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Biraago
Gambia
173 Posts |
 Posted - 22 Apr 2006 : 16:22:45
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Culled from http://xibaar.bravehost.com
Sene-Gambia needs a mature leadership
While unnecessary tension is mounting between The Gambia government and Senegal, the people seem to in a slumber mood. As said in Wolof: Ay du em chi boppi borom”.
Since the transformation of the situation in the Casamance – Southern Senegal to an un-certain peace, there have been lots of in-direct co-relations to this conflict regarding the Jammeh Wade governments.
In the past ten months, a dangerous situation is brewing between the two governments starting with the tariff increase at the Trans-Gambia crossing, used as a pretext to raise the ever-lurking tension, which could lead to general conflict. This situation was defused by the intervention of President Obasanjo of Nigeria on behalf of the African Union. Consultations started taking place at a rapid rate and a number of projects have been targeted to be studied and implimented through mutual understanding and cooperation.
Although the conflict took it’s toll on the Gambian front by the government accusing the opposition of creating the undesirable situation with it’s neighbour, it was again diffused by Obasanjo again, resulting in the signing of the Inter-Party Memorandum of Understanding by Jammeh’s APRC after months of resistance.
Meanwhile in Senegal, President Wade nearing his eightieth birthday is experiencing a terrible domestic political and economic situation. At the time of his coming to office, he made lots of unrealistic promisses such as a new airport, harbour, university extensions, agricultural revolution, raising the employment level, auditing the corrupt state economy among other things. Evisence have shown that, not only has he failed in most of these promisses but also most of the allies who bought him to power have deserted him because of his outdated style of leadership.
His one time protegé and former Prime Minister Idrisa Seck (Mayor of Thies City) is also suffering from the Houphet Boigny syndrom in which national political leaders engage themselves in diverting the resources earmarked for general national development to their llocal base, in most cases where they were born. He was arrested and released but the process is still hanging in the air.
The students staged violent demontrations rejecting their appauling conditions and here again the regime put the blame on some of the opposition parties with foreign backing. National interprises are in great agony due to lack of market influence, development funding, poor management and corruption. The groundnut-trading season is in deep trouble just like in the Gambia. Loads of groundnuts carrying lorries have been stranded at various depots for weeks, degrading their contents and raising the expenditure of the traders resulting in bankrupcy for many among them.
The health situation in both countires has not been speared despite great efforts invested in this sector in terms of infrastructure and services. The pricipal problem is drugs. Since they have to obtain most if not all the needed drug from foreign sources, the finances are not readily availble for the purchase of primary essential items.
The hastily constructed road networks are now exposing their deficiencies. Across the length and bredth of both nations, the roads that have been recently constructed and falling into delapidation while capital is drying out to contruct new and more durable ones.
As always, human rights violations and retrogress of the democratic structure are the order of the day. Both Presidents are listening less and less to the lamentations of their peoples digging more and more into their own agendas of what they personally percieve as the best for their nations.
Newspapers have been harassed and journalists arrested and all they are accused of is that they have exposed the failures of the government. In the case of Sud FM and its newspaper, they were targeted because interview was conducted with the main Casamance rebel leader Salif Sadio who refuses to be part of the peace negotiations between the MFDC (Movenment for the democratic forces of the Casamance) and the government.
Most of the Senegalese opposition leaders are engaged in politics á la politicien, in which they would oppose any idea coming from the President without thorough examination of it’s pro and cons. Allliances are established left, right and center plunging the individual voter into a state of confusion and apathy. It is very hard to remark any difference in terms of programatic socio-economic alternative between the conglomerations of parties that are now over 80 in number. The government programs are also experimental and less systematic.
The theological leaders are gaining more and more influence by exploiting the disarray of the political leadership. They are engaged in a general offensive of influence expansion not only in Senegal but The Gambia and the rest of Africa, Europe, Asia and America targeting principally the Sene-Gambian migrant population as a base to reach the indiginous populations. These Marabouts as they are norminally adressed are also facing ever deepining internal crisis as their monarchistic institutions based on the families of the founding leaders are growing as it’s internal infighting is also being more extensive. The majority of these elements are globetrotting with individual projects that hardly include those of their diciples. Some of the diciples are also trying to create personal areas of influence inorder to benefit of the lucrative bounties of this ever-expanding market.
The current crisis in the Gambia (alledged foild coup plot) should not be taken lightly. The Gambia government is indirectly fanning it’s accusations it it’s neighbours through the speech made by Yahya Jammeh at the so-called solidarity match against coups in support of democracy. This occasion turned out to be a partial declaration of hostilities with our neighbours by Jammeh, threatening them with armed resistance with secret weapons while you all are awear of the fact that there is no stable and cohessive leadership be it among the armed forces or the state institutions not to mention the governing AFPC.
The APRC influenced Daily Observer newspaper managed by an executive member of the party and a press secretary of the state house is not easing the tension either. They are still hammering their readership with threaening ans accusative articles. Some Senegalese journals are also using the leaverage of investigative journalism to expose the turbulent and dangerous nature of the situation.
The illigal detention of people and their release without charge is also fueling the domestic contention in the Gambia. People are living in constant fear of being arrested for no reason but just seen as a method to eliminate political dessent before the forthcoming presidential and national assembly elections.
People are arrested, detained for weeks and then released without charges and nothing comes out of it and there is no explanation as to why they are released or any talk of compensation if it happens that they were detained unlawfully, denying them their constitutional rights.
While human rights organisations in Senegal have been very active though less so in the case of casamance, the ones in the Gambian are now being acused of paying a blind eye to atrocities by the authotities. The recent visit of assurance by Hannah Forster and co of the African Human Rights study center, the almost total silence of the Pan-African center for human and people’s rights and the African human rights commission are seen as evidence to justify these accusations.
While the Gambian National assembly members (APRC) are busy in their support for Jammeh, they are totally ignoring the rights of the citizens guarantteed by the constitution they are suppose to denfend without fear or favour. Standing procedures of the Assembly are bypassed and opposition member being manipulated to support statements that are bias and not nationalistic in essence but rather partisan while they pruport to deal with national issues like condemning Coup D’Etats.
The majority leader is throwing wild accusations at the opporsition members of the assembly liking them to the alledged foiled coup plot.
Worst of all is the visit by the African Unions political commissioner who also happen to be a Gambian who was recommended by Jammeh to that position is seen as a lobby to strenghten jammeh’s bid to host the AU Sumit in June-July despite the total disregard of human rights that the contitution by this regime.
The newly appointed Chief Justice of the Gambia who happen to be the first to hold this offices is admonishing Gambians to be independent while neither he nor the rest of the legal corp are active in exposing the illigal behaviour of the government at the times of tribulations.
The most disturbing situation currently facing the two countries is the latest report that the fighting group of Salif Sadio has now been driven away from the South of casamance – from the Guinea Bissau border areas to the North and Fogny area by the Gambian Border (Fogny is divided into Gambia and Senegal). More refugees could be expected crossing into the Gambia as have been happening since the beginning of the recent fighting. Let us hope that Gambia is not accused of harboring fugutives from Casamance as Gambian Daily Observer is implying that the alledge coup ringleader Ndure Cham is in Senegal. The Gambian secret services are also reported to have tripled their activities in the border crossing areas in recent days.
At this present juncture, all progressive Gambians, Guinea Bissau and Senegalese progressives (governing or in the opposition) cannot be idling by or be seen fanning or inciting discoed between our common people. We must all be consciously engaged in finding a way out of our common misery in a peaceful and democratic manner. This is the pricipal challenge to all peace-loving democrats of the sub-region.
Politics should be about finding ways and means of creating a prosperous living condition for the general masses. We should not be used or deviated by self-intrested individuals with their destructive schemes.
We shouls engage in mutual enlightenment and constant consultations based on the endeavour to liberate our people from all forms of socio-political and economic mis-management.
A new leadership MUST emerge, that is concious, sincere, humble, just, in-corruptible, demacratic, peace seeking, magnanimous, solidarity oriented, hard-working/non-parasitic and Pan-africanist.
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bamba
Sweden
401 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2006 : 17:25:00
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Biraago, it's a fantastic masterpiece. Nothing can describe better the current mess in SeneGambian relations, nor the political mess in respective countries. But please be advised to send pending pieces in bits and drabs, in parts,for immediate response, if u have the time and possibilty.
This and most of your other pieces are references to current politics in both Gambia and Senegal. |
Bamba |
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somita
United Kingdom
163 Posts |
Posted - 22 Apr 2006 : 17:34:52
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A comprehensive, nourishing and perhaps one of the most decent article to drop into the forum for a while, a leap into realistic debate not wishful, simplistic politicing.
I hope this will trigger a debate about our people as a single community not individualism. |
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 23 Apr 2006 : 05:24:12
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| Thanks Biraago for bringing up this situation analysis to our attention. Its a good piece of material full of food of thoughts. |
Edited by - kobo on 23 Apr 2006 11:39:29 |
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kobo
United Kingdom
7765 Posts |
Posted - 23 Apr 2006 : 05:39:30
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quote:
Originally posted by somita
A comprehensive, nourishing and perhaps one of the most decent article to drop into the forum for a while, a leap into realistic debate not wishful, simplistic politicing.
I hope this will trigger a debate about our people as a single community not individualism.
Those with these visions are the calibre of leadership we need towards pursuing globalisation and integration especially between neighbours, within the sub-region and the ultimate African Union. Development is all about progress and implenting new resolutions to tackle certain phenomena and political constraints geared towards improving your socio-economic environment. |
Edited by - kobo on 23 Apr 2006 11:38:30 |
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