*Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue*

*Issue No. 30/2006, 20-23 April, 2006*

* *

*Editorial*

**

*ALAGIE NYABALLY IN LIMBO*

A wife in distress called the Foroyaa office to explain that her husband the
former leader of Gamsu Alagie Nyabally has been arrested and detained since
Monday. When other students were allowed to use the TV to assassinate his
character Alagie Nyabally felt so much threatened that he told everyone who
cared to listen that it was best for him to leave this country. Apparently,
all those who had prevail to arrest did not listen. Now the wife is claiming
that he has disappeared leaving her with a sick child to nurse. Foroyaa
calls on those who arrested Alagie Nyabally to have the decency to explain
to his young wife and children where he is kept and for what purpose. They
are entitled to this. Foroyaa wishes to bear witness that this young man has
done everything to leave this country for the past two years for fear that
he was prone to be arrested. An enquiry has revealed that he was initialled
arrested at yundum Police Station but now he is wit the NIA. Somebody should
explain why he is arrested. It is important for people like Alagie Nyabally
to be treated with utmost care. Those who have him in custody should have
tangible evidence to arrest him and keep him in custody. He should be
released with immediacy if there is no evidence linking him to a crime. He
should also be taken before a court within 72 hours if there is any tangible
evidence against him.



*STATEMENT BY NADD'S FLAG- BEARER ON THE TEN THOUSAND MAN (WOMAN) MARCH*

Events of tremendous importance are taking place at the eve of the 2006
presidential elections. The Executive Committee of NADD has taken time to
carefully analyse the passionate appeals made by the organizers of the ten
thousand man (woman) march for the people to appear in their numbers to
embrace the clarion call to say: No to coups and yes to democracy. We also
reflected on the address of the president on Saturday 16th April 2006.

The fact that they have organized the demonstration to galvanize popular
support at this critical moment when arrests and detention of military
personnel have been taking place confirms the decisive role of the people in
the making of history and the shaping of the destiny of nations. This
affirms with overwhelming thoroughness that peoples' power constitutes the
midwife of every old society that is pregnant with a new one. There, the
first fundamental lesson to be drawn from the ten thousand man (woman) march
is that governments are not protected by barrels of guns; they are sustained
by the might of the people. Power really belongs to the people. The question
now arises.

What did the "ten thousand man (woman) march" sought to achieve? Has it
achieved that purpose? What is NADD's position on the issue?

Prior to the march, the organizers made a declaration on radio and
television that it was going to serve as an example of how Africa can put a
definite end to the culture of coups d'etat on the continent and consolidate
a culture of democracy.

To the innocent masses, the purpose of the "ten thousand man (woman) march"
was to say no to coups d'etat and yes to democracy. This is why public
corporations, government departments, banks, hotels, private enterprises,
women associations, youth organizations, associations of persons with
disability, student groups, NGOs, civil society organisations and embassies
appeared to give solidarity to the democratic proclamations of the match.
One could even see NADD supporters working for certain enterprises wearing
T-shirts bearing the slogan "Say no to coups and yes to democracy." The
banners also floated the same slogans for all to see. Hence to those who
were not supporters of the APRC the "yes to Democracy slogan" meant the
assertion of the right of the sovereign people of the Gambia to change their
government through the ballot box.

However, once President Jammeh mounted the podium to address the nation, it
became apparent that his views were diametrically opposed to the slogan that
the organisers wanted the nation to embrace.

He read one of the slogans on the banners which says no to coups and assured
the crowd that if he were to be asked whether people should always say no to
coups, his answer would be shocking. His answer was indeed startling. He
said that coups to rescue a country at the brink of catastrophe is
justifiable. He indicated that he will welcome a coup if he were to betray
the country but added that that will never happen. The position of the
president of the Republic is that coups may be justified as the right
prescription to catastrophe. My position as the flag-bearer of NADD is that
no head of state of a democratic society should call for a coup d'etat as a
prescription to any form of catastrophe; on the contrary, the people as
custodians of sovereign authority should be called upon to remove a
government that can no longer serve their interest and replace it with a
government that can address their needs and aspirations. This is the
democratic approach. The militarist approach of relaying on Coups or armed
uprisings are prescriptions for monarchical governments that do provide any
avenue for change through the consent of other people President Jammeh
therefore has a lot of explanation to do why he said that if he betrays the
aspirations of the people a coup will be justifiable instead of saying that
the people should remove him from office.  A coup d'etat is a militarist
prescription to socio-economic ills. The democratic prescription to
socio-economic ills is to empower the people to change a government that has
betrayed their aspiration. I strongly maintain that most Gambians prefer the
democratic prescription and not the militarist one. NADD aims to attain this
democratic agenda of preventing militarist prescriptions being utilised
against a NADD government in the future by limiting the term of its
presidential candidate to  five years, during which the media shall be
utilized to teach the people their sovereign rights to be the guardians and
determinants of their own destiny.

 Each Gambian will be taught to know that they have equal power and say in
determining how their country is managed. Furthermore, NADD intends to
carryout constitutional amendments to ensure that after the five years all
subsequent occupants of the office of president would be limited to two
terms. This will eradicate the culture of coup d'etat completely. In my
view, NADD and not the APRC can lead the country to achieve the democratic
revolution of putting an end to the culture of coups and impunity and
consolidate a democratic culture. This is the first point.

Secondly, the president proceeded to indicate that those who have aspiration
to be president should be as patient as vultures since he is not ready to
hand over the office until he utilizes the oil of the Gambia to benefit
Gambians, Africans and the world at large.

My view is that under a democracy, it is not leaders who hand over power but
the people who entrust their power to whoever they deem fit. The handing
over of power from one person to another is a monarchical concept. The
democratic concept is that authority to govern must be derived from the
consent of the people and such authority should be exercised not to usurp
the power of the people to become a monarch but to empower the people and
promote their general welfare.  The president has right to exercise his
freedom of expression and he has done so. He alluded to the fact that he
intends to be in office for the next 30 years before handing over power to
another person. This is his view. Our view is that it is not his prerogative
to say how long he will be in office. That is the exclusive mandate of the
people to determine. We hope as he goes to campaign for the presidency he
will face the Gambian people and tell them that they will not be able to
remove him from office in the next 30 years and should therefore not waste
their time listening to the opposition.

On my part I am only mandated to stay in office for five years if elected. I
am not to seek a second term or support the candidature of any other person
in the next following elections. I intend to honour this mandate. Unlike
President Jammeh I dare not say that I will be in office for any number of
years. I will humbly go before the people to say; you are the sovereign
owners of this country. Your power and say determine who should govern this
country. Listen to what all the candidates have to say and make your
informed chance. This is what I will say to the people. It is left to the
people to listen to what the president says, what I say and what others may
say and support what suits them. This is the second point.

Thirdly, the president said that he is not opposed to having opposition
parties. According to him, the purpose of an opposition party is to
criticize what is wrong and acknowledge what a government is doing right. In
his own language, the opposition may issue yellow cards to a government so
that it will change its ways. This is his view and it should be respected.
As far as we are concerned both ruling party and opposition parties are
participants in a contest to enlist the confidence and support of the
people.. The people are the referees. What each is trying to do is to give
their best performance. The battle of politics is the battle of principles,
policies, programmes and practices. The duty of the opposition is not to
serve as backbenchers of a ruling party who criticise given policies without
making any attempt to change the government. The role of the opposition
however, is to elaborate on alternative policies that could form the basis
of establishing an alternative government. Here and there the ruling party
may rely on the criticisms to reform its policies. We respect the
president's expectations from opposition parties to engage in "backbencher"
politics. He should also respect our position that an opposition is an
alternative government in the making. It is our duty to defend our own
policies and it is the duty of his party to defend its own policies. We
shall not be found wanting in exposing why we feel the APRC government
should be voted out and a NADD government elected by the Gambian people.
This is how matters stand on this score.

Forthly, the president said that the Gambia does not have an opposition,
that what we have are those who are tribalist, greedy, hungry for power and
parasitic and those who pretend to be knowledgeable but are not intelligent;
that such people *cannot even become village headmen* (my emphasis). In my
view every Gambian is important since it is their votes which make a person
a President or national assemble member i therefore have high regard for
each voter i do not subscribe to giving significance to people on the basis
of the position they occupy in managing the affairs of a state. Such
positions can be vacated at any time. In the Gambia we have seen former
heads of states, Secretaries of Stete, National Assembly members performing
other functions. This should teach the lesson that we should respect people
for who they are as the sovereign building blocks of pours democratic
foundation and not the room they occupy in the *edifice* of the state.
However, to rebutt the arguement of the President using his own logic
regarding status, I would say that even though i am not a headman of a
village I am a Member of Parliament and minority leader. I am also a member
of the Pan African parliament. Moreover, the president has offered me
ministerial posts twice. Why would he offer some one he knows to be
unintelligent ministerial position? Clearly, the conclusion that those of us
in the opposition will not even be headmen is incomprehensible to me. This
is why I will not take the derogatory remarks made by the president against
NADD as relevant. Rather it is increasing NADD's visibility. It is conveying
to the electorate that APRC is fully preoccupied with NADD as a major factor
in Gambian politics.

On the other hand, the president's reference to NADD as a National
Association of Donkey Drivers after his party has signed the MOU under the
auspices of President Obasanjo is equally incomprehensible. What i can tell
the Gambian people is that i am fully committed to the MOU will never use
the type of language the APRC that Prasident has uttered against NADD. I
would therefore call on the Gambian people to criticize me harshly if they
hear me make any derogatory remark against any political opponent.

However in order to contain this descend into the politics of character
assassination and insults we will submit a report of our grievance through
the normal channel established by the Memorandum signed by political parties
for redress.

Finally, the president did indicate that some non Gambians who are
benefiting from the country are working against its peace and development.
He called on Gambians despite our differences to close ranks. We have
studied the situation in our sub-region. There is no doubt that militarist
options are being taken to settle age old problems. The president of Guinea
Bissau is in Mauritania to build relations at a time when a joint military
mission had been undertaken to dislodge the MFDC forces near the Bissau
Border. There are claims and counter claims of existence of trans-boundary
anti government forces. The relation between countries is visibly strained.
Any keen analyst could detect from the President's speech that there is a
storm and stress period in the relation between the government and our
neighbours.

It is therefore necessary to indicate what NADD's position is on people from
other African countries who are settled in the Gambia. In our view, every
African country should be home away from home for every African visitor. In
this respect, we will be promoting the acquisition of an ECOWAS passport, or
African Union passport, and/or other documents to enable Africans to visit
and reside in Gambia without paying for any alien identity card. In order to
promote peace and security each visitor shall be introduced to an
association of nationals of his/her country. Such associations would meet
annually to select leaders who would be able to take up their grievances
with government authorities. They would promote a sense of community to
their groups and to the nation this serve as a democratic instrument to
contain any threat to the interest of the people. This is how NADD intends
to encourage Africans to make Gambia their home without any security
threats.

In our view the "Ten thousand Man (Woman) march" did not serve the popurse
for which it was proclaimed. It was transformed into an APRC rally by it's
organisers. They became partisan in their speeches. NADD had no place in
such a gathering. NADD's position is clear. It demands a respectable
relation with the APRC at all levels. If the APRC parliamentary majority
wants the support of the NADD parliamentary minority in moving any motion in
parliament NADD must be consulted at the drafting stage so that we can agree
on both objective and content before it is tabled before parliament.
Furthermore, we have an inter-party committee. Hence if the APRC wants a
cross-party activity like the "Ten thousand Man (woman) march" it has to be
jointly planned managed and owned so that when it come to speeches all
parties will be given equal time to present their views. Of course it party
has the prerogative to organise its own programmes and invite others. They
should not give such programmes the cloak of a national event and accuse
those who cannot be deceived as being unpatriotic and least interested in
national unity. This is how matters stand on the "Ten thousand man (woman)
march"

In terms of the current situation we would what it to be addressed at four
levels.

First and foremost Gambia must be at peace with itself before it can be at
peace with its neighbours. We therefore wish to call on the government to
set up the right machinery to complete the investigations it has started on
the coup it has announced to have foiled, and take people before courts or
release them. This chapter should come to a close with immediacy. Keeping
people in custody for over seventy two hours without court appearance is
unconstitutional and unlawful. This practice should cease if public outcry
is to be averted nationally and internationally. It is clear that the media
in particular is very concerned with the non court appearance or release of
the three Independent Newspaper journalist, i.e. Mr. Madi Ceesay, President
of the Gambia press Union, Mr. Musa Saidykhan the Secretary General and
Mr.Lamin Fatty. With the release of Lawyer Antou Gaye the female lawyers
especially are awaiting for actions on Lawyer Mariam Denton's case. In our
view there is a lot of advantage in a state displaying magnanimity when
issues of state security are concerned. Security is about people when their
rights are protected and are seen to be protected and when justice is done
to all and is seen t done the security of States is assured.

Futhermore we would want those in the security forces in the Gambia to bear
in mind that this is an election year. The role of soldiers is to protect
the sovereignty of the people and the territorial integrity of the country.
They should acknowledge that sovereignty resides in the people and should be
ready to protect the people as they express their sovereign right to
determine their manner of government. They should become allies to the
democratic process, perform their duties according to law and protect the
sovereign Gambian people.

The people in the neighbouring countries, their media houses and governments
should recognize that Gambia belongs to the Gambian people. They should
establish a bond of solidarity across borders and do things that will
enlarge the power of all the people in our sub-region so as to protect their
collective sovereignty and destiny. The governments, media and civil
societies of the sub-region should be able to promote sub-regional
integration of the people. All hostilities and hostile remarks should cease.
The Senegalese media should capture what Gambians themselves are saying
about their country including the opposition so that they will not be seen
to have any agenda other than the dissemination of truth in good faith in
the public interest. The Gambian media should also cover what the Senegalese
people are saying about their country including the opposition. In this way,
the people of both countries will benefit from critical opinions in order to
become a critical mass.

We would also like to take this opportunity to call on all Gambians who are
supporters of NADD to abandon the old trail of combating derogatory remarks
with derogatory remarks. Our duty is to be preoccupied with critical
opinions that will enable the Gambian people and the masses at large to form
enlightened opinions

The Gambian people want positive messages that can restore their hope in
themselves, their country, continent and the people of the world at large.
This is the time for exchange of mature ideas to draw together the
collective intelligence of the people to guide our collective destiny. NADD
is on course. It will not be distracted by insults. It is ready to wage the
only battle worth waging, that is the battle to liberate the minds of our
people from ignorance so that they can take ownership of themselves and
freely come together to emancipate themselves from poverty, ignorance, fear
and powerlessness.

Halifa Sallah

NADD's Presidential candidate.

30 Papa Sarr Street, Churchill's Town,

[log in to unmask]

Tel: (220) 9902864





*FIRST FEMALE SPEAKER: Belinda Bidwell*

The sitting of Tuesday 18th April 2006 witnessed the election of the speaker
and Deputy Speaker. Presiding over the election of a Speaker and Deputy
Speaker, the Chief Justice, Abdoul Karin Savage, told Deputies that his role
is to preside over the election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

At this stage nominated member, Belinda Bidwell was nominated for the office
of Speaker by Churchill Baldeh, the nomination was seconded by Duta Kamaso.
There was no further nomination and Hon. Bidwell was therefore declared
elected Speaker of the National Assembly. As regards to the office of Deputy
Speaker there were two nominees – Hon. Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay and Hon
George Aziz. At this stage the member for Basse Constituency, Hon. Momodou
Selu Bah, called on the Chief Justice to adjourn the proceedings to allow
them to reach a consensus. This was opposed by Hon Touray, member for
Illiasa on the ground that the National Assembly was adjourned for a week
and that they had a lot to deal with.

The Chief Justice pointed that no business can be dealt with pending the
election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker. Hon. Halifa Sallah referred the
Chief Justice to the standing orders which indicated that where there are
two nominees, election should be held and that such election should be
conducted by the IEC. "That's true" said the Chief Justice. The majority
leader however proposed that the APRC NAMs be given 10 minutes to consult
each other. After the 10 minute consultation they unanimously agreed to an
election.

The election was chaired by the Chairman of the IEC Mr. Ndondi Njie and
assisted by the Chief Elections Officer, Mr. Ceesay. The results went as
follows: The total number of possible voters was 44; Fatoumatta Jahumpa
Ceesay polled 19 votes, whilst Hon. George Aziz had 23 votes. There were two
invalid votes. The Chief Justice sworn-in the newly elected Speaker and
Deputy Speaker while the Speaker Sworn-in the newly nominated member,
Majanko Samusa.

According to the constitution only nominated members may be elected as
Speaker and Deputy Speaker.



*GAMTEL SPENT D4.1 MILLION ON  INDEPENDENCE CELEBRATION*

*By Abdoulie Dibba*

During question and answer session at the National Assembly, the Minority
Leader and Member for Serrekunda Central, Hon. Halifa Sallah, raised the
following question: "*Mr. Speaker, could the Secretary of State for Finance
and economic Affairs indicate to this Assembly, the contributions made by
GAMTEL as financial support to other institutions and individuals outside
the jurisdiction of the public enterprise, from 2002 to 2005?*" In response,
SOS Musa Gibril Bala Gaye indicated that the contributions made by GAMTEL as
financial support to other institutions and individuals outside the
jurisdiction of the public enterprise from 2002 to 2005 is as follow:



*Description*                        *2002*                       
*2003*
*2004*                        *2005*



Religion                        D289, 750                        237,
105
72, 091                        131, 375

Education                        318, 582                        384,
411
279, 642                        249, 691

Health                        296, 146                        362, 880
665, 563                        845, 810

National Development1, 420, 680                        975, 128
3,112, 595                        4, 117, 843

National Sports                        80, 000                        80,
000                        267, 620                        2, 884, 572




In a supplementary question, Hon. Sallah asked the Secretary of State to
explain what he meant by National Development? In response SOS Gaye said
National Development means independence celebrations



*CB GOVERNOR WOOS COMMERCIAL BANKS*

*By Annia Gaye*

The Governor of the Central Bank of the Gambia, Mr. Famara Jatta, has called
on all commercial banks in the Gambia to explore possible ways of
intervening in the most vital sector as the Bank's initiative, among others,
is to promote linkage banking by linking the microfinance institutions to
the banking sector.  Mr. Jatta said that this would go a long way in
enhancing the integration of microfinance in the normal financial system.

Mr. Jatta was speaking at a validation workshop on the National Strategic
Framework Paper on the development of microfinance in the Gambia on
Wednesday 12th April 2006, at the Paradise Suites hotel.  He indicated that
many benefits could be accrued by both banks and microfinance clients if the
right modalities are put in place.  He further indicated that the proposal
has been explored in Asia, many developing countries, and even within
Africa. He also indicated that the exhaustion of the country's population,
two third of whom are considered poor, from the banking sector, would
certainly put in doubt any development prospects for the country.

He pointed out that over the years, numerous efforts have been made in
developing and streamlining various approaches to provide financial services
to the poor.

He further pointed out that despite a steady growth of microfinance
activities in the Gambia, the lack of direction and coordination had
significally contributed to its limited outreach, distortion in the
sub-sector's financial delivery system, fragmentation, and duplication of
activities culminating in low impact on the beneficiaries.

He said the formulation of appropriate financial sector policies for
deepening the sector and creating a sound financial system, will continue to
receive impetus from the Central Bank, and that microfinance policies will
continue to be formulated and reviewed to support the emerging industry's
objectives and goals, which are to support the implementation and
operationalisation of these policies.

Mr. Jatta said the demand for banking services is abundant in the Gambia and
banks must not be left behind in this crude of financial inclusion of the
productive poor in our financial system.

* *

*At The National Assembly*

*PRESIDENT ADDRESSES NATIONAL ASSEMBLY*

In issue No. 26, Foroyaa started publishing the state of the Nation Address
of the President which was delivered to National Assembly. In this issue,
Foroyaa will continue with the rest of his speech.

*On Investment *

The President indicated in his speech that in the area of investment, The
Gambia Investment Promotion and Free Zones Agency, GIPFZA, has facilitated
as at 31st January 2006, the establishment of 34 companies in key sectors
such as tourism, housing, light manufacturing processing, bulk breaking,
packaging and financial services. The President went on to say these 34
companies have invested over D864 million and created 2, 000 direct and
indirect jobs. He said in order to address one of the key considerations by
investors, Government, with the support of the World Bank has developed a
business park at Banjul international Airport at a cost of D86 million . The
park, he said, provides the necessary infrastructure such as warehouse,
factory facilities, access roads, electricity utilities etc.

*On Tourism*

The President indicated in his speech that Tourism accounts for almost 16%
of GDP. He said beside Agriculture, it is the largest foreign exchange
earner. The President said, in 2004 foreign exchange earning from Tourism
and related distribution trade activities, totalled D840 million. He pointed
out that the tourism industry employs10, 000 people in the formal sector and
about 20, 000 in the informal sector. The President went on to tell deputies
that it is estimated that the 2005/2006 season will see a further growth of
40%. These figures, he said, represent only those visitors coming via
chartered flights excluding those that come in by scheduled flights, land
and sea. The President indicated that in order to maintain standards, his
Government will continue to create the enabling environment for investors to
upgrade their facilities to international level. In this regard, he said,
they also have plans to upgrade The Gambia Hotel School to diploma level to
enable it to take care of the manpower needs at all levels of the tourism
industry.

*On Arts and Culture*

The President told Deputies that the National Council for Arts and Culture
continues to work hard to promote the creative and performing arts. In this
vein he said, three cultural festivals have been successfully organized in
the various divisions with the support of UNESCO, through NATCOM. The
President pointed out that efforts are being made to set up a copyright
Bureau in The Gambia to implement the protection of the rights and works of
Gambian artists and enable them to reap the benefits of their hard work.

*On Water Resources*

The President told deputies in his address that the Department of Water
Resources continues to adopt a demand led approach in which implementation
of water supplies responds to the need and wishes of the recipient
communities. He pointed out that the Rural Water Supply Project funded by
the Japanese Government for 276 million yen, has so far completed 4 pipe
water facilities, 1 elevated water tank and installation of Solar Panels,
and 2 elevated water tanks. This, the President said, will support the rural
communities of The Gambia in their struggle to improve their living
conditions. The President concluded on this issue by saying that during the
course of 2006, the Department of State for Fisheries and Water Resources
will submit before the National Assembly, a new National Water and Fisheries
Bill.

*On Park and Wildlife Management *

The President told Deputies that his Government has put in place the legal
framework for sustainable management of natural resources on parks and
wildlife. He indicated that within the framework of the convention on
Bio-diversity, his government is collaborating with the World Bank (WB), the
Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWFN)
to implement The Gambia Integrated Coastal and Marine Bio-diversity
Management Project, known as ICAM. The President indicated that "a project
estimated at US $1.3 million is being implemented from April, 2005 to
December, 2007 in three different pilot sites: (1) Bao Bolong Wetland
Reserve (NBD)

(2) Tambi Wetland Complex (KSMD and Banjul).

(3) Bolong Fenyo – a community protected area in Gunjur Kombo South.

*On Women, Population and Development*

The President told deputies that his Government continues to recognize the
inextricable linkage between population dynamics and poverty alleviation;
that it is against this background that his Government continues to invest
in human material and financial resources in addressing population and
development issues, in particular, maternal infant and child mortality and
morbidity, gender and women empowerment and youth issues. The president
indicated that over the next five years within the framework of the MTP and
National Policy for the Advancement of Gambian Women, strategies to be
adopted will include:

1. Effective mainstreaming of gender into overall macroeconomic policies,
budgetary policies and sol policies of Government as well as
institutionalization of gender budgeting in key departments such as
Agriculture, Education and Health.

2. Produce production and productivity of women products.

3. Effective women's rights protection and the removal of persistent
socio-cultural and traditional barriers.

4. Reduction of maternal mortality and improve women's health and

5. Quality education for girls and women. The President concluded on this
aspect by saying that the overall goal is "Gender Equality and Women
Empowerment."

*On Nutrition*

The President told deputies that Food Safety is a priority for his
Government and that he was pleased to note that we now have comprehensive
modern food laws, which is the Food Act of 2005. As part of the Act, the
President said that regulations on the importation, sale, distribution and
use of iodised salt will be enforced shortly; that Regulations on
breastfeeding promotions which prohibit the advertisement of breast milk
substitutes as contained in the International Code of Marketing of Breast
milk Substitutes will also be enforced.

*On Trade*

The President indicated that as part of a sub-regional grouping of ECOWAS,
his Government has committed itself to the full implementation of the ECOWAS
Common External Tariff, (CET) to facilitation inter-regional trade. He
pointed out that "the full implementation of the ECOWAS, CET will enhance
the competitiveness of the region and increase its investment opportunities.
The President noted that the enlarged market thus created, will enable
investors to enjoy economies of scale in their operations as they will be
dealing with a market of over 250 million people. The President said that
deputies may be aware that the Government of the United States of America
has renewed The Gambia's eligibility in AGOA. He also told deputies that his
Government is eligible to the Millennium Challenge Account, MCA, which will
benefit the country in grants to finance the infrastructure, agriculture,
and energy projects, to mention a few.

* *

*196 SOLDIERS LEAVE FOR DARFUR***

*Lamin Fatty*

Tuesday 17th April marked the farewell ceremony of over 196 soldiers to the
Sudanese province of Darfur, for peace keeping mission. Madani Senghore,
Navy Lieutenant, pointed out that the officers will be involved in map
reading, stress management, negotiation and mediation techniques, abhorrence
to the convention of the rights of the women and children, confidence
building in the form of civil action projects, workshops on HIV and Aids
awareness and also to secure African Union headquarters in the mission area
and conducting security Police including weapons handling.

In her farewell message to GAMCOY 3, the vice President Madam Isatou Njie
Saidy deputizing for the President and Commander in Chief of The Gambia
Armed forces, said that she is delighted and optimistic to bid farewell to
the soldiers as they are finally leaving for Darfur, where they will be
joining and operating alongside fellow Peacekeepers from other African
countries, in support of the AU's Peace and humanitarian operations there.
According to Madam Njie Saidy, her delight and optimism stem from the
history of outstanding performance in Peacekeeping missions that The Gambia
Armed Forces (GAF) have come to be associated with over the years. She said
this outstanding performance has indeed endeared The Armed Forces to the
United Nations, and she is therefore proud of that.

She also told soldiers that these last moments in their preparations will
certainly prove to be the most exciting and emotive moments, as they bid
farewell to their relatives and loved ones. She pointed out that the
excitement and emotion will however be tempered by the fact that they are
being deployed to reach out and offer assistance to people in dire straits,
who have been deprived of their freedom to do the things that are necessary
for their survival as human beings. She told them that their participation
in the AU's Peacekeeping and humanitarian assistance operations put them in
a very special and honorific position stating that courageous service to
one's nation is what every officer and soldier look forward to, and that
their deployment to serve in a foreign country is spurred by the Governments
commitment in maintaining its foreign policy in meeting its obligations to
sub-regional treaties and AU's Protocols for the maintenance of Peace and
Security. She finally assured them that the whole Nation and the
Commander-in-Chief, will give them all the necessary support and will
continue to pray to the Almighty Allah to guide and protect them. She told
them "our hearts and minds, and our prayers will be with you throughout your
tour of duty in Darfur." She wished them safe passage to and from Darfur.



*VP TASKS THE JUDICIARY*

The Vice President, Dr. Isatou Njie Saidy, has urged the judiciary to double
up efforts to create a speedy and fair process for litigants.

The Vice President made this call recently at the Ocean Bay Hotel, Cape
Point, while addressing participants at a seminar for judges, magistrates
and judicial officials.

"Litigants around the whole country put their complete trust in members of
the judiciary and indeed, Gambian citizens have high expectations when they
bring cases to court.  In any case, all aggrieved persons who use the court
as a last resort, always look forward to speedy and fair justice.  Do they
have speedy and fair justice in the court? Cases suffer inordinate delays in
the courts and justice delayed, as the saying goes, is justice denied.  The
delays in the court system are causing untold hardship, suffering and
anxiety to frustrated litigants.  Understandably, several factors are
responsible for this undesirable situation.

There has been also growing dissatisfaction in the area of enforcement.  It
was common to find a litigant winning his case, after a long court delay,
going through a nightmare, in the enforcement process, to enjoy the fruits
of the decision.  Looking at it from all angles, speedy ands fair justice
contributes more than anything else to building and nurturing more citizenry
confidence in the judiciary, in the rule of law, democracy and good
governance."



*PRESS RELEASE FROM IEC*

*Kombo East By-election*

Subsequent to the demise of the National Assembly member for Kombo East
Constituency in the Brikama Administrative Area, Late Honourable Kebba M.
Touray, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), acting in accordance
with Section 91(3) of the Constitution of the Gambia, 1997 and Section 84 of
the Elections Decree, 1996, hereby inform the general public, stakeholders
and civil society that there will be a by-election in the afore-mentioned
constituency on Saturday 13th May 2006.

Nominations of candidates wishing to contest the said by-election will take
place on Wednesday 26th April 2006 within the hours 8.00 a.m and 4.00 p.m at
the IEC Regional Office in Brikama.

Nomination papers can be collected from now on free of charge from the IEC
Regional Office in Brikama or from the IEC head office on Kairaba Avenue,
Latrikunda.

Campaign starts on Friday 28th April and ends on Thursday 11th May 2006.

Mrs. Sarah Grey-Johnson has been appointed Returning Officer for the said
election.

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