Sackings Fear Grip Civil Servants Email This Page Print This Page The Independent (Banjul) November 26, 2001 Posted to the web November 26, 2001 Makalo Banjul Reports reaching The Independent from Kerewan say that fears has gripped many civil servants in the town following reports that a list of names alleged to be opposition sympathisers was submitted to the Commissioner of North Bank Division, Sulayman Keita. Sources have it that copies of the list, which include civil servants from Gamtel, Nawec, the health centre, schools and some NGOs were shown to Fanjang Kinteh the chief of Lower Badibou, the APRC district chairman and Momodou Soma Jobe the Assistant Commissioner. It was alleged that monitoring the activities of those short-listed began during the campaign period and continued in the post-election period. Unconfirmed reports suggest that civil servants who did not turn up during the APRC victory celebration in Kerewan were short-listed for possible dismissal. Speaking to The Independent on condition of anonymity a senior civil servant who expects his name to be "blacklisted" said "I will not be surprised if I am sacked". He emphasized that he has been receiving reports from all quarters that his activities were being monitored. "I don't care because I did nothing wrong. I was just exercising my constitutional rights and if that was the reason why I was short-listed, God shall judge between us," he lamented adding every civil servant has the right to political affiliation. An NGO official condemned what he called the pernicious exercise of blacklisting workers, describing it as a harassment of civil servants. A female teacher who expressed concern asserted that teachers are the least paid in the civil service and to sack them "will amount to pouring salt on their bleeding wounds". Like the others, she stressed that it is the constitutional right of all civil servants to belong to any party without fear. She therefore called on Commissioner Keita to be human and "dump" the shortlist in order to soothe tensed hearts. Second Article President Jammeh Reinstates Sacked Civil Servants Email This Page Print This Page UN Integrated Regional Information Networks November 26, 2001 Posted to the web November 26, 2001 Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has reinstated civil servants sacked last week for not supporting his re-election bid in October, official sources in the capital Banjul, told IRIN on Monday. Only the head of the Gambia Ports Authority, Ebrima Jagana, was not reinstated. Last week, the president enforced a threat he had made earlier and dismissed several staff in the finance ministry, customs and excise department, police force, Gambia International Airlines and the social security services. Those dismissed included the finance ministry's deputy permanent secretary, Karamo Bojang; Director of housing Tumbul Danso; Director of finance Amie Jahateh; the deputy director of customs and excise, Kabbah Tambajang, and the director of Civil Aviation Authority, Dembo Ftty, who had been in office for only two weeks. Five police officers were also sacked, the Panafrican News Agency (PANA) reported on Monday. There had been intensive lobbying for the reinstatement of the sacked officials in Bangul, the agency reported. Meanwhile, a senior staff reporter of the Independent Newspaper and correspondent for West Africa magazine in Gambia, Alhagie Mbye, has been picked by state agents. It is believed he was picked up in connection with a story he wrote in the West Africa magazine, in which he alleged that President Jammeh was re-elected on 18 October thanks to thousands of foreigners who voted for him, PANA reported on Friday. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>> To view archives of postings, go to the Gambia-L Web interface at: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/gambia-l.html To contact the List Management, please send an e-mail to: [log in to unmask] <<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>//\\<<//\\>>