Today July 22nd is a sad day for all peace loving gambians and democratic
people.July 22nd was the day when democracy was assassinated and replaced by
a Junta Government which suspended the constitution looted the central
Bank/treasure,torture, and kill the Gambian people.
Our country The Gambia,once belonged to this select category of countries
until democracy was assassinated in 22nd july 1994.A small country with a
population of just over a million The Gambia once occupied a pride of place
in the concert of civilized nations that practiced democracy and the rule of
law.Though,i was not in government but knew The Gambia signed and ratified
all the major international democracy and the human rights such as the UN
Charter on human rights,The OAU Charter on human and peoples rights and
others.
What is even more important it respected its obligations under these
conventions a fact that has not gone unnoticed.The location of the OAU
Commission on Human Rights,and the Center for Human Rights as well as other
legal bodies preoccupied with human rights issues is an eloquent testimony
of the credentials of The Gambia as far as the respect for human rights is
concerned.
On July, 22nd 1994 all these changed when a bunch of junior military
officers overthrew a democratically elected government and there by marked
the end of democracy and the beginning of gross human rights violations on a
scale unprecedented in the history of our nation.The military junta never
withdrew from these international covenants on human rights yet it never
respected its obligations.Close to one [100] hundred decrees were
promulgated during the two year transition period most of which sought in
one way or the other to rob the gambian people of their rights and financial
resources.Stealing money,Drug dealings and other dubious acts became the
order of the day.
The military rule in The Gambia had two distinct phases:
[a]Transition phase and [b]Post-transition phase:
In both phases the regime characterized by oppression.During the first
military decrees were promulgated by the junta that arrogated to itself the
executive and legislative functions.The first among these decrees was decree
no.1-suspention and modification decree which suspended parts of the 1970
constitution thus effectively denying the people from participating in any
form or manner they were governed.Decree no.45 set up the National
intelligence Agency[NIA]-a new security agency which in nothing more than an
instrument to oppression in the hands of a autocratic government.From its
inception the NIA started harassing,intimidating and torturing opponents of
the military junta and up till now their behavior remained unchanged.People
were detained at random,beaten at random and released at random without any
explanation.Decree no.11 set up the so-called Commission of enquiry to
humiliate and discredit potentials political opponents while people money
remain unaccounted for,stashed away in Swiss Banks,Citibank in New York and
other undiscovered Banks.
The press that could have provided a valuable information were
arrested,harassed and sometimes deported for writing what is to be
written.It was in this regard that Mr..Kenneth Best ,the proprietor of daily
observer,who fled his native war-torn Liberia was arrested and deported back
to Liberia.Similar west African journalists some of whom fled their
countries for fear of their lives were arrested and sent back to the very
countries their lives were in dander.This was in complete disregard of the
international conventions of refugees.Decree no.70/71 were promulgated to
censor the press and up to date these decrees are alive.
We still remember Ousman Koro Ceeesay,found dead in his car,his body burnt
beyond recognition.Saddibou Hydara who no explanation has,as yet,been given
for their death.
To celebrate 22nd july,means again lavishing of The Gambia money and no
regards for what so ever for democracy and the rule of law.
Long live democracy!
Thanks
Saihou
________________________________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe/subscribe or view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L
Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
|
