<A HREF="http://allafrica.com/publishers.html?passed_name=The%20Independent&passed_location=Banjul">The Independent</A> (Banjul)April 22, 2003 
Posted to the web April 22, 2003 PK Jarju & SB Camara
Banjul In his first press conference since he concluded a twelve-week 
whistle-stop tour of the United Kingdom and the United States, Saturday Omar 
Jallow the People's Progressive Party (PPP) linchpin has asserted that 
President Jammeh has lost the right to rule.OJ is demanding his resignation 
for what he sees as the Jammeh government's abdication of their 
responsibilities to the nation and embezzling the wealth and resources of its 
people.Mr. Jallow claimed that the Jammeh regime has lost the moral right to 
govern the country as a result of its failure to deliver on its manifesto, 
pledging to improve the living conditions of ordinary Gambians whose 
resources he said have been embezzled and squandered since July 1994. 
He charged that President Jammeh and the APRC government have lost the debate 
about who should deserve to govern, and the credibility, trust and confidence 
of Gambians. He said when all these become the writing on the wall the best 
Jammeh can do in the interest of the nation is to pack up and leave to avoid 
further disaster.
He added that since coming to power Gambian families have been impoverished 
thanks to embezzlement of public monies that should have been used to 
alleviate the harsh economic conditions created by amateurish and patently 
ineffectual stewardship of the country's affairs. 
He stressed that the latest corruption (crude oil) scandal has made it 
crystally clear that the Jammeh government is not a government of the people, 
but a government of a dishonest and unscrupulous self-serving elite and group 
of unprofessional civil servants, private entrepreneurs, politicians and 
their cohorts and cronies, whose only interest is to enrich themselves, at 
the expense of the vast majority of poor Gambians.He stressed that although 
there is nothing new about the corrupt nature of the Jammeh regime, yet the 
alleged diversion of the US$ 350 million from the crude oil deal is a 
monumental amount that would have made a significant difference in the lives 
and livelihood of a vast number of ordinary Gambians. This according to OJ 
has shown to the whole world that the Jammeh regime is the greatest enemy of 
the Gambian people whom he said are today many times poorer than they were in 
1965.
OJ added that President Jammeh's abdication of his responsibility and 
obligations under the constitution and by his contemptuous disregard for his 
oath of Office to uphold and protect the interest of The Gambia and of 
Gambians as well as his many failures to personally account, or bring to 
account those who have manifestly abused their offices and responsibilities 
given to them are indeed worrisome facts for the PPP, a party which he said 
strongly maintains that the APRC government has forfeited the right to govern 
and should resign now in order to protect and preserve the sanity of the 
Office of the President.
On the current economic climate of the country, the PPP interim chairman 
stated that the severe economic conditions and the level of poverty prevalent 
in the country today is the daily reality for the vast majority of Gambians 
which in the past were the stuff of nightmare in other countries far from The 
Gambia. He said that the only "achievement" of the APRC government has been 
high and rising unemployment, a contracting economic base with no prospect 
for meaningful growth in sight, punishing price rises brought about by hyper 
inflation, dwindling state reserves and a punitive tax regime that kills 
enterprise and discourages productivity.
Mr. Jallow paid homage to victims of April 10 2000 by reiterating his party's 
commitment to repealing the Indemnity Act 2000 and bring the perpetrators of 
the carnage to book. He also condemned the visit of Kukoi Samba Sanyang to 
State House, saying Kokoi was responsible for the untold devastation, misery 
and hardship endured by Gambians in 1981 and should have been arrested and 
charged for treason.


"The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are 
evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
 - Albert Einstein
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change 
the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has."
- Margaret Mead 
"When the government fears the people, you have liberty. When the people fear 
the government, you have tyranny." 
- Thomas Jefferson
"All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing" 
- Edmund Burke 

    
    

    

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To Search in the Gambia-L archives, go to: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/CGI/wa.exe?S1=gambia-l
To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to:
[log in to unmask]

To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface
at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~