Gambia-L:
I read the Independent Newspaper's editorial on the Internet this afternoon,
entitled "Time for a Re-think", and in all honesty, I was disappointed by
it, to say the least. The writer of the editorial clearly sat on the fence,
and after reading the editorial twice, it was still not clear to me whether
or not Yahya Jammeh and his regime were good for the Gambia, in the view of
the Independent editorial writer.
The editorial writer cannot have it both ways: he/she either has to support
and approve or condemn and disapprove. You cannot praise at one moment, and
in the next, vilify. Editorials, I was taught, should not be ambiguous: they
should be clear, direct, frank, honest and unambiguous. They are either
against or in favour.
The editorial is the view/opinion of the newspaper on a particular issue,
and in it, the paper describes exactly how that particular issue affects the
reader, and why it is important. Good editorials seek to explain/clarify or
comment on complex issues by not only providing the facts, but interpreting
them as well, so that people can make the right choices.
It is very important that editorial writers have the courage and conviction
to take a standpoint that might not be popular with those in power, but
which is in the public interest. It seems to me that this particular
Independent editorial writer was seeking to serve both the Government and
the main stream of public opinion, which at the moment is clearly
anti-Government.
For the sake of a healthy debate, I want to take issue with the Independent
editorial, and point out some differences of opinion and facts to the
Gambia-L readers (and hopefully a wider audience, especially in The Gambia)
so that the record can be set straight.
Firstly, the AFPRC was never "put in place" in July 1994 as indicated by the
editorial: Putting in place implies that other people were proactive in
their rise to power. Rather, the regime itself seized power at the point of
guns: no one put them there except themselves; they were never elected to
take power. There was a military takeover - that is the plain simple fact of
the matter.
Secondly, it is a farce to say that the APRC set up "a purely civilian
government" after the elections. The truth is that many of these people are
just soldiers with increasing numbers of guns and other weapons at their
disposal: the only difference between now and September 1996, really, is
that they do not wear uniforms. They still lead and manipulate the military
force in our country. They think in a military fashion; act in a military
fashion and rule in a military fashion.
The fact is that they are still running the country with the same, or even
more, heavy-handedness than before and, of course, with no regard to the
letter and spirit of the Constitution. Do we need to remind ourselves about
the fact that Decrees 45, 57, 70, 71 & 89 are still in place even though
these Decrees are clearly inconsistent with the new Constitution?
Even as I write this rejoinder, the International Community and Amnesty
International are calling on the Jammeh regime to repeal these draconian
Decrees since they contravene the provisions of the New Constitution.
However, the regime, being a repressive government, shows no intention of
changing the status quo.
Thirdly, there is some doubt that "the APRC government has registered
tremendous successes, particularly when it comes to infrastructural
development" as the Independent editorial is insinuating. This is a highly
controversial statement. Today, we see new school buildings without teachers
to staff them or equipment to put in them: we see increasing numbers of
parents who are unable to send their children (particularly girls) to school
because they live below the poverty line.
We see teachers who are struggling to receive their monthly salaries and who
are toiling under tremendous pressure, without the resources necessary to do
their jobs properly. We see classes of more than 60 children, often taught
in two shifts, and we hear of terrible shortages of qualified teachers at
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary levels. The recruitment of high calibre
students to the teaching profession is becoming more and more difficult.
Fourthly, we see new health centres, which are not fully open or
functioning. We see new and old health centres that do not have the
staffing, equipment or indeed drugs to offer any sort of help to The Gambian
people: we see health centres facing this year's rains with inadequate
supplies of antimalarials: we see pregnant women who are suffering from
anaemia because of poor diet, who cannot afford to buy vitamin B12 or Folic
Acid (even if it were available to them).
We see people who cannot even receive a paracetamol or aspirin tablet to
alleviate pain or fever: we see infections which run riot because people
cannot afford the antibiotics or they are unavailable. We see so many of our
people who cannot afford the fees charged by the health centres even to
attend an out-patients clinic.
Fifthly, what about the state of the South Bank main road - the artery of
our nation? From Farefenni to Soma, I am told, the road surface is
non-existent: on other sections of the road, there are more potholes than
shell surface: where tarmac has been laid, the work has been so poorly
undertaken that the repairmen need not have bothered. On the North bank, I
am further informed, the road situation is even more dire. Buses may not
travel from Lamin Koto to Farafenni during the rains (and indeed for most of
the rest of the year). Where is the infrastructural development here?
Sixthly, what about the supply of electricity? It is erratic, irregular and
the fluctuations in current are damaging expensive equipment. Even Jammeh
himself has said that the situation vis-a-vis electrical supply is
unbearable, and that he was looking forward to the day that things would
improve. How many homes are still without a supply of electricity, even in
the Kombos? If you are lucky enough to have 8 hours supply a day in certain
areas, you thank your lucky stars.
Seventhly, what about our Judiciary? Where is our impartial, independent
and reliable system of justice available to all people? Judges and
magistrates make decisions against the government, and immediately their
contracts of service are terminated. How many Attorney Generals have we
seen in the last six years? The courts make orders against the state, and
the state does not comply: a case in point is that of Baboucarr Gaye, the
proprietor of Citizen FM Radio Station. Last week, a High Court Judge ruled
that his Radio Station seized illegally by the government over two years
ago, must be returned to him within seven days. The seven days have since
elapsed and, as I write this piece, the government has deliberately refused
to hand back the keys to Mr Gaye. In fact, Jammeh even enquired from his
Attorney General about the possibility of sacking the Judge in question.
Eighthly, the Independent editorial did not bother to mention the missing
persons, the deported individuals, or the massacred students of the awful
April 10/11th days. Every day, people are fleeing the country, in fear of
their lives or in fear of injustices, which may be done to them and their
families. People are being kidnapped, people are missing, people are being
tortured by puppets of the State: this is the new pattern of The Gambia of
today.
Ninthly, the inflation rate is steadily rising: in February 2000, the
exchange rate was 19.6 Dalasis to the pound sterling: now it is almost 22
Dalasis. The unemployment rate is rising rapidly, and more and more people
are having to resort to begging in order to keep their families fed and
sheltered. Of late, because of the inflation and the incompetence of the
government, certain simple basic commodities are now unavailable in the
country.
Meanwhile, the government continues to take out loans with huge interest on
the repayment mode of the loans, and yet we are not being told anything at
all about these, even though the government claimed transparency and
accountability when it came to power. With the introduction of the BIVAC
scheme, the Gambian economy is in the doldrums; scandal follows scandal and
Yahya himself is implicated in all them.
Tenthly, the government media, including GRTS, leaves a lot to be desired:
they are incompetent, unprofessional, unproductive and useless: the quality
of programmes is poor to say the least, and the political skew to the
government is heavy. Simply put: the government press is an appendage of the
executive and it only serves one purpose and that is to sing praises to
Yahya Jammeh. Stories which have been fabricated are published regularly in
order to boost Jammeh's massive ego!
In my view, good infrastructural development is necessary to ensure a
healthy future for The Gambia, but what is happening in our country at the
moment, should not be described as infrastructural development: rather, it
is a series of projects which are used to gloss over reality.
We are being conned. And in as much as we want infrastructural development,
we also want freedom, justice, dignity and respect: some of us would even
argue that these fundamental key issues are more important than anything
else.
Ebrima Ceesay
Birmingham, UK.
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