REJOINDER TO MINISTER SHERIFF BOJANG

REJOINDER TO MINISTER SHERIFF BOJANG

Sir please allow a space in your paper to respond to Sheriff Bojang the so call  information ministers unethical respond to the UDP national president’s revelations at the UDP rally in Bakau. It is clear in the mind of all readers of minister Bojang’s article that the so call minister was defending himself to save his position for president Jammeh to believe him and spare him in that position as a minister. But I think president Jammeh should now graduate from the school of people telling him lies only for them to hold positions in his government when they are not genuinely supporting him.

The way minister Bojang responded  to Dembo By-Force is so unprofessional and and unethical that he is showing the level of home training he has. Firstly some one who hailed from a Mandinka community is expected to know how to talk to elders even if what they tell you has shocked you, but for minister Bojang to call Dembo By-Force names that are incompatible with our ethics is not only showing his lack of respect for elders but is unfortunate.

One thing I know is that there are a lot of people like of minister Bojang in Jammeh’s government that are only there for their pockets and they are not supportive to president Jammeh. This is how dictators fall from grace, those around them are normally for their pockets only knowing perfectly that their masters are never committed to them.

If minister Bojang want people to believe that he has never supported the UDP then how comes when the UDP boycotted the last parliamentary election he and other people sponsored the independent candidate that contested against the APRC candidate in Bakau. If minister Bojang is asking for proofs or evidence for Dembo to show he should first cast his mind back to his own journalistic ethics of protecting their source of information and that is exactly why Dembo will not disclose his dealings with him .

Although I don’t know of minister Bojang’s activities with the Bakau UDP committee but I know that all over the Africa people supporting opposition parties are always doing so under anonymity and Gambia is at the top list of countries whose governments are not tolerant to people supporting or financing the opposition parties. So if not for the Minister’s that narrow minded utterances at that APRC rally in Bakau where he was trying to impress on President Jammeh, Dembo would not border himself to talk about him.

Dembo By-force is a honorable man who has been contesting elections in Bakau for consecutive 26 years five times under the famous PPP regime and once under this infamous APRC regime without defeat, therefore he will not stand in a political platform to say anything he has no knowledge off. It is minister Bojang’s right to defend himself and protect his ministerial post under Jammeh, but I expect him to do that with maturity rather than uttering sulky words because that alone is a clear indication that he is guilty of Dembo’s revelations.

Furthermore if minister Bojang was that renowned APRC supporter as he want Jammeh to believe him, how comes his standard news paper because of his radical way of writing was unceremoniously closed. If Sheriff Bojang is not an opportunist who is not interested in nothing other than his pocket he would have put up a case for the daily newspaper which was unjustly closed alongside his standard newspaper after he became Minister responsible for media affairs but his silence and being indifference in that matter is clear manifestation of his self centeredness. The like of this self centered minister Bojang are the type of people who will stand against president Jammeh when we defeat his infamous regime come 2016 presidential election, which Gambians are ready to do because of the deteriorating economic conditions his regime brought for Gambians.

On the question of what Dembo Bojang did for Bakau during his tenure as a member of parliament, this so call minister Bojang should go back to the history of Bakau before going into empty criticism because in doing that he is forcing us to go back to history showing the undemocratic nature of the APRC regime. I want this so call minister Bojang to know that it was during Dembo’s tenure in office as MP of Bakau that the artisanal fisheries development project was brought in Bakau , the drainage system in streets of Bakau, the street lights, five major roads were built by kerr development project, the Bakau women garden was established, the independent stadium was also built in Bakau. Tourism was developed in Bakau during By-force’s time all this projects are debated in parliament where they are evenly distributed among members regardless of their political affiliation under the PPP regime, but today what can the so call minister Bojang showed us that the APRC parliamentarians did in any constituency in the Gambia. I want him to tell me which constituency is more developed than Bakau in this country, (even his home town of Brikama)

On Sheriff Bojang’s assertion that Dembo is suffering from intellectual rigor mortis is totally misplaced because that only happen in death and I don’t think this so call minister is dreaming of Dembo’s death, but I know for certain that the so call minister Bojang is suffering from intellectual ignorance for not knowing what Dembo By-force did for Bakau. Infact I don’t blame him because he is being pushed to a defensive corner by Dembo’s revelations exposing him to the latter. As we wish him well in his ill-fated ministerial position, i advice him to be careful and adhere to our Mandinka ethics of knowing how to talk to elders.

I will remind him of the poem he wrote in the daily observer on the 26th March 2005 an I quote;   “the poem; canny lie it was all peace in our little pride until the day that strange cub came where we were silver plain he was dotted and where our name flow, he was bald even when we gave him a tiara of dried leaves His strangeness shone with more egrigity But we accepted him for his verve Although we do  not know the strange cub He was a rococo vassal. When the king growls he tumbles He delights the in relishing the kings mane. If this means anything to him”    

Written by

Ebrima sandeng

Secretary general

Youth wing of the united democratic party   

Happy 51 Gambian Independent

Loving your country is part of solid faith!

But why are Gambians not passionately Gambian!

It is true our country is small

It is true we don’t have natural resources like other African countries to brag about.

But what we have is a fighting spirit and innermost humility in doing things without wanting to get much attention.

The Independence of Mother Gambia means different things to different people, depending on which part of our beautiful strip you come from.

What we all find unity and comfort in is the realisation that, we have men/women who look like us, who are our kith and kin running the affairs of our country.

So yes, be happy and proud of our Independence day.

Our challenge now is for every Gambian to inculcate the passion of self-reliance, getting involve in our national business, not being satisfied with the way things are, running to God without understanding our responsibilities to ourselves, and ignoring things that don’t directly affect us.

As a rural person, independence meant having the realisation that, our farm produce will have a ready market at prices which are best for us. It means that, having people who understood our hard work and need to live simple lives but satisfied with our earnings from simple farming methods.

Independence further connects us to genuine Gambians who will do all they can to improve our living standards. The creation of better farming techniques with expert assistance in making our labour pay, our produce even more plentiful, going beyond our wildest imaginations.

The rule of Law and equality in our public space, with our common humanity defining our inter-connectedness and common heritage made independence a sweet reality.

Today, there is independence and there is the struggle to bring back human dignity and freedom and liberty for all.

President Jammeh created a victim mentality and blamed some within our country for the ‘perceived’ victimisation. Hence, the equality in the public space is now well and truly ransacked and destroyed. Hence, the fight today is to bring the glimpses of that sweet taste of what it meant to be truly independent.

The suspicions in our society today are nothing but the failure of the state to independently arbitrate in our national affairs. The chronic hatred that has been sub-planted between us, created a wedge so ugly, people today speaks of oneness but sadly, it doesn’t mean much in their inner hearts of hearts.

Yahya Jammeh’s legacy is glaringly clear, he triumph on ugliness, barbarity, brutality, callousness and lack of emotional sensitivity.

Intellectual prostitution became the order of the day. Since intellectuals as well as the ordinary people compete for his heart- to be able to have basic access to employment and food.

Our society is turn upside down, and the common relationships and bond which hold the fabric together broken in order for Jammeh to take roots and destroy all our traditions and customs that could be a defence mechanisms against his brutal onslaught.

The legacy of our founding fathers for Independence is today soiled and contaminated beyond recognition. Opportunism and lack of empathy defines the goals of many. Deception and fabrications, with pump and arrogance dominating our national discourse.

A trend has been created where, nepotistic and xenophobes glamour to win the hearts of the tyrant. They mastered the arts of destroying and tarnishing the images of good men/women.

People have now championed the arts of ‘Switching the Labels’.

Tribalist will rush to tag others as tribalist, victimisers and those they assist in victimising will quickly blame others for victimising them. And the re-writing of our history becoming a common trend in our national newspapers. Being factual and obeying the simple rules of truth in telling a story an alien common currency.

Once upon a time celebrated writers unable to resist the lure of the ‘devil’s’ dining table. Recalling Nana Grey-Johnson, Sam Sarr and Sherrif Bojang. There are others too.

So independence need to be celebrated, but then our focus now is to re-establish the decency, toughness, and resilience that propelled our rural elders, our Towns and City elders to demand self-rule and national inter-dependence.

Hatred and the intellectual masking of it be dumped. The national space be a place of joy and comfort, The rule of law, order and equal opportunity be a staple diet for all hard working citizens to run for their desired objectives.

Let this be known, villagers or urban dwellers, no one is sleeping this days. Let us give each other respect and have emotional sensitivity.

Happy Independence…

Suntou Bolonba Touray

UDP U.K Member.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The man is handsome and the lady is beautiful:

The rivalry will never go away. My thoughts part 1:
The Struggle is not affected or derailed by human folly
In recent days, the never ending bickering and bitchy spats between the two camps: The Freedom brand and the Fatu Radio network descended into blows below the belts. Hence, some people started assuming just because, two media personalities fight a tug of dirty slinging back and forth throwing dirty, the struggle is suddenly at halt or in a stand still.

Actually, folks in Gambia aren't even aware of the hullabaloo on facebook or online media. Seriously, what we are witnessing is a natural human folly. Those who want the entertainment to take on a more productive slant should merely talk the parties involve to end getting personal and outright bitchy.
I believe both Freedom news and Fatu radio follow similar media practice; hence the rivalry and animosity will always be there…
Our era is now that of, ‘look at me, I am the big shot, I am successful, I am it.’ So long as we all follow such trend, folks will always have sporadic encounters.
However, my advice to Pa Nderry and crew and Fatu Camara and crew is to all big up by going toe to toe with stuffs that are damaging to the empire of the tyrant. Brings us more inner circle confidential.
Pa Nderry got his unique selling point on getting into Jammeh’s defenses, and since Fatu radio network got set up, she too bring us such saucy, highly anticipated news stuffs.

Dealing with Rivalry and disappointment: Part 2
Gambian online news and radio addicts have no loyalty to any platform, they patrol all media outlets.
My advice to brother Pa Nderry is, look at Oprah Winfrey, look at John Steward...you can do better by taking borderline issues out of the fray. No ethnic stuffs in your discourse, no one wins with the topic, no dirty laundry stuffs...you will be loved even more.

On the main, the other news focus media outlets have also been doing well: Gainako continued un-bothered, Banjul Focus, Kairo News, Jollof News, Kibaaro, Maafanta, Diasporium and other blogs, bringing Gambians educative and informative radio and news articles.
Hence, the struggle is going undisturbed, what we have been seeing a ‘Bitchy fight’ which will end sooner or later. Pa Nderry need advisers and guides to restrain him when it get hot and Fatu need advisers and sisters who will talk her out responding in kind should she be attacked. Gambians are not stupid or easily swayed by slanders, people now reason and analyse the motives of statements uttered.
The struggle is undaunted since, both media platforms are players in the struggle and not the owners of the struggle. Those working hard on the ground seek no fame, fortune or reward, and they are unaware of the rampant noise. My advice to brother Pa Nderry is, look at Oprah Winfrey, look at John Steward, look at all the successful America news and media anchors. They up the stakes by making their programs more focus and interesting not personal or slanderous.
You can do better pa Nderry. Don’t allow your lower instincts to overcome your better side. Fatu Camara, you have brought celebrity clout to the media airwaves, however listen your sisters before tit-for tating. In any case, we are moving ahead with the noise and entertainments. Thanks,

Nude protest in Africa: Gambian women in struggle

However idiotic an African man may be, one thing that no African tyrant or head of state dear stand up to is the nude protest of old and young women. No African President has yet brave a parade by nude women, yet lazy Gambian men are threatening to exposing nude photos on facebook.

How useless can one be. Very sad mentality of brothers whose head are in a bottle. Be man enough and stop being a low life. Women's body are not for joking with.
Gambian women in the struggle should redeem each other and not peach against each other. There are few leading women in the struggle and the Alpha-female tendency can easily arouse scornful dismissive attitude and leading to strong under current, sisters hating each other. Let the sisters redeem each other and be a block that embrace rather than fight overtly.
Any man who goes out of his way to manipulate photos or spread nudity is not worth the trouser he wears. With technology now, anyone can be undressed, anyone can be placed at place you never visited. We have seen dictator Jammeh and nude women, are those photos real?

May Day and The Poor Workers In Gambia

There is a Wollof proverb which hold true for all of us. "every child will grow up to be exposed or revealed, whatever you become, give thanks to the woman who brought you into this world", And the Mandinkas have similar saying, "every child's rope emanates from the mother."


In the global workers day celebration, I can only vividly remember seeing multiple Gambian women in rural areas rushing to farms and gardens, rushing back home to cook and then heading back to farm...This visible imagination inspired one of my poem 'Every woman knows'.

With all the hard work, dedication and tending to little ones, these women still have time to look good. Hence, everyone woman knows her worth and beauty. It only happens, some lacking the financial means to perfect it.

So let us remember the women in gardens all over the Gambia, the women in the markets places hassling and all workers struggling to make ends meet in our mother/fatherland.

Not forgetting the many armies of Gambians scattered across the world suffering to make a better future for their families and children. Let us strive hard to make work pay for our fellow citizens whose salaries are far less than their daily bread. The average salary today does not have an inflationary increment to cater for the expensive cost of food, higher rents, school fees, travel expenses, let alone savings.
Gambian workers are poorer today than they were 10 years ago. There have not been any serious salary increases for the civil servants for a long time, and prices of basic commodities continue to appreciate.
The average civil servant, carpenter, builder, and market woman lives from hand to mouth. In fact, many civil servants survives and protect their dignity on 'small shop loans' from shopkeepers. They have a book with the shop keeper who records their daily borrowings. These circle continues month after month, year after year.
For us in Europe, America and other African countries, our earnings are now hampered by the expensive living cost we cater for back home. Without remittances, many families will beg to survive. So kudos to every single one of us who looks back, should we all hold our remittances for a month, there will a nationwide riot no doubt.

Our brothers and sisters are dying at sea, all to find work and make ends meet. Working is a sacred duty upon every man and woman.... http://suntoumana.blogspot.co.uk/2009/10/every-woman-knows.html

Super Kanja Mouths

It is official, small country syndrome affects most of us. Do you know who I am? The rest is all spilling the beans.

The celebrity Gambian radio host of Freedom Radio, Pa Nderry M’bai, unleashes venom against certain individuals in the Gambian dissident group, whipping them for leaking stuffs and talking too much, and too quick to carry out naïve and premature plans and plots to unseat President Yahya Jammeh. There is some element of truth here if the master of all connected radio motor mouths in the Gambian online media is convinced that we have Super Kanja Mouths [okra soup mouths] within our midst.

Pa Nderry M’bai is simply complaining that people talk too easily about plans in the offing without looking into the many dangers that lie ahead. In that, they give away their own security and that of others and dash the hopes of returning normalcy in our country. Are these Super Kanja mouths not the ones extending Jammeh’s rein of terror?

M’bai’s hard truth comes just few days after Kairo Radio’s Mohammed Lamin Sillah raised what he called the “biggest obstacle to the struggle to defeat tyranny in the Gambia.” Talking in Wollof parables, Mr. Sillah said “a hunter that wants to go home with bush meat does not cough frequently.” He too concurred that “our people talk too cheaply and in the process spill the beans.”

ML Sillah hosts The Talking Point

Our erudite commentator and security analyst also had bones to pick with loudmouth people. Yaya Dampha warned people to be wary of the damage caused by “the people who use their tongue to shatter everything. People need to sit on their mouths and avoid talking too cheaply, putting others’ lives in danger.”

What did Super Kanja Men tell you Mama Neneh?

It is now evident that Gambian men have a serious weakness in keeping secret or anything confidential, especially when they see fair-coloured women sitting next to them. Even Jammeh’s secret agents give in everything while courting girls. These girls do not need to tune these agents because they vomit until they run out of gas.

News in the grapevine says December 30th foiled coup was leaked to President Jammeh two months before the execution took place. A self-exiled journalist poured the soup while trying hard to win the heart of Mama Neneh Macdouall-Gaye. This journalist is not a lone wolf in this type of attitude because many of our men do as if they have not been to the circumcision camp.

How then should trust and confidence be built in the activist and dissident circles, when people too cheaply confide in newspaper editors and radio hosts?

Pa Nderry M’bai wants to work his ash off for his information. However, it seems volunteering of confidential information is rather the norm, instead of the other way round. People want fame without hard work; they want recognition without sweating for it. What more is left on their plate other than blabbing, barking or yapping?

Anyone bent on unseating the Jammeh regime through whatever means should first guard his mouth.

Gambians will not be moved or swayed by how much Facebook likes, twitters postings one gets. The age we are in will be defined by substance and credible achievements over media inflated self-importance. The media is a vital tool but it is my fervent belief that educating and preparing our people should be the target not deceiving them in becoming a darling without substance.

Social media is contributing to creating this demon of ‘aling njee, aling njee’ ‘look at me, see me, here I am.’ If concrete steps are not taken to create a China wall between the private us and public us, no plan will work against President Jammeh. The philosophy of detachment is lacking in many Gambians of social importance. There is no private them and public them, it is all muddled up. President Jammeh and his intelligent agents don’t even work too hard to discover plots against them. Beautiful women get the job done with a slight smile. Let us be wise up, tough up and man up. Let us simply keep our mouth shut for the common good. Not everything we are privy to is meant to be shared.

A key member of the Committee for Restoration of Democracy in the Gambia in Europe is also accused of not leaking whatever is discussed behind closed doors to Bala Garba Jahumpa. It is common knowledge that whatever Bala knows is soon passed on to Jammeh. This is one of the reasons why he still secures a cabinet spot. We know the person in question but time is not ripe for him to be identified. But the onus now lies on all of us to trail these mouths without covers because they are the ones keeping Jammeh’s feet on the ground.

We have so many stories to tell on Super Kanja Mouth series but one sometimes forced to take a pause and say, alas, that coveted kewulo [circumcision camp] passed onto generations since the time of our ancestors is dead and buried. If any pieces of it exists, when can one find them?

Ends

Character Assassination and Spreading Falsehood

Friday reflection: brothers let us remember to stay away from accusing our sisters of immorality willy nilly. Society cannot be police by men going around accusing women of indecency, sleeping around and chastising them for no reason. This is a serious offence Islamically, and a great insult to womanhood.

 Islam teaches us never to accuse women of adultery, fornication etc, because it may all be false, you will deny that women, dignity, self respect and a cherish companion. Mutual rivalry is a human nature, people tend to want to be above others, if their personal accomplishment fail to demonstrate they are more successful, they resort to character assassination, slander and tarnishing the good name of others. Mandingka saying that "what is not the reputation of an individual, a jealous person will concoct it, however, in the long run, God clears decent people of evil slander and false labelling." Do not rush to conclusion, and be thorough before passing judgement on things written or heard. May Allah Guide Us.