YAHYA'S AMENDED CONSTITUTION (PART TWO)

                                  SCHEDULE
        AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
        General:
        Substitute for the word "chief" or "chiefs" whereever it occurs in
the constitution,the       word "seyfo" or "seyfolu",respectively,

Section1-The Republic

Substitute for subsection(1),the following new subsection-
"(1) The Gambia is a sovereign secular Republic".

Section 9-Citizenship by Birth.

Substitute for this section,the following new section-

"citizenship by birth" 9. Every person born in The Gambia after the coming
into force of this constitution Shall be presumed to be a citizen of The
Gambia by birth if at the time of his or birth,one of his or her parents is
a citizen of The Gambia".

Insertion of section 12A-Dual citizenship

Insert,immediately after section 12,the following new section-

"Dual citizenship   12A(1) A citizen of The Gambia who acquires the
citizenship of another country may,if he or she desires,retain his or her
citizenship of The Gambia.

                                   (2) An Act of The National Assembly may
make provision for the better implimentation of this section"( When will
that be?).

OPTV'S Analysis:Let's  revisit the text  by diagnosing the terms,words and
syntaxes and then,see how imitation is projected in these amendments more
than innovation.We will show how synonyms have  replaced the original words
justifying the fact that  the meaning stays the same.
Example:The words "chief and chiefs" replaced with "seyfo and seyfolu".This
amendment is what I will call real waste of valuable resources! When one
looks at these funny and hopeless substitutions they add our sadness and
readiness to chain this mad man. What is the difference in meaning apart
from the sounds of the words and the languages being used.
The desire should have been to replace the indirect rule system that we
inherited from the British Colonialists right? I am sure Yahya wanted to
sell his mad Pan Africanist feelings on this one again! God save The
Gambia! The term "seyfo" was not written in official docs  before, (maybe)
but who in his right mind does not remember the usage of these two words
(seyfo and seyfolu) at the ministry of local Gvovernment and Lands, well
before Yahya was born? This was the very reason why the colonial masters
created the MANSA BENGO.It was one of those tools that they used to control
the minds of our people.The British unlike the French used those traditions
that our grand fathers left after being defeated.They did and it helped
them control the mentality of our people.They knew that the caste system
existed and they also knew that naturally some minds were answerable to the
MANSA mentality.Therefore they succeeded because our own folks  controlled
one another.
These strings existed then and they existed under Jawara.Mad Yahya came to
further strengthen them.Imagine meeting a district chief who used to hear
the word chief being translated when his court clerk was  reading a letter
for him,now being adressed "seyfo" directly? This will give that SEYFO a
better way of feeling the MANSA mentality,moreover under a mad MANSA.I do
not buy these amendments because some of those sections were injected there
in preparation of the real amendments,which were going to breed a so-called
life president?!  Baba Jobe was mad to have supported that feeling some
time back because he was one of the first people who advocated for a one-
party state! Baba will pay for that price now because he was over zealous
and sick.
The difference between  so-called mad presidents  like Yahya and the
colonial masters is nothing other than the styles.The former dressed in a
different way and had different styles when in actual fact,he is a sick man
who puts on warambas even when taking bath.That apart the desire to stay
and rule by force remains the same.Infact Yahya is more into ruling like a
king and copying ruthless methods than the former.
Substituting the words "chief or chiefs" with "seyfo or seyfolu" is like
substituting the word lime with the word lemon.
We want a constitution that changes the meaning and approach not one that
changes sounds and colours!

Let's see section 12A-Dual citizenship.
To date Gambians in the diaspora are trying to figure out how they can
tackle the issue of marrying foreigners without rescinding their Gambian
citizenship,without success. Presently two Gambians who married German
ladies are back home waiting to jump over that legal hurdle.Their names
will be withheld because we all know what will happen if they are mentioned
by the OPTV(do not laugh cry!) because it is sad.
This process could have been easily handled but many of Yahya's cronies use
such outlets as money-making ventures where they ask for bribes from those
poor youngsters who want to be married and get their papers.That is why
Amat Bah was smart to use the visa issue during his campaign, the parents
of those poor lads voted for him over whelmingly.
Yahya destroyed the hopes of Gambian youths and then banned them from
playing soccer!
Goodness! How can I make all his cronies understand that Yahya is really
mad?!
Yahya wants to buy the confidence of the donors but he is so mad that, it
instead makes him more vulnerable.Some of these legal experts,should also
bear in mind,what some people say ie;ANY TIME A RULE IS BROKEN SOMEONE HAS
TO PAY FOR IT.
Anyway if law becomes a cheap commodity and the rich are bandits then what
should we expect?!
There are three issues that mad Yahya's cronies have advised him not to
compromise,which are.
Sending ballot boxes abroad,adding term limits in the constitution and
allowing dual citizens much power.
-
Sending ballot boxes abroad is one of the things that he destests because
he wil lose votes and at the same time it will be a chance for Gambians to
expose the way his false elections are conducted.

-Adding the term limits is something that Yahya does not even want to talk
about because in his mad head he has been ordained to rule.Some people know
that Yahya was some how unhappy when he had a baby girl(deep down) he would
have prefered a boy because in his mind he is just like the Sultan of
Brunei or Sadam.We all remember Qusey and Oudey.This is no exaggeration ask
those who really know Yahya and how he feels and thinks about being in
power.

-Yahya feels that if he allows dual citizenship those Gambians abroad who
have acquired it will be supported by the West to come home and introduce
what he calls WESTERN DEMOCRACY? Yahya has forgotten that the West spent 20
billion dollars in rebuilding Haiti and today the voice of the people has
dictated the end result.
On CNN we all heard that the USA is asking the twenty thousand Americans
who lived in that country to leave.These democracies respect the people.So
instead of fearing something relating to the dual citizenship Yahya should
look through his window every morning and listen to what the birds are
singing.Change is getting nearer and nearer.


How about section 9?
It appears so confusing for me that I may as well invite our legal experts
on line to help us.
This part sends a signal (I stand to be corrected). Does it mean anyone who
was born before this amendment has questions to answer before your
citizenship will be recognised or what?
What does the word "presumed" stand for here? Chongan and others can you
please help?
This constitution is flawed and was being made to suit mad Yahya but
nothing more.
No wonder the department of state for justice has the saddest history and
the longest list when it comes to Yahya's hiring and firing.
Who on earth can be the legal adviser of a mad man? Yahya needs
psychiatrists but not lawyers,judges and administrators!

Binneh S Minteh
NYU.EDU

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