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kayjatta
2978 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Nov 2009 : 10:55:19
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SUSPENDING THE GAMBIA FROM THE COMMONWEALTH: WHAT WOULD IT MEAN?
Introduction:
There are reports this week that the Gambian President, Yahya Jammeh will not be attending the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGOM) in the Caribbean Island of Trinidad and Tobago later this month. This follows intense lobbying by human rights activists to have Jammeh’s invitation to the event revoked.
It is further reported that President Jammeh has in fact decided not to attend the Commonwealth meeting of Heads of States, perhaps in reaction to this international criticism of his human rights record. Instead, Jammeh opted to be represented by his Foreign Affairs Minister. However, other reports have cited security reasons for Jammeh’s decision not to travel. Jammeh has recently canceled several international trips at the last minute and sometimes in mid flight allegedly for internal security concerns.
The international call for the revocation of President Jammeh’s invitation to the Commonwealth meeting later this month could be a first step to the suspension of the Gambia from the Commonwealth of Nations. What would this mean for the Gambian government and the Gambian people?
What is the Commonwealth of Nations?
The Commonwealth of Nations is a group of 53 countries, of nearly 2.1 billion people spread over six continents, which were largely part of the British Empire. It is also called the British Commonwealth. It is a voluntary association based on shared goals in democracy and development.
What does suspension from the Commonwealth mean?
There have been several countries that have been suspended from the commonwealth. Some of the recent examples are Pakistan in 1999 and 2007 after President Musharraf staged a military coup and defaulted on his promise to lift emergency rule respectively, Fiji in 2006 and 2009 following the military coup of Frank Bainimarama and his subsequent attempt to freeze political activity until 2014, and Zimbabwe in 2002 following the presidential election that was widely considered seriously flawed.
Commonwealth suspension generally means the suspended country:
1. Will be barred from access to all communications between and among Commonwealth governments.
2. Reduction or full suspension of economic aid
3. Reduction or full suspension of scientific assistance
However there may be other forms of punishments imposed on the suspended country:
1. Travel bans on government leaders
2. Economic and military blockade by other countries outside the commonwealth
3. Adverse tourism advisory, for example the tourism boycott in Fiji.
Conclusion:
An adverse tourism advisory could be devastating to the Gambia economy as could be recalled from the British tourist advisory of November 1994 following the November 11 aborted counter coup. Tourism is the mainstay of the Gambian economy, since agriculture has lost its glory and reduced to nothing other than a tool for political propaganda.
The Gambia, despite the usual lack of a democratic dispensation, nurtures a culture of physical threats and violence towards media practitioners, Human Rights defenders, scholars and others with independent opinion in general.
Therefore, a suspension from the Commonwealth could be a beginning for more serious trouble for the Gambia on the international stage, as more countries – economic and diplomatic partners- could find good reason to freeze relations with Jammeh’s government.
Jammeh needs to do more to manage and reverse his International- Bad- Boy Image. His delegation to the upcoming Commonwealth meeting in Trinidad must tone down the rhetoric and use reconciliatory language to manage and reduce the tension with the Commonwealth. Jammeh must not follow the terrible mistakes of Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe by embracing the notion that former Colonial Masters once again trying to impose pressure-economic and political-on Africa. Jammeh already has been known to have said that “Africa will not be colonized again” in reference to his opposition to the Sudanese dictator, Omar El Bashir’s indictment to the International criminal Court, ICC. This statement underscores Jammeh’s trend of thought with regards to international institutions and ideals.
As a Gambian, even though watching events in the Gambia from the comforts of the United States, I am nonetheless concerned about the Gambia’s economic and political image and standing in the international community.
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Edited by - kayjatta on 20 Nov 2009 11:27:41 |
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