For the past eighteen months, I have been following
with keen interset the debate and contributions in the
Gambia-L.Most of the contributors are doing a great
job in the struggle to rid our country of dictator
Yaya Jammeh.All honest and peace loving Gambians
appreciate and commend these efforts.
Few days ago,there was a posting by Mr Dampha
Kebba touching on the issue raised by Lamin Waa
Juwara, who is asking all banned politicians to unbann
themselves this call by Waa had been made on numerous
occasions but I just want to clerify a few issues.
It was very unfortunate that Mr Dampha called
some of us "those meek politicians that let Yaya ban
them should have defied the ban a long time ago.
Instead of taking them to court to try and prove a
negetive,they should have simply engaged in political
activities and see if the government will take them to
court".Some people,I belief are not very much aware of
what happened in the early stages of the overthrow
wheh things were not only hard but difficult and
dangerous.I started challenging the AFPRC on the 1st.
August 1994 and this was reported by the press
although I was then in detention.For the past six
years, I have called over 30 press conferences and
written numerous letters to the then Chairman of the
AFPRC and now to the Presidend( after the 1996 rigged
elections)Because of these and other activities I took
up,I was detained on eleven occation, and on the last
time for 14 months.Through out this period no member
of my family or my lawyer were allowed to visit me.At
the same time my wife was detained on two occations by
the NIA and many of my friends and family suffered in
the same way.But this did not stop me from my
continued opposition and outspokenness against the
regeme and its leadership.
The decision for me to take my case to court is
because I believe in the rule of law and hoped that
the judiciary will not only be free and faie but
independent.Most of the people whose rights were
violated sought redress through the courts including
Waa Juwara, Ousainou Dabo, Single Nyassi,etc etc.I
thought we should exahust the legal process before
thinking of alternatives.
Now to come to the point of defieng the
ban,Decree 89 banned all former parties of the first
Republic except PDOIS and the leaderships of these
parties for life and who so ever violates the decree
pays a penalty of one million dalasi or life in jail.
At the same time the decree goes further to stipulate
that any political party that allows any of the banned
politicians to register with their parties or use
their party platforms, the leader ship of that party
is liable to the same penalty and punishment i.e.they
pay one million dalasi or spend life in prison.
From the above,you can realise that the onus
is not on the banned politicians alone but to the
party that will take the risk because this can be a
very good opportunity for Yaya to get rid of UDP or
NRP which I belief no right thinking Gambian would
like to see hsappen at this stage.I have spoken to the
press and the whole country knows that I openly oppose
the regeme ,there fore it will be no problem for me to
speak on a platform of any party.
In an event that some of us want to revive
our old Parties, we need to go through the
Independent Electoral Commissio. which is an arm of
Yaya Jammen and according to the elections act it is
criminal to run a party which is not legally
registered by the IEC.
In present day Gambia,There is only one
ruler. law. judge.and parliament and that is Yaya
Jammeh period.
1)The house of Representative refuse to
discuss the motion tabled by the UDP for the repeal of
decree 89 becuse Yaya said so.
2)The Judiciary presently is an extension
of the Executive and this is being manifisted daily eg
My Lawyer launched an appeal for my case since April
2000 but up to now a date has not been fixed for
hearing;the investigations into the April 10and 11th
massacre;The Dumo saho case; The Koro Ceesay case;The
arrests and detention and tourture of opposition
members, journalists, students,etc etc.;the arrest and
detention of Members of the House of
Representatives,Chiefs, Alkalos.etc etc.
3) The numerous deffects and
inconsintices in the national Constitution which could
have been rectified by the judiciary who has the
mandate to do so.
4) The Independent Electoral
Commission is an arm of the APRC and this is been
manifisted in the total inaction of the IEC in the
face of blatent violation of the electoral laws by
Yaya and the APRC.
The political situation in our country
,is of serious concern to all of us and all efforts
should be made to bring all peace loving Bambians on
board the freedom train. All Gambian,
intelletuals,proffessional bodies, workers unions,
teachers unions, students ect etc should put pressure
on the government before it is too late. Coupled with
this pressure let us all appeal to the international
community to come to our aid and avert the catastropic
consiquences that lie ahead if Yay continues to be at
the helm of affairs.
The stuggle is a very hard one but I am
confident that victory belongs to the Gambian people
who are now crying for their freedom and liberty. For
the time being, let us all try to respect each others
views and contributions to the struggle no matter how
small. Each cat has its own way of breaking a mice's
head. The sruggle continues.
Omar A. Jallow (O.J.)
Dili, East Timor.
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