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The Next Agenda

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 03:50:12 GMT

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

The 2011 presidential race is apparently on a roll. Ever since Omar Jallow (OJ) called for another political coalition to replace the National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD) the political scene is wide awake yet again. Henry Gomez of The Gambia People Democratic Party (GPDP) has joined issues with OJ, dismissing a political coalition as a non-starter.His argument is that the country is faced with more pressing problems that demand concerted action rather than forming an alliance. The recent get-together of President Yahya Jammeh with leaders of the opposition has been hailed as a symbolic show of solidarity and political tolerance in the country. One thing that is clear from ongoing debate is that the country is not a one party state, that when the time is ripe all the political parties (whether or not they form an alliance) will have to compete for political power.

But what we are against is power for power’s sake. As the politicians prepare for the 2011 race, we would like to see politics that is devoid of character assassination and muckraking. Besides, we want to see politics that is issue-oriented because we shall cringe at the politics of personality cult. It is now time our politicians came up with fresh ideas on how they are going to move the country forward when they come to power.

The underlying issues for the forthcoming presidential race are agriculture, education and energy. Without a sound and coherent agriculture policy that will ensure our food self-sufficiency, we shall continue to depend on food imports to the detriment of our sovereignty. Likewise if we have to depend on expatriates to implement our policies at all levels. This spells the importance of good education. If our people are well trained, then they will be able to work more efficiently for the overall good of the country. But even if we meet both conditions, we also need energy to drive the economy. At the moment, we cannot boast of food self-sufficiency, or a competitive educational system or a good energy policy.

We therefore challenge all the political parties that are interested in next presidential election to come up with blueprints on how they are going to make the agricultural, educational and energy sectors more vibrant. This will require discipline and diligence. Mere rhetoric will not get the job done. The Gambian people will have to be convinced that their votes will translate into a better life for everyone.

“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.”

Milan Kundera

The Shape of Things to Come

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 06:05:53 GMT

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

The presidential promise to retain Coach Paul Put represents official endorsement of the coach’s sterling performance ever since he took charge of the team. Before him, the team was notorious for its lacklustre performance. Coach Put has turned things around for the team, guiding the boys to outshine some of the big names in African football. Last Saturday’s breath-taking performance against the once majestic Teranga Lions signposts the indomitable spirit that now pervades the team.

This is not to say that Coach Put discovered the boys; he never did. But to his credit, he was able to polish the raw talents that he met and infused them with a positive mindset that brooks no defeat. This is the magic of Coach Paul Put.

So despite not taking The Gambia to the Nations Cup or the World Cup, President Jammeh has decided to get Coach Put to carry on with his job. What the President seems to say is that it is not Coach Put’s fault that The Gambia lost an opportunity to put itself on the map of African football. At least, Coach Put did something that none of his immediate predecessors ever did – he made Senegal bite the dust for the first time in over four decades. Getting the better of a forty-or-so-year adversary is worth celebrating.

We disagree with cynics who say that the Scorpions’ last Saturday gallantry was a pyrrhic victory in the sense neither them nor Senegal have qualified for the next stage of the joint qualifying series for the Nations Cup/World Cup in 2010. What we are celebrating is the breakthrough of Gambian football from being underdogs to a new beginning of an emerging superpower in African football.

That is why it is crucial that Coach Put who shares the same wavelength with the boys is kept at his job until 2012 when the team shall make its first ever appearance in the Nations Cup. We are optimistic because these boys will have matured in skills and temperament by then to be a dominant force in African football. Nigeria adopted the same approach under Clemens Westerholf, likewise Senegal under Metsu Bruno. The fruits of the labour of both Westerholf and Bruno are clear enough even for the blind to see. (Westerholf: Nations’ Cup 1994; debut World Cup appearance, etc., Bruno: 2002 Nations’ Cup Finalists; first time 2002 World Cup appearance and reaching the quarter final stage) Coach Put needs time and co-operation and goodwill to harness the world-class team that we all desire. When the results start coming out, say, in three years’ time, it will be seen as magic. Nothing can be further from the truth. It is all a matter of foresight, hard work and a spirit of oneness. So, if we have to build on this foundation, the presidential promise has to be made good as quickly as possible in order for the man to hit the ground running.

“Where there’s life, there’s hope”.

Terence

Obama’s Campaign Strategist to Visit The Gambia

Tue, 07 Oct 2008 05:32:59 GMT

Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Barrack Obama’s Campaign Secretary is expected in The Gambia to talk about the November 4thPresidential Elections.

Below A Press Release issuedto the Point yesterday, stated that U.S. Democratic Presidential Candidate’s campaign strategist is expected to visit The Gambia from 13th– 16thof October 2008.Full text of the Press Release.

The U.S. Embassy is proud to announce the Official Visit of Sky Gallegos, Deputy CEO for Intergovernmental Affairs for the Democratic National Convention who is a member of the US Department of State Speakers Program. With the upcoming historic elections set for November 4, 2008, the U.S. Embassy is highlighting the democratic process of elections in the U.S. by inviting this speaker to The Gambia. Ms Gallegos will be speaking at the Kairaba Hotel on October 14thfrom 10 – 12pm and 2-4pm.

Sky Gallegos most recently served as the Deputy CEO for Intergovernmental Affairs for the Democratic National Convention in Denver. She worked directly for the Democratic National Convention Committee, which is the committee charged with the planning and production of the National Convention in Denver. She is the liaison to all of the elected officials, party officers and distinguished members of the Democratic family that will attend the Convention this August.

Sky’s work with state and local elected official’s spans the last 15 years and includes senior positions in government, corporate, non-profit and campaign arenas. During the Clinton Administration, Sky worked directly with the nation’s state and local elected officials while she served in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs in the White House, the U.S. Justice Department and the Democratic National Committee. Most recently, Sky was a partner with Hilltop Public Solutions, a public affairs, strategic communications and campaign consulting firm based in WashingtonDC.

An experienced campaign veteran, Sky worked in the last three presidential campaign cycles in off year and mid-term elections in targeted states for the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. In 2003 Sky was the National Political Director for the awards for President Campaign. In the general election Sky was the California State Director for Kerry/Edwards ’04 where she garnered an 11 point victory.

In the 2000 Presidential election, Sky directed the western regional political effort for Vice President A1 Gore for three years.As Western Political Director, she developed and implemented the political strategy for 12 western states including the successful campaigns in California, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico and Hawaii. Prior to the campaign, Sky was the Western Political Director for Vice President Gore’s political action committee, Leadership ’98 and in 1996, Sky was the Deputy Political Director for the California Clinton/Gore Campaign.

Sky also has experience building and managing coalitions between the public and private sectors to effect legislation. Sky helped start and then managed EdVoice, a political advocacy organization for public school reform in California. As Chief Operating Officer and Political Director, Sky worked with the CEO to build a Board of Directors and Advisory Board which business, education, political and community leaders from across the state. Sky also developed a program to build a grassroots membership; worked with an internet design team to create an interactive Webster; built and managed a political action committee; and retained and managed a public relations team to produce an earned media and outreach program. In its first two years, EdVoice had a 99% success rate with the Legislation it introduced.

Sky received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from StanfordUniversity. She is a native of and resides in Denver, Colorado.

Source: Picture: Barrack Obama

Donations roll in for Presidential Treatment Programme

Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:05:28 GMT

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Thursday, August 28, 2008

The Kairaba Beach Hotel and R & R Laundry Services Staff Credit Union presented a cheque for D20,000 and 100 bedsheets, 100 blankets, 100 bed protectors, 100 bath towels, 35 pillows and pillow cases, worth D175,470.

The donations were received by Dr Tamsir Mbowe, the director general of the Presidential Treatment Programme, at a presentation ceremony held at the new Serrekunda Hospital on Wednesday.

Speaking at the presentation ceremony, Janko Drammeh, the purchasing manager at Kairaba Beach Hotel, who is the treasurer of the Kairaba Beach Hotel and R & R Laundry Services Staff Credit Union, said the presentation was possible after a fundraising activity they organised in July.

“Since then, we promised that part of the proceeds of the fundraising activity should be donated to the health sector. We therefore thank the general managers of both institutions (Kairaba Beach Hotel & R & R laundry services) and all our donors for the support they have given us,” he remarked.

Receiving the items, Dr Mbowe thanked the staff of Kairaba Hotel and R & R Laundry Services for the gesture. Dr Mbowe elaborated on the numerous successes registered by the treatment programme under the watchful eyes of President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh.

“As said by the president, anyone who contributes to the health sector is a true and genuine friend of the country and your donation manifested this,” Dr Mbowe remarked, while thanking the donors on behalf of the president.

Other speakers at the ceremony included Memunatu Junisa, the human resource manager of Kairaba Beach Hotel and Cecelia Sambou, the sales director at Kairaba Beach Hotel.

Author: by Assan Sallah & Alieu Ceesay

More assistance for Presidential Treatment Prog.

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 04:22:26 GMT

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Monday, August 25, 2008

The Gambia Tourism Authority (GTA) on Saturday, presented various items worth over D100,000 to the Presidential Treatment Programme, at a presentation ceremony held at the Serrekunda Hospital, Kanifing. The donation included a lap top, digital cameras, printers, bedsheets and food stuff.

In a similar development, Lala’s Cleansing and Supplies Service, also made a donation of various invaluable materials worth over D50,000, to the programme. They included cartons of bleach, disinfectants, 124 bedsheets and plastic chairs.

Speaking at the ceremony, Alieu Mboge, the director general of the Gambia Tourism Authority, acknowledged that thousands of Gambians and non-Gambians have been benefiting from the treatment programme and expressed his institution’s interest in the institutionalisation of the programme.

The GTA boss commended President Jammeh for saving humanity from the scourges of various diseases and urged the private sector to pitch in assistance for the continuity of the treatment.

Fatoumatta Jah, the proprietor of Lala’s Cleansing and Supplies Service, said the president has saved thousands of lives through his treatment programme and called on Gambian business women to support the cause.

Dr Tamsir Mbowe, the director general of the Presidential Treatment Programme, thanked the donors for their timely intervention, saying that the donations will go a long way in complementing the efforts of the treatment programme.

Dr Mbowe disclosed that since the inception of the programme in January 2007, the president has been single handedly bearing the cost of various treatments, including feeding. However, he said the recent assistance reaching the programme will ease the burden.

“We in the Presidential Treatment Programme fully understand the amount of money he spends in the programme, because millions of Dalasis have so far been spent.

The president initiated the programme not to amass wealth or make a name for himself, but to save humanity,” Dr Mbowe elaborated.
Dr Mbowe used the opportunity to call on other institutions and the general public at large to emulate the donors.

Author: by Hatab Fadera

Another boost for Presidential Treatment Programme

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 06:24:09 GMT

Thursday, August 21, 2008

More people continue to give aid to the Presidential Treatment Programme, with Hatib Janneh, the proprietor of Sea View Hotel, donating a list of valuable items, worth at least D150,250.

The donated items include bags of sugar, cartons of milk, peas, cups and spoons, tooth paste and brushes, kettles and prayer mats.

Dr Tamsir Mbowe, the director general of the Presidential Treatment Programme, took delivery of the donation. He thanked Mr Janneh for the generous gesture, adding that this reinforces the public confidence in and support for the continuity of Dr Yahya Jammeh’s treatment.

Dr Mbowe pointed to the numerous successes registered by the treatment programme, which publicly started in January 2007. According to him, the successes of the various treatments make it an onus for everyone to support the selfless services the president is rendering to humanity, saying that the “lives that are being saved and hopes being restored” could be that of anyone.

Director General Mbowe used the opportunity to thank the president for his personal contribution to the health service delivery system in the country, noting that this has impacted positively on the key health indicators of the country, including life expectancy, maternal health, as well as a significant reduction in the number of admissions.

KMC donates to Presidential Treatment Programme

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 06:43:13 GMT

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

The Kanifing Municipal Council, under the leadership of Mayor Yankuba Colley, yesterday donated D100,000 to the Presidential treatment programme.

An organisation called Jammeh Pree also donated 40 bed sheets to the treatment programme in response to the call of the director general of the Treatment Programme, Dr Tamsir Mbowe.

Reacting to the gestures, Dr Tamsir Mbowe said since the inception of the programme in January 2007, thousands of patients and their families have directly or indirectly benefited from the treatment programme.

According to the director general, the bed occupancies in the major health facilities have drastically dropped since the inception of the Presidential Treatment Programme.

Dr Mbowe reminded the donors of a statement by the Gambian leader President Jammeh who said ill health sets the stage for poverty and under-development and said that their contribution to the treatment programme was therefore timely and highly welcome.
“This gestures will help to strengthen the health delivery system in the country,” he asserted.

Author: by Hatab Fadera

A genuine call is worth supporting

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 08:21:48 GMT

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Since the presidential treatment program was constituted, the central explanation put forward by President Jammeh has always been that the inspiration emanated from a divine ordinance; but for us at the home front, it was quite apparent that the earthly motivation was born out of an extraordinary genial bond between an altogether unique kind of a leader and his people; a leader who has defied almost all expectations, as far as the might of political influence is concerned.

In this contemporary world of ours, authority, especially one that is entrusted along with national responsibilities, goes with some level of unimaginable superior manifestations, often wielded at the whims and caprice of the rulers.

The trend is such that people in authority take advantage of their God-entrusted power to perpetuate ulterior demands in mere satisfaction of totally untenable feelings. With a gift as massive as this - political power, executive authority, fame, and the potential for attaining extreme riches - very few people could have chosen to dedicate themselves entirely in the service of humanity.

Imagine what it would have cost if the cure for this quarter of a century old bewilderment of an ailment had been discovered in line with the conventional scientific process! Thanks to the powerful influence of bureaucracy, it surely would have taken ages to have it available for even the wealthiest of patients, not to mention the prospect of its accessibility to the negligible class of the under-privileged.

The idea of merely offering treatment services for free, especially for a disease like HIV/AIDS, is unimaginable anywhere in the world, not to talk of extending this gesture to the provision of personal needs; from feeding to clothing, as well as housing. What makes it all the more exceptionally touching is the fact that all these responsibilities lie on the shoulders of one person. One can hardly think of any course more genuine to invest in than this.

As a matter of fact, it is none but the society itself that benefits from this inimitable show of magnanimity by the president. Giving back lost confidence to people that had lost it is equal to giving back hope, strength and ability to a whole generation of people who could have fallen prey of the repercussion of the scourge of the disease. This makes it a moral obligation for this very same society to help this causw.

Therefore, the call by his Excellency for philanthropists to give helping hands to his treatment program couldn’t have come at a better time than this, when the impact is really being felt, given the increasing number of people coming up for it. A genuine call is worth supporting at all cost.

Author: DO

Two aspirants for SIC presidency

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:34:41 GMT

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Unimpeachable sources have disclosed to the Daily Observer that Alhaji Ba-Kawsu Fofana and Imam Muhammed Lamin Touray have shown their desire to contest for the fourthcoming Supreme Islamic Council (SIC) presidential election slated for August 17, 2008.

When contacted for comment, Ba-Kawsu Fofana, in an interview with the Daily Observer, said his candidature for the presidency of the country’s supreme Islamic body was prompted by the Muslims elders of the country who have asked him to contest for the presidency.

“They have assured me of their support to be at the helm of affairs of the country’s supreme Islamic body in complementing the Gambian leader’s efforts in giving a new look to the day-to-day administration and as well boost the moral of SIC. I recently returned from a nationwide tour and I was impressed with the rousing welcome I received with my delegation,” he said.

Asked what would be his priority if elected president, Alhaji Ba-Kawsu Fofana said “to strengthen the coordial relation between the government and the SIC. I will also go all out to uphold and defend the principles of the Muslim Ummah come rain or shine. Also , I will at all cost cherish a wonderful relationship between Muslims and Christians in The Gambia”.

Ba-Kawsu added that President Alhaji Dr Yahya Jammeh is supportive of the Muslim Ummah and this according to Ba-Kawsu earned the Gambian leader the title Amir Almuminina. “Free education for Islamic scholars from primary to secondary level and a university for Islamic scholars will be the order of the day if I am elected president. From the reaction of the people during my tour, I am already an elected president,” he declared. Alhaji Sedia Minteh, who was also part of the tour with Ba- Kawsu urged eligible voters to vote for Alhaji Ba-Kawsu Fofana.

Frantic efforts to speak to Imam Muhammed Lamin Touray proved futile but our sources revealed that Imam Touray’s nomination came following the incumbent president, Alhaji Banding Drammeh’s decision to voluntarily resign after serving the council for many years.

Oustass Muhammed Sarr, secretary general of the Supreme Islamic Council confirmed the story, reiterating that Alhagie Banding Drammeh has voluntarily shown no interest in the position.

According to him, the much awaited congress of the council will be attended by delegates from all the regions of the country.

Author: DO

Senegalese MPs Approve Presidential Term Extension

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:05:49 GMT

Thursday, July 31, 2008

APA-Dakar (Senegal) Senegal’s National Assembly late on Monday adopted a non-retroactive constitutional bill adding two years to the current five-year presidential term of office, APA reports here.

The amendment concerns the first paragraph of Article 27 of the 22 January 2001. According to Senegalese officials, the bill does not apply to the present term of office.

Defending the text on behalf of the government, Senegal’s Justice Minister, Mr. Madicke Niang said the rationale of the constitutional bill is to give to the next president, “enough time” to put in place his vision of society and implement his development programme.

“We need to build and manage our country, the minister said, dismissing the argument that any such modification of the Constitution should be made through a referendum.

“It is almost impossible to discuss this issue”, he said, in response to opposition MPs who refused to vote this bill.

According to those MPs, the government should have consulted with the opposition, before tabling it before the parliament.

“At a certain point in time, you need to take responsibility and to move on”, in line with “the vision and choices of the incumbent government”, and I think that time has come’’, Madicke Niang explained.

Since the country’ independence in 1960, the duration of the presidential term of office has been changed several times, especially since the advent of the unlimited multiparty system in 1981.

It was limited to five years between 1988 and 1993 and to seven from 1993 to 2000.

Abdoulaye Wade, who was elected president in March 2000 for a seven-year term, decided to trim it down to five years, with no retroactive effect.

Meanwhile, he also decided that the president would be re-elected once.

The bill adopted on Monday does not change this latter provision, but incumbent President Wade can, if he wants, seek re-election in 2012, as his first seven-year term preceded the Constitution adopted on 22 January 2001, in a referendum.

Source: Picture: Abdoulie Wade (President of Senegal)