit funds for his party.

Nyassi, who was speaking in an interview with our reporter yesterday, said his mission to the US was to meet and discuss with UDP party supporters in New York and other places in the US in his capacity as the new National Organising Secretary of the party.

According to the longtime ruling APRC party critic, it is his role and duty to go and meet with Gambians in the Diaspora who are committed to the party, see their stance, and discuss with them the political situation in the country ahead of the presidential polls.

“My purpose to the US was not to raise funds, but to re-organise and see how the party is functioning there,” Nyassi told this reporter.

He stated that the party militants are raising funds, but that he is not in a position to say how much, as he is not the treasurer of the UDP.

Commenting on the forthcoming presidential election proper, Nyassi expressed doubts about the “credibility of the polls”, saying that his party’s fears are whether the polls will be “free and fair.”

“Still now one cannot lay our hands on the voters register, after the IEC completed the general voter registration, which was marred by lots of problems and yet to be sorted out,” he said, adding that the period allocated for the official election campaign is “insufficient.”

“The APRC is campaigning every day. They should give us access to both the radio and TV, despite the 10-day campaign period, and the air time allocated to us, which is very short,” Nyassi opined.

He further stated that, the fact the IEC is still battling with the issues of double registration, shows that it will be difficult to have free and fair elections.

“Gambians are very conscious; they know what and who to vote for. What President Jammeh did for this country in the past 17 years speaks for itself,” the UDP National Organising Secretary added.

“The just-concluded meet-the-people tour, which is his constitutional right, was used as a political campaign as seen on national TV.  The APRC was using government resources and machineries during his entire tour,” he noted.

In Nyassi’s view, Gambians are fed up with empty promises and, this time around, change is inevitable as Gambians will effect a change.

While assuring Gambians in the run-up to the polls that victory will be at the side of the UDP, Nyassi said the mass defections of many UDP supporters shown on TV are “political propaganda” and are not the reality.

“They have the TV and radio at their disposal, and that is why they keep on their propaganda. If they are sure of their support, let them give the opposition air time on either the TV or radio,” he said, adding further that if this is done, the APRC would know that what is really on the ground “is not true”.

He stated that despite having daily meetings, the ruling APRC party “is still not comfortable” with the realities on the ground.

“It is evident that the ruling APRC party is frustrated ahead of the polls, and that is why they are using Governors and other senior government officials to campaign for them,” Nyassi remarked.

Noting that the Kanifing Municipal Council is under fire as the council “cannot even pay their staff,” Nyassi called on the APRC National Mobiliser and Mayor of the Municipality to desist from the politics of personal attack.

Nyassi further assured Gambians that if the country has free and fair elections, the UDP will, come 24th November, win with a landslide victory.

“In fact, we are trying to bring all the opposition parties together, in whatever way we can, in the interest of the country,” he concluded.

Commonwealth Secretariat certifies Gambian journalists

Managing Blogger Receives Certificate from Commonwealth Rep

As part of their assistance to member countries, and to ensure professionalism of the Gambian media, the Commonwealth Secretariat in London in partnership with the Gambia government, and University of The Gambia (UTG) sponsored a three-day media training workshop for senior journalists, editors and media chiefs, which ended Friday with the certification of more than 25 Gambian journalists.

The event convened by the organizers was held at the media lab of the Law Faculty of the UTG, and comprised a two-day forum on Media and Development, followed by the three-day capacity building training workshop.

The topics treated during the three-day intensive training included The Gambian media’s understanding of relations between media and economic development in a multi-party democracy; media policies and law: ethical principles for journalistic practices, decision-making  and moral judgment; basic principles of economics, public finance and their influence on national budget; writing, researching and reporting: covering business and financial news; investigative reporting; preparing interview and reporting; media as agent of sustainable development, peace building and security; citizen journalism and application of new media; reporting on conflict and humanitarian issues, and covering international criminal justice, among other topics.

Addressing media practitioners at the certification ceremony, Ms. Oluwatoyin Job, Adviser West Africa at the Commonwealth Secretariat in London, UK hailed the participants for demonstrating a high sense of determination and commitment during the training, while urging them to share the knowledge gain edwith their collogues.

“You have learned a lot during this training, and the trainers are drawn from in and outside the continent,” she said, and went on to express the hope that her secretariat will partner with Gambian journalists for future collaboration.

The Director General of Management Development Institute, Dr. Jainaba Kah, told journalists that the discussion was open and honest, adding that media in any society plays pivotal role in socio-economic development.

She commended the University for hosting the media fraternity, while also commending the participants for their commitment, adding that education is a continuous process, especially for journalists.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of The Gambia, Professor Momodou Kah, said that both the forum and the workshop were quite engaging, adding that UTG will strive hard to build the professional capacity of the media fraternity.

“We hope to partner with the media fraternity for professional training,” he said.

Prof. Kah went on to hail the efforts of the Commonwealth Secretariat for funding the workshop.

“This training has reallybroadened my journalistic horizon, and it has availed me the opportunity to learn new things in the media especially in a globalised world,” Pa Modou Faal, of The Point newspaper said when this reporter approached him to sound his opinion.

Gambia’s democracy risks collapse unless...

Strong Human Rights Advocate Martins Said Gambia Democracy risk Collapse

By Sainey M.K. Marenah, Managing Blogger 

 

As the race to the forthcoming presidential election draws closer, Lawyer Assan Martin, a human rights advocate, has warned that the country’s democracy risks collapse unless the opposition parties unite and come together to save it.

Martin, who was speaking in an interview with our reporter yesterday, said the lack of a credible opposition in the electoral process might result in a one party state, and mark the collapse of our democracy in the country.

He warns that results of a one party state will cause all institutions of checks and balances to disappear, and thus make it “difficult to have an accountable government.”

According to him, Gambians need to look beyond the 24th November polls and work to ensure that the National Assembly is well representative, including the opposition, in order for our democracy to be sustainable.

“What we experience in the last five years was a grave mistake of having only four opposition members in the parliament, out of more than 50 members,” he said, adding that such mistakes should not be repeated as it erodes the necessary debate and scrutiny of our national laws.

What the country needs, Martin went on, is to restructure and revitalize its democratic institutions with a proper judicial independence. These, he added, are the wheels that move a nation forward, and are essential components in the nation-building process.

He told further this reporter that people need to be empowered to participate constructively in nation-building, adding that, as a progressive nation, we need to develop economically and socially.
Noting that the state of the country’s democracy is crucial and critical, Martin opined that if stakeholders do not participate constructively and effectively for the future of our nation, then we are putting our democracy on trial.

He also called on young people to take ownership of their destiny, and participate in the decision-making process by initiating new ideas, and taking positive steps that would shape the future of our nation.

Stating that the hopes of many Gambians lie on the shoulders of the opposition, Martin called on them to put aside their personal differences, and put the interest of the nation first before any personal interest.

He further urged the opposition not to let Gambians down, stating that the prospects of our nation depends on the ideas of democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights.

“These are the principles and ideas that our nation was founded upon, which if we abandon, we will sink and our nation will be doomed,” he opined.

In his view, nation-building requires institutional governance and participation of all citizens and civil society.

“The duty of all political parties is to put forward their manifestoes, and campaign in a free and fair atmosphere; then allow the voters to decide their choice of government,” he said.

Concluding, Martin noted that the country deserves a better democratic system, which can only happen through a pluralistic democracy.

This, he stated, is the best way forward in the 21st century.

‘Corruption at the heart of poor election reporting’

Star CEO Chief Paul

By Sainey M.K. Marenah, Managing Blogger

 Veteran Cameroonian journalist and Chief Executive Officer of the Star Media in Cameroon has said that corruption is at the heart of poor election reporting in West Africa.

Chief Foanyi Nkemayang Paul, who was presenting a paper at the just-concluded Commonwealth-Gambia government organized media forum held at the Sheraton Hotel, said that a good number of journalists have fallen prey to this vice.

According to him, elections bring politicians closer to media practitioners and, as a result, the image of the profession is profoundly tarnished with some surmountable problems recorded.

He told journalists at the forum that in the noble profession of journalism, ethics is the golden rule, the success story, the kick-starter, and the be-all and the be-end of practice, when the canons of responsible journalism are put in motion.

“It is for this reason that professional ethics should be viewed and reviewed properly, more particularly as it stands as the formidable passage-way from common practice of journalists to their being regarded as the watchdogs of the society,” Paul added.

He also stated that the success or failure of a reporter in election reporting is largely dependent on some key indicators, which he said included the state of mind of the journalist; lack of access to source of information; lack of effective communication; poor wages of journalists; editorial line of the media house; cosmetic training in the media profession; favoritism, tribalism nepotism; corruption; intimidation, threat and victimization.

“So it is a foregone conclusion that journalists cannot be relied upon with regard to election reporting because some will shamelessly tell you that they can’t operate in an empty stomach,” he said, adding that some journalists abuse ethics of their profession and operate according to the whims and caprices of their pay masters.

However, he went on, there are equally some incorruptible and reliable level-headed media practitioners in West Africa, who have stood the litmus test of professional excellence, and who have remarkably proven their prowess at election reporting by doing their job without blemish, telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

In his view, these are gentlemen who know that when people cast their vote for an individual, they do so with the belief that they are doing it for one in whom they want to entrust their lives, their future and that of their unborn children. “Such practitioners, though few, are committed to excellence,” he stated.

Paul further stated that one salient problem of election reporting is the terrain over which journalist’s float to cover voting, as most countries are so underdeveloped that the few roads only link big cities and administrative headquarters.

He called on African governments to encourage freedom of expression; open up access to information sources; review unfavorable media laws; encourage training and refresher courses; avoid intimidation, harassment and torture.

IEC detects nearly 2000 double voter registration

IEC Chief: " the law will take it course for Double Registers"

By Sainey M.K. Marenah, Managing Blogger

The Independent Electoral Commission, IEC, has detected 1,897 cases of what it said were people suspected of registering more than once, in the just-concluded voter registration exercise.

Mustapha Carayol, chairman of the Commission, told journalists and politicians at a press conference yesterday that thumbprints and facial recognition were used as a means of detecting this.

Noting that successful elections are dependent on a clean voter register, Carayol told the press conference meant to give findings of the matching done on the general voters registration exercise, that such unscrupulous acts are uncalled for and quite unexpected from the people, most of whom are fully aware of the implications of the act.

According to the IEC boss, the commission is currently engaged in frantic efforts in making sure a very credible voter register is produced.

He stated that the digital system of voters registration employed was also used as a platform upon which a biometric matching was conducted.

“The cross-matching query was able to detect a very high number of multiple registrations,” he said, adding that these are people who registered more than once.

He revealed that information was provided by the IEC database in respect of double or multiple registrations.

“One person registered five times in five registration centres, two people registered four times in four registration centres; 11 people registered 11 times in eleven different centres and 1883 registered two times,” he revealed.

Chairman Carayol further told journalists and politicians that the commission in consultation with political parties have decided, as a matter of goodwill, to offer a period of amnesty to all who registered more than once to come forward and surrender those cards.

“The commission urges those who are yet to surrender their cards within two weeks, from Monday 8th August to Monday 22nd August 2011, to do so,” he said, warning that failure to surrender these illegally obtained cards, after the two-week amnesty period, will cause the commission to institute legal action against those suspected of registering more than once.

The commission, he went on, has so far received 56 cards from people who registered more than once.

He further stated that since they heeded to the previous amnesty given, no legal action will be instituted against them.

The IEC boss, however, expressed dismay over the vandalism of the voter registers pasted in the various registration centres.

“This move compelled the commission to make strong statements in order to deter the general public,” he added.

He also told journalists that some youths were caught in the act of vandalising the voters list in Kiang Kiaf in the Lower River Region, and that the matter is with the police.

Concluding, Carayol also revealed that at the completion of the display and public scrutiny of the provisional list of voters, there was no appeal, but the commission received 173 objections, out of which 10 came from the Kanifing Municipality, while the remaining came from the Central River Region.

UDP hits back at Basiru Jawara, as it holds political rally in Serrekunda

 Local businessman Basiru Jawara has come under the firing line after his attack on the personality of Ousainou Darboe, party leader and Secretary General of the opposition United Democratic Party, UDP.

Jawara reportedly spoke against Ousainou Darboe at a meeting held in Jareng, during the just-concluded meet-the-people tour, describing him as “not fit” to lead this country.

At a political rally held in Serrekunda at the weekend to honour Femi Peters, members of the UDP top brass demanded what they called an explanation from Basiru Jawara with regard to his comments, describing him as a “failed businessman, who knows nothing about politics.”

Speakers including longtime APRC critic Dodou Kasa Jatta, Babanding KK Daffeh, National Assembly Member for Kiang Central, and Momodou LK Sanneh, minority leader and member for Kiang West constituency, also called on Basiru Jawara to refrain from castigating the UDP leader.

For the UDP top brass, people like Basiru Jawara, Yankuba Colley, the APRC National Mobiliser and Mayor of the Kanifing Municipality, among others, should be mindful of what they say, as the country has now passed the stage where people should castigate each other.

Describing the forthcoming election as a “do or die election”, the UDP leadership called on the Independent Electoral Commission not to play with the desire of Gambians for free and fair elections.

“We have seen the IEC Chairman registering the President at State House. This is unconstitutional and he must refrain himself from politics,” Kassa Jatta told the rally attended by youths and women mostly.

“Basiru Jawara is using his unclean resources to tarnish the image of the UDP leader, while his family members are living in abject poverty,” Jatta added, renewing his earlier position that the UDP will never relent in its efforts to dislodge the ruling APRC party.

Kemesseng Jammeh, former UDP parliamentarian for Kiang West constituency said “the ruling APRC government has woefully failed Gambians in all aspects,” noting that the UDP party will ensure a two-term limit for every President, when it takes over the mantle of leadership.

He also warned the APRC to desist from what he referred to as “tribal politics”, adding that the APRC is the only party that talks about tribes, especially during the just-concluded meet-the-people tour.

“Gambians have to be wise enough to know who to vote for in the forthcoming elections, as it will determine their future and destiny,” he said, while calling on cheering supporters to vote for the UDP party.

In Kemesseng Jammeh’s view, the way and manner in which the ruling APRC government operates is discouraging.

“The economy of the country is poorly managed when the constitution has provided how the funds and resources of the state should be managed. When they took power, they accused the PPP regime of corruption and embezzlement, but now the APRC regime is more corrupt than the regime they toppled,” he added.

Ajaratou Yama Secka, UDP National Women’s Wing President, said most Gambians will never know that the APRC party is abandoned unless one tours the length and breadth of the country.

According to her, the recent nationwide tour by the UDP executive, showed how “weak” the ruling APRC party has become, especially at the grassroots level.

“People always say that President Jammeh is backed by women, but I can also raise my hand and say that the women have 100% backed Ousainou Darboe, and we will continue our support for him,” she told the rally.

She described as false and baseless, reports of mass defections from the UDP to the APRC party.

Commenting on comments made by Basiru Jawara, Yama Secka accused Jawara of destroying the Gambian tourism industry by closing some if not all of his hotels and indulging himself in politics.

“That will be his end because of clashing with the UDP; he will learn his lessons soon,” she added.

Hon. Babanding KK Daffeh told the rally that he was surprised to see the APRC National Mobiliser and Mayor of the Kanifing Municipality trying to settle a land dispute in Niamina, when his own municipality was under fire.

“The KMC has done nothing for the tax payers. The price of basic commodities is skyrocketing on a daily basis,” Daffeh said.

Momodou LK Sanneh, minority leader said the APRC came to power with the aim of curbing out corruption, but today corruption is rampant.

Sanneh called on Gambians to wake up and vote for the UDP in the forthcoming Presidential elections.

Life imprisonment for Ex Police Chief

Ex- IGP Badjie being escorted out after hearing his verdict

By Sainey M.K. Marenah, Managing Blogger

Former Inspector General of Police Ensa Badjie was last Friday found guilty on robbery-related offences by the Special Criminal Court, which convicted and sentenced him to life imprisonment.

He was found guilty of seven out of 12 charges filed against him by the state prosecutors in May 2010, after his arrest in March of the same year.

Badjie was convicted alongside former Chief Superintendent of Prisons Ali Ceesay, who got a three-year jail term or a fine of D30,000 after being found guilty on one out of the three-count charge preferred against him.

Ceesay was acquitted and discharged on count 14, conspiracy to defeat justice and interference with witnesses, and on count 15, which was about deceiving witnesses. He was found guilty on count 16, which was offences relating to judicial proceedings.

Indicted since May last year, Badjie was accused of conspiring with others “to break into and rob shops, banks and supermarkets between the years 2007 and 2009”, and thereby committed an offence.

Badjie was convicted and sentenced to seven years imprisonment on count one, which was conspiracy to commit felony, 14 years on count two, which was robbery with violence.

He was sentenced to life imprisonment on count five and count seven which were about robbery with violence, and two years on count 11, which was aiding a prisoner to escape, and another seven years on count 12, which was for official corruption,

Ex-police chief Ensa Badjie and his co-accused first appeared at the Special Criminal Court on Friday 21st May 2010, where their plea of not guilty was recorded, following their denial of the charges preferred against them by the state.

In delivering judgment, Justice Ikpala told a packed courtroom that the prosecution had proved the element of truth to secure the conviction of the accused persons.

The judge acquitted and discharged Badjie on count four, six, eight, nine, and ten respectively on the grounds that the said counts had not linked the convict with the crime, and the prosecution had failed to prove their case on those counts.

Justice Ikpala, among other things, stated that the prosecution, in order to prove its case called 12 witnesses, while the convicted persons also opened their defence, and called witnesses.

He said the prosecution also tendered several exhibits, and that both the prosecution and the defence filed briefs which were adopted by the court.

Mitigating for his clients, counsel Touray begged the superior court to temper justice with mercy.

“Both my clients are first time offenders. They also served more than two decades in active service, serving their nation to the best of their ability,” defence counsel said in his plea of mitigation.

“He is married with three wives and 12 siblings,” counsel said of Ali Ceesay.

“Ensa Badjie has risen up to the rank of Inspector General of Police and was, in fact, described by the President as the best IGP he has ever got,” Barrister Touray said of Badjie.

Judge Ikpala in his judgment said that Ensa Badjie has the right to appeal.

Defence counsel B.S Touray subsequently announced that the defence would appeal against the conviction of his clients.

Recast

The prosecution in order to prove its case called several witnesses to testify, including one Soriba Condeh, a convict serving a jail term of 14 years at Mile 2 prison, Pateh Jallow, former deputy chief of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA), Muhammed Sillah, a police officer, Muhammed Darboe, also a convict at Mile 2, and Baba Tundeh Khan proprietor of the famous ‘City Pub’ Bar and Restaurant.

Also called as prosecution witnesses were Fatou Jatou Mendy, Salieu Baldeh, another convict serving a jail term, police superintendent Landing Bojang, officer commanding Serrekunda Police Station, Police Inspector Abdoulie Sowe, officer commanding Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Bakoteh Police Station, and Dodou Janneh, alias Do Boy, a murder convict serving a death sentence.

Ensa Badjie is already on another trial alongside two other senior military officers, under a 51-count charge including drugs-related offences, corruption and theft.

He is also currently involved appearing before the Banjul Magistrates’ Court for charges relating to abuse of office alongside Tijan Badjie, former head of police prosecutions Banjul division.