American Envoy Urges Politicians to Take the High Road

Mr. Brian Brown, the outgoing American envoy to the Gambia, has urged
politicians to try diffuse the political tension as The Gambia approaches
the October elections. All Gambians should value the general peace and
stability the country enjoys and that everyone work hard to ensure that
these traits continue to prevail. Mr. Brown was talking to The Point in an
exclusive interview on Thursday before he completed his tenure to take on
another assignment in Abuja, Nigeria. He said that good elections usually
beget good governance. If Gambia treats itself to a healthy electoral diet,
the country will be poised to better address its extand political and social
challenges.

He recalled ex-Ambassador Haley's farewell statement in which he urged the
key organs of the body politic - civic society, the media, the opposition
and the government/ruling party to make objective appraisals of the roles
they should play in society. Gambian civil society should be more proactive
in raising the substantive issues of the day and in helping the political
class define and refine the informal, but highly important, rules by which
the game of politics should be played. If you don't draw these parameters,
some people will do and say things that should have been recognized as being
out of bounds. For the media, Browne urged them to be more objective and
professional. He urged the independent media give objective coverage to the
government, reporting positively on its achievements and offering
constructive criticism when it errs.

He said the public media should grant equitable access to both the ruling
party and opposition. He, like, Haley, called on politicians to downplay
high-octane rhetoric and finger pointing while concentrating more on
dialogue and principled compromise. Politics should be limited to healthy
competition. "It should not degenerate into a from of verbal combat," Mr.
Browne emphasized. He urged opposition politicians not to be reckless but
sober and prudent in criticizing government. They should also be
sufficiently gracious to give credit where credit is due. While stating the
social institutions have roles to play in ensuring good elections, the
American diplomat said the government has the most important role.

Mr. Browne expressed his government's positive reaction to the repeal of
Decree 89, viewing it as a positive step on the road to free and fair
elections. As a statement of general policy, he affirmed that any government
actually moving toward genuine democratization can expect nothing but
encouragement from the United States. He called on all politicians to choose
tolerance and dialogue as the watchwords by which they should live. On
rumors surrounding American visa policies, the outgoing envoy clarified that
U.S. visa policy does not target nationalities. "No one is favored or
disfavored because of his/her race or nationality or other incidents of
birth." Under their law, he continued, the consular office is required to
presume that a visa applicant is an intending immigrant unless the applicant
proves otherwise.

Consequently, the burden is on the applicant to prove that he/she will
return home at the end of his/her legitimate period of stay in the U.S.
between The Gambia and US. Mr. Brown finally spoke well of Gambians'
inherent goodness and kindness and the country's cultural richness and
traditions. He stated that during his two-year mission to The Gambia, he met
many wonderful people whose friendship he has come to value. "On a
professional note, I can look back over my tenure here and say I have done
my humble best to advance the bilateral relationship between the Gambia and
the United States," he concluded.




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