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Momodou
Denmark
11516 Posts |
 Posted - 04 Feb 2020 : 21:21:07
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His Excellency President Adama Barrow
President of the Republic of The Gambia
No 1 Anne Marie Javouhey Ave
State House
Banjul
2/02/ 2020
Open Letter to President Adama Barrow: The time has come for national introspection through genuine and inclusive dialogue
Your Excellency, Mr. President:
We, the undersigned organizations, extend warm greetings to you and your cabinet. We write to you, with regards to a series of occurrences in The Gambia, which is cause for grave concern for us, citizens, who have been engaged in the promoting and strengthening the principles of democracy, good governance and rule of law. We have, since the inception of your presidency, supported the processes of national reconciliation, social cohesion, demand for public accountability, access to justice, and the right to freedoms of assembly, association and expression. We have, as you may recall, written to you as far back as 10 April, 2018, (the 18th anniversary of the killing of protesting students), urging you to show political will and leadership in confronting acts of illegality and corruption in your government and prioritizing civil and security sector reforms, by ensuring that impunity is rooted out of the system of government you inherited. You instead demonstrated the exact opposite actions, to what we had expected from an incumbency, which enjoyed enormous goodwill, both internally and externally. You did nothing. Impunity reigned supreme in your government, and lessons and warnings went unheeded.
We are utterly dismayed by the signs of an uncaring, unresponsive and defensive administration, which you lead, uncanny traits, which are being routinely displayed. We have, over time, also sent out several more missives to members of your cabinet. On 28 September, 2019, (International Day for Universal Access to Information), we released a letter to Ministers Tambadou and Ebrima Sillah, requesting them to make the Janneh Commission report accessible to the public. In that letter, we demanded access to the Janneh Commission report, because it was financed by the public purse, through tax payers’ money. This was something that no citizen should have to request for, especially after the lofty promises were made towards deepening and promoting a culture of a transparent government. Sadly, no response has been forthcoming from either Minsters, and to date, the Janneh Commission report remains inaccessible to the public.
The refusal of your Ministers to respect the demands of their citizens, and do the right and lawful thing, has now become a pattern, and some may argue, given the evidence, that it is now a firmly embedded policy under your watch. But nevertheless, we shall continue to forge ahead and engage you and the administration you lead. Our correspondences, were done in the spirit of partnership and in accordance with exercising our civic duty. And our concerns and proposals are being recorded for posterity, and in the not so distant future, history shall be the arbiter.
Mr. President, we are utterly dismayed by your government’s response to the 26 January, 2020 demonstration. We are saddened to learn that what was to be a peaceful march turned violent, leading to the government's unprecedented, and illegal decision, by way of a statement issued by your spokesperson, Mr. Sankareh, banning the Three Years Jot Na movement and closing down Home Digital FM and King FM radio stations. We consider the government's actions unlawful, provocative, and destabilizing. We, therefore, call on the government to rescind these actions with immediate effect, for they have no legal basis. We are to this day, a week on, unsure whether this extraordinary decision was reached through the legal and policy processes prescribed by both the 1997 constitution, and regular cabinet and administrative channels.
The mishandling of this and other events lately, starting with the vacillation over the issuance of routine meeting permits by the police, bore all the hallmarks of an inept, paranoid and incompetent administration. It further highlights the fact that your administration has thus far failed to make any meaningful reform of the security sector, or to take serious measures to safeguard the rights of Gambian citizens. Despite the fact that lessons should have been learned from the fallout and consequences of two decades of intolerance, intimidation, and outright abuse meted out to Gambians by the former Jammeh regime; which has now been placed under the spotlight by the ongoing TRRC. Furthermore, the Faraba Banta Commission of Inquiry report submitted to you, which investigated the tragic events of 18 June 2018, leading to the deaths of three civilians, injuries and large-scale destruction of property. It provided concrete recommendations in order to avoid future recurrence of such events. It is again clear that the most important aspects of the conclusions and further recommendations of this commission, to urgently embark on security sector reforms, were ignored. Hence increasing the likelihood of the chances of mishandling of civilian protests in the future, as was witnessed last week. We once again, strongly urge your government to accelerate the pace of reforms of the security sector by hiring the right personnel capable of maintaining and enforcing the rule of law without bias.
Mr. President, the continuous disregard to promote the right to peacefully protest as a fundamental pillar of any democracy to which the Gambian people are entitled, after two decades of dictatorship, cannot go on. Freedom of assembly is an additional outlet, besides the ballot box, for citizens to voice their concerns and hold their elected leaders to account and make their desires known. We believe that the best governments are the ones that treat protests as an indispensable part of the national conversation, rather than an excuse to crack down on dissenting views and unacceptable acts of imprisonment of citizens as if they are enemies of the state. The recent decision to ‘go to war’ with people that hold a different political view point to you, and the administration you lead, is a dangerous tipping point for the stability of the country.
We are further concerned by recent spates of arbitrary attacks and unnecessary heavy-handedness against the media. The arbitrary decision to close media houses and the arrests and detention of journalists is also a major cause for concern. While recognizing that the government must maintain law and order and safeguard the stability of the nation, any use of force by the police against unlawful acts by elements within a larger context of peaceful demonstrations must at all times be proportionate, transparent, targeting those responsible and in accordance with due process of law.
Mr. President, the 2016 elections were monumental because the Gambia did not only decide on a ‘new’ President. Instead, our vote was also fundamentally a repudiation of a system of governance that removed sovereignty from the people, had no respect for the rule of law did not tolerate divergent views besides those of an individual, who happened to the be the head of state at the time. So fast forward 36 months, to 26 January, 2020, with Gambians witnessing the muzzling of dissent, which sent a chilling effect on our emergent political discourse. The incident undermined all the promises made to us about a new Gambia and the democratic gains scored thus far. It equally inflicts a bruise on your credibility and tarnishes your image because you refuse to be accountable to the public and showed your utter disdain for free speech and dissent. The actions of your security forces only served to buttress the opinions of the protesters against your administration and your leadership. The 26 January 2020 incident was eerily reminiscent of the events of 14-16 April 2016, when Solo Sandeng and his colleagues were arrested, beaten and tortured; Solo Sandeng later succumbed to his injuries and died. This was followed by further protests by the UDP 31, members of your former party, and senior partner to the coalition that brought you to power. They too were arrested, detained and charged.
Ironically, a judgement from the ECOWAS court was issued against the government you now lead, barely days before the clamp down on peaceful protesters occurred last week. One of the salient instructions handed down by the community court was that you must now open an inquiry into the events of that fateful day, 14 April 2016, and bring the perpetrators to book. We await a pronouncement on this order, and we trust that your administration, led by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, will give this pronouncement the same earnestness, enthusiasm and urgency he gave the Rohingya matter.
Mr. President, we have always maintained that what we have in common as Gambians, is stronger than what divides us. We are a nation of diverse people and our diversity should be our strength and salvation. And we all must start from a place of goodwill and open-mindedness. The beauty of multiparty democracy is that we disagree while never losing sight of the fact that those disagreements are for the betterment of our beloved country, which we must, at all times, put first. We therefore, call for a national dialogue among all stakeholders, especially the politicians, as an avenue to reduce the unhealthy contestation and rhetoric, which has grown toxic, and lay the groundwork for a peaceful transition to a new constitutional order. We hope that this clarion call will be supported by your good self and the administration that you lead, for the sake of peace, progress and the transition from the dark days of a 22-year dictatorship, to a new dawn of hope, good neighborliness, tolerance, and real and meaningful change for all and sundry. A listening and caring government will always gain the respect and garner the support of the citizens it leads.
Sincerely:
Right to Know Gambia (R2K)
The Democratic Union of Gambian Activists (DUGA)
The Gambia Press Union (GPU)
Gambia Participates
Team Gom Sa Borpa
####END####
Who:
Right 2 Know- (R2K) Gambia, started its work in October 2016, focusing on elections integrity around the then, now famed, 2016 Presidential elections, when Jammeh was ousted from power. Our membership/following has since grown to 4,800 people. The founders are a grouping of individuals with professional backgrounds ranging from geology, demographics, economics, international relations and law, communications, and academia. All members are human rights activists. We are located in The Gambia, US, UK, West and Southern Africa. We are a non-partisan entity that focuses on rule of law and democracy, good governance, human rights and the principles of access to information and freedom of expression.
The Gambia Press Union (GPU) is a trade union for journalists in the Gambia. It was established in 1978 by a group of journalists, led by the veteran Gambian journalist and publisher William Dixon Colley (1913-2001). Other co-founders included Deyda Hydara (1946-2004), Melvin B. Jones and Pap Saine. Around 200 journalists in the field of print and electronic media are registered members of the GPU.
The Democratic Union of Gambian Activists (DUGA)- is an umbrella movement to unite Gambians in North America (US and Canada), Europe and Africa, mobilizing citizens to achieving the goal a sustainable democracy in The Gambia.
Gambia Participates- promotes accountability policies and institutions that will prevent the occurrence of corruption. The organization also work on budget transparency, elections and participatory democracy by engaging community and policy makers.
Team Gom Sa Borpa-is a youth movement dedicated to raising awareness and participation among young people through Art and supporting their interest in the development of The Gambia.
Institutions and Diplomatic Missions to which this Open letter is copied:
African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights- Commissioner Jasmina Essie King
African Union Commission- H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat
British High Commissioner to The Gambia- H.E. Sharon Wardle
ECOWAS Commission- H.E. Jean-Claude Brou
EU Delegation to The Gambia- H.E. Attila Lajos
UNOWA- H.E. Mohamed Ibn Chambas
IMF Resident Representative for The Gambia- H.E. Ruby E. M. Randall
US Ambassador the United States of America to the Republic of The Gambia- H.E. Richard Paschal
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Momodou
Denmark
11516 Posts |
Posted - 28 Feb 2020 : 08:47:08
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Pa Modou Bojang expresses dismay over radio closure
The Point: Thursday, February 27, 2020
http://thepoint.gm/africa/gambia/article/pa-modou-bojang-expresses-dismay-over-radio-closure
Pa Modou Bojang, manager of Home Digital FM which was recently closed by government has expressed disappointment over the closure of the two radio stations: Home Digital and King FM without following due process or giving any reason.
Mr. Bojang was speaking in an interview with reporters on Tuesday shortly after the government announced its decision for the reopening of the two radio stations and subsequently dropping all charges against their managers and staff who were arrested and briefly detained last month.
This decision came following the Gambia Press Union’s (GPU) and the National Human Rights Commission’s (NHRC) collaborated efforts that led to a fruitful discussion for reopen on Tuesday.
“I am very disappointed with the minister of Information and Communication and The Gambia government at large for closing and reopening of our radio stations without giving any reason. We were expecting that the government will come up with a reason for shutting down our radio stations,” said Pa Modou Bojang.
According to him, he never had doubts about the reopening of two radio stations because they had done nothing wrong.
“The only thing I will emphasise is my disappointment with the minister of Information and The Gambia government in general because due process was not followed for the closing down of the radio stations.
Author: Arfang M.S. Camara |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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R2K Open letter to President Adama Barrow
