THIS PAPER WAS PRESENTED BY BROTHER BUHARRY AT THE GAMBIAN ORGANISATION
CONFERENCE IN STOCKHOLM SWEDEN, SUNDAY 2 APRIL 2000.FROM THE ELECTORAL
COMMITTEE.
THANK YOU.
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Från: MOMODOU BUHARRY GASSAMA
Datum: den 4 april 2000 22:11
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The situation of Gambians in Sweden has since the arrival of
the first Gambians in the country not been an enviable one. This is due to
a variety of factors. Factors such as tribalism, sectionalism, disunity,
materialism, laze, greed, illiteracy etc. can be cited to have been and
continue to be strong impediments to Gambians' advancement within the
Swedish set-up. The attendant implication has been the stagnation of
Gambians within the society compared to other immigrant groups. To address
these issues and remedy the plight of Gambians, the Organization of
Gambians in Sweden (OGIS) was formed. The organization however fell victim
to the above vices plus mismanagement, political infighting, embezzlement
etc. from its very inception. This has rendered it incapable of achieving
the goals it was set up to achieve.
Successive administrations have tried to rid the organization
of the vices that have kept it from realising its aims as envisioned by its
founders. The results of these attempts have however not been impressive
leading to the current attempt to find ways of building a modern, effective
and independent organization to address the concerns of the Gambian
community. Before jumping to the issue of trying to build such an
organization, an analysis of some of the problems that have plagued the
OGIS since its inception needs to be carried out.
One of the major problems that the organization has had deals
with the lack of proper financial and accounting mechanisms to handle the
monetary and other assets of the organization. There is no standard
accounting system for the organization and every administration comes with
its own accounting system making it difficult for successive
administrations to grasp the organization's financial condition. This is
coupled with the poor or non-existent system of receipt collection and
organization. This has resulted in the loss of thousands and some even
estimate hundreds of thousands of Kronor.
Another problem that has plagued the OGIS is impulsiveness and
lack of planning. Activities with heavy financial implications are
undertaken without proper research and planning resulting in heavy losses
for the organization. These activities have ranged from poorly planned
cultural events to ineffective seminars to disastrous children's activities
with the attendant implications of not only monetary loss but the erosion
of the organization's credibility in the eyes of those whose interests it
is supposed to serve.
The third problem that has plagued the OGIS is the nonchalant
attitude of its members towards the provisions of its Constitution, the
organization's guiding document. The Constitution defines the procedures to
be adhered to when dealing with various issues related to the organization
but these are nearly always ignored. This has resulted in many problems for
the organization. These problems have included arguments, divisions, legal
wrangling etc. resulting in a waste of the organization's time and
resources.
The fourth problem that the OGIS has is its lack of credibility
in the eyes of the Gambian community. This is a major problem as it has
resulted in a steep decline in membership to the organization. One of the
reasons for the organization's lack of trustworthiness is the lack of
effective management especially in the financial realm. The poor management
of the financial aspects of the organization has resulted in accusation
upon accusation of financial misconduct thus undermining the OGIS' stature
in the Gambian community.
Another of the OGIS' problems is the lack of proper meeting
procedures. This on the surface does not seem to be a major problem but a
closer investigation will reveal that it is indeed a very serious problem.
Poor handling of meetings resulting in disruptions, personal attacks etc.
makes it very difficult for the OGIS to address the real issues crucial to
its effective functioning as an organization.
How can the OGIS be transformed into a modern, effective and
independent organization that will be able to identify and effectively deal
with the burning problems of the Gambian community? The first step should
be to make a comprehensive identification and analysis of the
organization's problems. Some of the issues identified above are important
elements of the overall hindrances to the effectiveness of OGIS as an
entity but are by no means the only hindrances. Systematically identifying
and analysing the impediments to the organization's success is a very
important step and has to be carried out with meticulousness. After an
analysis has been done, ways of incorporating methods to counter them in
the future have to be woven into the organizational fabric of the OGIS.
This in short, amounts to change management, which requires that an
assessment of the required change is made and the mechanisms required to
manage it are created.
The second step should be to revamp the organization's
accounting mechanism. A standard accounting system should be adopted and
all Treasurers should before being elected certify that they understand and
are able to work with the system. Efforts should be made to acquire a
computerised accounting system to ease the work. As the aim is to create a
modern organization, the previous backward accounting system of making
entries on pieces of paper and plastic bags, which cannot be found when
needed, should be abandoned. A requirement that all expenses are requested
using a request form and that receipts must be provided as a rule for all
expenditures should be implemented. This will not only improve the
organization's accounting system but it will also help restore its
credibility in the Gambian community.
A Financial Committee should be formed. The role of this
committee will be to further strengthen the financial regulations and
methods of the organization by acting as a buffer between the various
committees and the Treasurer. All expenditure requests will be handled by
the committee and approved before being forwarded to the Treasurer for
dispensation. The committee will look at cheaper alternatives and make
suggestions regarding the request before authorising the Treasurer to
provide the funds. The committee will be provided with copies of all
receipts so that it can keep a separate accounting profile that can be
helpful to the Auditor when the Treasurer is being audited.
To avoid the impulsive and oftentimes disastrous spending of
the organization's funds, the organization's overall activities should be
determined and budgeted for on a yearly basis. This will ensure that all
activities are strategically planned and looked into. Strategically
planning the activities of the organization will ensure that their goals
are determined, current and future situations are analysed and that a
strategic plan is produced. It will also give the Financial Committee time
to look at alternative prices and come up with suggestions. This way,
activities that are poorly planned will be avoided.
A Legal Adviser conversant with the Constitution should be
elected. It will be the Legal Adviser's responsibility to ensure that all
activities carried out under the aegis of the organization are in line with
the provisions of the Constitution. The Legal Adviser will also ensure that
the inner workings of the Executive Committee conform to the rules
established by the Constitution.
The fifth step should be to create a Public Relations (PR)
organ whose responsibility will be to recover the credibility of the
organization. The PR organ can be incorporated into the existing committees
or created as a separate entity. The PR organ should look at ways of
reviving the defunct newsletter, look into the possibility of creating a
homepage for the organization where all general, financial and other
information will be readily available to all members and the general
public. The PR organ should also work together with the other committees to
create activities to promote the organization and enhance its stature in
the Gambian community.
The organization should also develop meeting procedures. These
procedures should be in the form of a booklet that will be made available
to all members so that they can behave properly during meetings to ensure
the effective use of time. The procedures should determine the role of the
chair and recorders, the floor etc. and identify group problem solving
techniques to help reach effective decisions.
To create an independent organization, the OGIS should not
allow itself to be manipulated by organizations and individuals whose
interests are antithetical to those of its own. The Executive Committee
should ensure that the interests of the OGIS are paramount and that any
attempt to thwart the aspirations of the organization and its members
should be vehemently fought.
The OGIS as has been seen has a myriad of problems that have
hindered it from effectively tackling the issues it was created to tackle.
In order for it to function as intended, these problems have to be
identified and remedied and proper procedures and mechanisms put into
place. Instituting new modus operandi based on the need to create a modern,
effective and independent organization will take a lot of sacrifice and
hard work but with dedication to the organization's ideals and guided by
transparency and probity, the desired results can be achieved.
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