Women Civil Servants Must March - PMO Circular Cautions All Department
Heads

The Independent (Banjul)
NEWS
July 16, 2004
Posted to the web July 16, 2004

By Jalamang Jammeh
Banjul

The unprecedented is cutting a new level under the APRC government, with
all women in the civil service being forced to participate in a march from
Arch 22 to State House as part of events commemorating the July 22 1994
military takeover, which ushered President Jammeh to power.

According to a July 8 circular sent to all heads of government department
(ref PMD 224/01/Part 2/(17) from the Personnel Management Office which is
under the Office of the Vice President and therefore under the Office of
the President, a so-called Women's Solidarity Committee held a meeting
recently and endorsed activities to celebrate the 10 anniversary since the
APRC regime assumed the reins of political power. In a manner bordering on
blatant arbitrariness and hardly reflective of the opinion of women civil
servants who are being conditioned to participate, it decided that there
will be a march past from the arch to the seat of government at No 1 Marina
Parade, where President Jammeh will meet women some of whom may not
necessarily be willing to fall in line for a parade. The event is part of
what has been described as the general "show of appreciation and
acknowledgement of the president's support and recognition of women's
development".

The circular unmistakably peremptory in its instructional tone to all heads
of department, noted with pretended relish that the vice president who is
also the Secretary of State for Women's affairs Isatou Njie-Saidy will lead
parading women on Friday July 23, asking all participants to assemble by 9
am prompt.

"Please find attached a declaration form to be filled by all women, signed
or thumb printed in support of the occasion. All forms must be returned to
our office by the 15th of July for collection by the above named committee"
read the circular, attached to which is a form for all civil servant women
to write their name, the institution or organisation they work for and to
append their signatures or thumb prints. The form is entitled "Women's
solidarity Declaration Signatures in Support of HE President of the
Republic of The Gambia Alhaji Dr. Yahya A.J.J Jammeh on the occasion of the
July 22nd Revolution Tenth Anniversary Celebration".

Meanwhile observers have been quick to point out that this unprecedented
move must have been masterminded by well-known women sycophants who owe
their positions in the government, civil service and the National Assembly
to President Jammeh and came up with this scheme as their own obsequious
idea of pleasing their master and benefactor. It was also learnt that women
working in parastatal organisations are getting their Ashobis ready, with
the cloth and tailoring all sponsored by the public enterprises they work
for to participate in what organisers hope will be a big procession from
which to gauge the level of public support for Jammeh and his revolution.
This thought political pundits, has been the rationale behind forcing
everybody to sign up.

Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports also say that even school children are being
conditioned to contribute towards the expense of the occasions by being
told to pay D5 each.



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