The presidential edit that changed the working week puts the Gambia’s main GSM provider in “a disadvantageous position.”

President Yahya Jammeh reduced the Gambia’s working week from five to four days. He said this would give enough time to people to work at farm and pray. Gambian leader did not foresee the concerns being raised by the General Manager of Gamcel. Mr Almamy Kassama told the visiting Information and Communication Minister that since the edit is hurting Gamcel, he favours the review of the 4 days working week. The favours Gamcel’s competitors that operate five days a week.

Mr. Kassama also complained about unfairness in the recent increase in the allowances, which leaves out provincial allowance. He saw this “a disincentive to personnel posted upcountry.” Kassama therefore appealed to Minister Nana Gray-Johnson to make a review of provincial allowance.

Like its parent company (Gamtel), Gamcel’s survival is also threatened by the government whose senior officials continue to accumulate huge amount of unpaid roaming services bills. “The fact that settlements have to be done to foreign carriers irrespective of the collections from customers clearly puts Gamcel in a financial disadvantage,” the Minister heard. And to make matters worse, the cell provider “finds it difficult to disconnect senior government functionaries due to non-settlement of bills and this state of affairs is not tenable.”

Gamcel administration wants the government to restrict or minimize the use of roaming service. Another contemplated strategy to deal with roaming problem is to “migrate the post-paid customers to prepaid mode upon reaching a predetermined credit threshold.”

Officials call for increasing vigilance on government officials bent using phones for “some non-essential uses” so they can go above the credit limits.

Minister Gray-Johnson was enthused with Gamcel’s intellectual capacity, energy and the business acumen of its staff to deliver the mandate of the institution.

Ends

UDP LEADER DRAWS DAGGER AT IMAMS

Darboe commends Imam Baba Leigh

Imam Baba’s dignity remains intact         

The leader of opposition United Democratic Party (UDP) has said that Imam Baba Leigh’s dignity remains intact.

Lawyer Ousainou Darboe spoke to Kibaaro News shortly before he left for the Gambia Conference for Democracy and Good Governance in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Mr. Darboe said it is “a wanton criminality to kidnap and illegally detain of an innocent Imam for five months without recourse to law and due process.” The UDP leader is convinced that the Jammeh regime “is out of touch with the reality” as evidenced by its act of strange manners.

He said it is disturbing for a prominent person like Imam Baba Leigh to go missing for a long time and the government refusing to take any personal responsibility of his whereabouts. “Sadly, this kind of lawlessness can only happen in the Gambia,” questioning why right thinking person would blame Imam Leigh for any reason. “He went through hell and came back to life.”

Darboe has an axe to grind with Muslim clerics who dramatize the release of the Kanifing South Imam. As a matter of fact, he said State House Imam and Imam Ratib, Abdoulie Fatty and Cherno Kah, respectively, should not lead any prayers. “Any genuine practising Muslim should boycott the mosque where these two so-called Imams lead prayers. I will never pray behind Abdoulie Fatty and Cherno Kah.”

Darboe called for the deployment of all civilized methods to put an end to the Gambia’s depleting violations of fundamental human rights and freedoms. “The inhumanity and indignity Baba Leigh went through is horrifying to characterize,” he said, adding that he is now left “disoriented and unsettled but he remains dignified.”

The lawyer politician urged people to offer solidarity to Imam Leigh and all other Gambians in similar situations. “We should not allow the Jammeh regime to divide our opinions which are their plot and strategy. The Likes of Ngou Bah, Alieu Mbooge and other stooges cannot pretend not to know the veracity of the abuse of power in the Gambia. This is a hovering state of affairs, which can affect any Gambian.”

Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara First President Of the Gambia

The First President of the Gambia Alhagie Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara today clocks 89 years old. 

Sir Dawda led the Gambia to its independence on the 18th February 1965 and had ruled the West African country until July 1994 when a group of ragtag soldiers dislodged him from power through a force.

Sir Dawda, a man of excellent character, turned the Gambia into an oasis of peace and democracy where fundamental rights and freedoms are respected. Jawara was admired for making sure that the Gambia became a tourist paradise and beacon of hope for the African continent thus earning his country the rights to host the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights. It was under his rule that the Gambia is dubbed the Smiling Coast of Africa.

However, Sir Dawda’s gains were quickly replaced by a tyrannical rule in which the government is bent on using the state machinery to unleash terror, mayhem and all other forms of human rights violations on its people. Gambians are today living in a state of fear.

Young Dawda Jawara

Kibaaro News Staff and Management wish the Elderly Statesman very 89th Happy Birth Day. We want him to celebrate many more birthdays in good health and strength.

By Bubacarr Sowe

The Gambia government owes Gamtel at least 70 million Dalasis in unpaid telephone bills said the company’s Managing Director, Babucarr Sanyang in a report seen by Kibaaro News. 

The report covers a discussion that transpired between Mr. Sanyang and the Minister for Information and Communication, Nana Grey-Johnson during his tour of Gamtel’s facilities in April.

Mr. Sanyang told Minister Johnson that his company “would love to have a trade-off with the Gambia Revenue Authority on taxes owed by Gamtel.”

Africa Coast To Europe Killing Gamtel’s Revenue

The arrival of the Africa Coast o Europe (ACE) submarine cable was hailed as a solution to the Gambia and Africa’s internet connection, but not with Gamtel as the opening up of the gateway means losing revenue.

“With regard to ACE, the immediate liberalization of the international gateway puts Gamtel in a disadvantaged position,” Sanyang said.

He added that some telecom operators in the sub-region were allowed enough time to reposition themselves before liberalising their gateways, giving them enough time to compete in the market.

The deputy Permanent Secretary who was part of the meeting said liberalising of the gateway “was a conditionality of the World Bank in financing Gambia’s connectivity to the cable.”

Gamtel’s deputy Managing Director who was also at the meeting bemoaned the immediate liberalization of the international gateway which “provides more than 50 percent of Gamtel’s revenue.

“[T]he liberalization of the telecoms sector brought about high staff attrition to the private sector. New entrants to the telecoms market do not train their staff, but rather poach qualified staff from Gamtel by giving them better salaries and incentives,” the deputy managing director said in the report.

Minister Johnson advised telecoms operators to employ software engineers to better manage systems and promote innovation.

Ends

BENEDICT JAMMEH RUNS FOR HIS LIFE

Benedict Jammeh runs for his life!

The former embattled Director General of the National Drug Enforcement Agency (NDEA) has joined hundreds of exiled Gambians in the Senegalese capital Dakar.

Benedict Jammeh and his co-accused persons – Abdoulie Ceesay, former public relation officer of the agency, Foday Barry, former agency director of intelligence and investigation, and Yusupha Jatta, the agency former director of administration – face 90 counts. These counts include economic crime, abuse of office, giving false information, false publication, false broadcasting, theft, fabricating evidence and negligence, among others.

Benedict Jammeh, an uncle to Gambian President Yahya Jammeh, called relatives informing them of his safe landing in Dakar. Mr. Jammeh reportedly told left the Gambia for security reasons. “I can confirm that Ben is currently in Dakar right now,” said a family source. “He left the country out fear for his life. Ben is convinced that his life is at stake.”

The news of Benedict Jammeh’s escape came two days after a High Court Judge in Banjul issued a bench warrant against him for his failure to appear in court. The court ordered police to arrest the former NDEA boss anytime he is sighted in public.

Justice Abdullahi ordered Benedict’s sureties if he fails to appear in court in the next sitting on May 20, 2013.

The ordered was issued after the prosecution made an application to that effect. The prosecution blamed Mr. Jammeh for his failure to furnish the court with reasons for his absence in court. His counsel Badou Conteh had applied for an adjournment of the case to allow him time to establish his client’s whereabouts.

President Jammeh’s mother is ceremoniously married Aja Asombi Bojang to Benedict Jammeh.

Ends

By Bubacarr Sowe

Gamtel headquarters building in Banjul

The Gambia Telecommunication Company (Gamtel) is at a “critical crossroad” as existing technologies are “obsolete.” This was revealed by the Managing Director of Gamtel Babucarr Sanyang.

Mr. Sanyang’s comments were contained in a report obtained by Kibaaro News. The said report is the outcome of last month’s visit to Gamtel by the new Secretary of State for Information and Communication Infrastructure, Nana Grey-Johnson.

“The existing technology is obsolete and no longer being supported by manufacturers, the financial position is precarious and the company is constrained by policies,” the report outlined.

“Whilst the intentions of these policies are for the common good, some, like the procurement policy, impede Gamtel’s ability to swiftly deploy telecoms solutions and effectively compete in the market.”

According to the document, Gamtel is mitigating against equipment obsolescence to “avert a catastrophic outage of telecommunication in the country” by deploying solutions, but only in phases. This effort, it said is hindered by constraints in funding.

It added that the Code Division Multiple Access [a mobile phone system] is already deployed and as the main NGN [next generation networks] of the ECOWAN project is not envisage for an immediate deployment, “Gamtel is forced to carve out a mini NGN as a cushion for continued service provision.”

“This mini NGN is a turnkey arrangement with Huawei and the cut-over is currently being implemented. The company has arranged for some GAMTEL engineers to be trained in China to take over the operations of the mini NGN,” the report said.

ECOWAN [ECOWAS Regional Backbone and e-Governance Program-The Gambia] was funded by a US$ 27.32 million loan from the Islamic Development Bank to the Gambian government.

Ends

Imam Leigh would not budge

Imam Ratib Cherno Kah

Since the release of Imam Baba Leigh of Kanifing South Mosque from illegal detention on Friday, so many theories have been spreading in the air. But Kibaaro News investigation has extracted the chaff from the wind. We arrived at the truth about the Imam’s release.

Credible sources reported that Imam Leigh’s release was spearheaded by members of the Supreme Islam Council and the Imam Ratib of Banjul, Cherno Kah.

“Since Wednesday, the delegation had been visiting Imam Baba Leigh at the NIA trying to convince him to agree to kneel down before President Yahya Jammeh so he could regain his lost freedom,” our NIA source reported. “Imam emphatically refused to comply with their demands because he has not wronged anyone or violated the law.”

Our sources said when all attempts had failed the delegation finally convinced Imam Leigh to appear before President Jammeh. “Imam agreed to their demands provided he would not make any comments.”

Kibaaro News also learnt that the NIA Director General coordinated the meeting between Imam Leigh and religious leaders.  Mr. Numo Kujabi told President Jammeh that the detained Imam was ready to kneel before him, much to the delight of Gambian leader.

However, that was never the case, as Baba Leigh never knelt before President Jammeh. “President Jammeh felt betrayed that Mr. Kujabi had misinformed him,” our source said, adding that keys to Mr. Kujabi’s vehicles and offices have since been confiscated. “Though it is not official but he is already dismissed.”

BABA LEIGH IS RELEASED BUT THE REAL TRAITORS ARE THE IMAMS AND

ALIEU MBOGE WHO GAVE THE GO AHEAD TO JAMMEH FOR HIS INITIAL ARREST

By Papa Kumba Loum

The release of Imam Baba Leigh is a welcome relief to all and we must commend all those who were in solidarity with the Imam, especially the online newspapers for keeping up the pressure on the Kanilia monster. The UK, USA and the EU must also be commended for adding to the pressure. It was rubbish talk from Njogu Bah stating that Jammeh was not pressured by anyone into releasing the Imam. Njogu Bah is nothing but a 7 feet self-seeking, pathetic buffoon but let him take note that like all those evil and wretched sycophants before him, nemesis will catch up with him.

Observing the whole façade on Gambia TV, my respect for Imam Baba Leigh was even more heightened. His body language said it all. He had utter disgust and disdain for all those idiots.  The so-called Imams present are Imams for hire, and I am sure their families and congregation must be equally disgusted and sickened with the stupid and dim-witted utterances they made.

These Muslim leaders have publicly sold their souls to a thief, a drug trafficker, a liar and a murderer. All these so-called men of God know exactly what Yahya Jammeh is up to and they nevertheless support him because he gives them a lot of money.

It is also confirmed from reliable sources that before Jammeh arrested Imam Baba Leigh he consulted them and they gave him the blessing and go ahead. What will however shock you is the involvement of Alieu Mboge in this whole saga.

Alieu Mboge who hitherto  was a sworn enemy of Jammeh after Jammeh disgraced him following the 1994 coup d’état by arresting him and declaring him a thief, seizing his properties and forcing him into exile in London where he was in limbo until he was “pardoned” by Jammeh. He has now decided to reinvent himself as a Jammeh devotee. People who know Alieu Mboge in London can testify to the fact that he was at one time arranging and ready to sponsor a coup d’état against Jammeh and openly spoke about how idiotic and corrupt Jammeh is.  This same Alieu Mboge had the audacity of labeling Imam Baba Leigh by likening him to the notorious Imam Hamza who preached hatred in the UK. You tell me Uncle Alieu in your stupid wisdom, what hate speech did Imam Bam Leigh preached? As if to add insult to injury, Alieu Mboge insinuated that Baba Leigh was being used by others and that he should only talk about things he knows otherwise he will be whipped by Jammeh- what a disgrace you are Alieu.  As if trying to belittle Imam Baba Leigh some more, he called him my little brother. Shame on you Alieu Mboge! I am sure that your children Jorjoh, Malick and Neneh are dying from embarrassment. Most people have in the past considered you as a self-made man, a man of principle and a proud man for that matter but we all now know who you are and what you are made of.

Gambians the reason why Yahya Jammeh is in power for so long is because of the likes of Alieu Mboge dressed in the name of the Secretary of the Gambian Muslim Elders. I said before to the dislike of some that Yayaha Jammmeh is only 20 percent of the Gambia’s problem. The remaining 80 percent are the likes of Alieu Mboge, Njogu Bah, Imam Ratib Kah, Imam Fatty, Dr Tamsir Mbow, Lamin Jobarteh, Joseph Joof, Crispen Grey Johnson (the list is endless) and all those Judges and so called technocrats who have helped Jammeh perpetuate himself and causing untold suffering to Gambians.

The good thing however is that we now live in the digital age and we are recording and documenting all your deeds and utterances. The day of reckoning is coming and we will have to deal not only with Yahay Jammeh but with all you disgusting so-called opinion leaders.

I would urge the online papers to record and replay the utterances made during the stage manage release of Baba Leigh aired on Gambian TV especially statements made by Alieu Mboge . Please do so for the benefit of the listeners.  We are preparing a Diary of the Gambia’s who is who from 1994-2013. Gambians need to know themselves.

BB Dabo Addressing Delegates

Congress Delegates

The Gambia’s former Vice President has urged delegates of the London congress to overcome fear if “we want to get our country out of the ditch.”

Mr. Bakary Bunja Dabo said it was about time that Gambians became a bit rational about fear or risk involved in the struggle to free their country from its present predicament. “We cannot solve our problem if we allow fear to hold us back,” he said quoting the former US President Franklin Roosevelt that “the only thing we have to fear is the fear itself.”

Mr. Dabo, who was elected to chair the London Campaign on Saturday, emphasized the importance of the struggle to bring back democratic change in the Gambia. “The challenge for us is to get our country from the ditch,” he said, adding that “we will have a very little to show to our children if we don’t rise up to the challenge.” Mr. Dabo said the failure to do nothing would tantamount to committing sin or crime.

He took a swipe at Gambian leader for his “quite often irresponsible talks” describing Gambians in the diaspora as “irresponsible and unpatriotic citizens” who are doing menial jobs. “Labour in any form is dignified. Gambian diaspora represent a lot in terms of our moral qualities, professional proven abilities and contribution we are making to our country.” He said such irresponsible talk should be dismissed.

Mr. Dabo described the London Campaign as a “forum which is predominantly devoted to contributing to the ongoing efforts to salvage situation in the Gambia.” He said many Gambians are committed to this task. “We want to contribute to a more focused approach and more adapted structures,” he said, calling for utmost support for a cause since “a successful organization can set in motion a dynamism which will bring more things than what was initially planned.

“We should list the agenda item of contributing to the struggle for the democratic change in the Gambia and make it a business of this organization,” he said. He said since “we are in an emergency situation,” the focus now should be on how to achieve democratic change in the Gambia. “Once we get that out of the way we can take on other tasks.”

The London congress was attended by over 70 people.

Defeated Mayor of Banjul Samba Faal

Mayor Abdoulie Bah

After his party suffered a bruising mayoral election in the city of Banjul, President Yahya Jammeh was left with no choice other than putting together an already fragmented ruling party.  He invited the two rival camps for a dialogue at the July 22 Square in Banjul. 

The contest, which saw the defeat of the ruling party candidate Samba Faal by an independent candidate Abdoulie Bah, was an all-APRC contest. The April 4^th local government election has revealed fraction within the APRC ranks. And as such, President Yahya Jammeh decided to swallow his pride and bring the two fiercely opposing candidates to bury the hatchet. This will douse the political tension in a city whose infrastructure is crumbling.

The election saw a humiliating defeat of Samba Faal by more than a thousand votes. But the aftermath of the election left Banjulians deeply divided along political lines. This leaves a scenario in which the camps of Mayor Bah and the defeated Mayor busy building bad blood, moving the city closer to a political crisis. This will make the city ungovernable.

President Jammeh’s mediation to broker peace and understanding between Mr. Faal and Bah is laudable if it is done in good faith.

After President Jammeh’s mediation, the two expressed their readiness and willingness to “bury the hatchet,” according to state-owned GRTS TV. Mr. Jammeh’s government had earlier prevented the former Banjul Mayor Pa Sallah Jeng from performing his duties. It’s not clear why there is a shift in strategy.

However, President Jammeh was showered with commendation for his intervention. “I want to thank Allah and the President for his foresight in uniting Banjul,” Samba Fall said on GRTS. “Banjul is one and a small community with about 21, 000 electorate. Even a small settlement in the Kombos [greater Banjul area] is bigger than Banjul.  Politics should not divide us. Politics is just an event and a game, it comes and goes, but governance is a process and is continuous.”

The Mayor-elect Abdoulie Bah also hailed Jammeh for fostering unity among Banjulians. “Today is a great day for me because the President is trying to foster unity among Banjulians which is very important,” Mayor Bah said, adding, “In the absence of unity we cannot progress. I believe that what the President has done was the role of elders in Banjul.” Mayor Bah was so elated that he promised to champion President Jammeh’s development agenda.

“Let’s try and work together for the interest of Banjul. The President has urged each and everyone of us to unite and work together for the interest Banjul. I will not only urge them to unite but let us try and follow the footsteps of the President,” Mayor Bah added.

Ends

Imam Baba Leigh

President Kidnapper

Allow me to extend my unreserved congratulation to you for taking the bold step in unconditionally releasing Imam Baba Mutarr Leigh. This noble gesture has not only uplifted the unimaginable horror, pain, sense of lost and endless sleepless nightmares for the imam’s family but also a step in the right direction.

In my last letter to you captioned “IS YOUR CONSCIENCE STILL ALIVE? I opined: “As my train of thoughts gathered momentum, I could not help but flirt with the feeling that you will soon emerge from your compartment of self-denial and gather that you have already inflicted enough havoc on Gambians and the Gambia. Equipped with a sense of guilt and remorse, you will trek the path of national reconciliation by taking full responsibility of all the crimes committed under your administration. Despite this gesture is not good enough to heal the wounds made by you and your accomplices; it will go a long way in soothing them.” Almost all Gambians are thrilled and touched by Baba Leigh’s unconditional released. Suffice it to say it has also laid to rest the worrisome speculation that the imam died in your torture chambers. Mr President it is human to err but wilfully trampling and fringing on the rights of others is barbaric and detestable. Furthermore, I admonished you a while ago that:” Mistakes, missed opportunities and omissions result in catastrophic loss of life, wealth, credibility and the eroding of democratic institutions…Yes, it is an indisputable fact that there is no rehearsal in running a state but mistakes and errors can be retracted and rectified” Your Excellency, even though some will argue that the unconditional release of the outspoken Imam Leigh and your recent bringing together your defeated mayoral candidate and the independent winner Mayor Bah under the same platform as insignificant positive contributions by your government as contrasted with the galaxy of atrocities you inflicted on Gambians, I still believe you deserve a tap on the back. The fundamental question which remains now is where do we go from here?

Mr President, it disheartening to see fiction peddled for facts. Am I wrong to assert that you have now come to terms with the fact that the face is too wide for the finger to hide? I challenged you in one of my letters to you that: “you are on record that you will live for Gambians and die for them too. To buttress it further, you promised us that you will do whatever we Gambians want and ask you to do. If you are the man of your words who not only talks the talk but also walks the walk too, we ask you in the name of Allah, humanity, justice, peace and stability to release imam Baba Leigh, Mambury Njie and all those political detainees languishing in detention immediately without strings” I am really glad that you have release Imam Baba Leigh without strings but you need to go further and release all those who are detained without charge as well as those whose detentions are politically motivated. I also put it to you that “You categorically underscored that you are not a monster but a human being. Once again I challenge that if you are really a human being and not a monster release these vulnerable and harmless innocent citizens from your torture chambers.” I do not have the slightest iota of doubt that you can do it Mr President. Please do not let your pride stop you from doing the right thing for your own peace and that of all Gambians. Those who have been murdered by your elite assassins, unfortunately, cannot be brought back to life but you can relief their families off the daily unabated agonies and uncertainties of whether to mourn or not to mourn their loved ones. Knowing the truth about their loved ones will go a long way in soothing their indelible scares.

That should be followed by re-inviting the EU to a negotiating table. Frankly speaking they are not interested in recolonizing the Gambia. In case you do not know Mr President Colonialism is now of yesteryears. There is no way any country in this day and age can colonize another country. All they want to see is you respecting the constitution your swore to defend, protect and uphold without fear, favour and ill-will. I am sure that is not too much to ask for Your Excellency. If you want to safe face by not making a move to invite them, you can tell your council of elder to plea with you to reconsider the EU demand. Please, please Mr President now that you have taken the first step in the right direction do not mess it up. That is the only way peace and tranquillity will return the Gambia.

While counting on the hope that you will listen to voice of reason, I remain in the service of the Gambia.

Yours true son of the Gambia,

Sulayman Jeng, UK