''Adviser Henry Gomez Should Desist From Misleading The General Public''.

Henry Gomez

As usual; today on my route to work around 700 hours as I tuned in to Star FM ‘‘Wakeup Gambia show’’ moderated by Pa Nderry Touray. Which happens to be one of my loving early morning shows as it enlightens me on current affairs and the activities in our motherland.

Readers could recall that Henry Gomez’s Gambia Party for Democracy and Progress (GPDP) is one of those existing ghost political parties without representation in the National Assembly neither at the Council across the length and breadth of The Gambia with its slogan of ‘‘Moh Beah Ballou’’.

During the show Henry Gomez an adviser to the President and former Minister of Youth and Sports lamented on the achievements of the Barrow led administration and the stands of his political Party GPDP. He went further to highlight that President Barrow will serve his presidency term till 2021. He informed all that there is no shortcut to the presidency and any person willing to be president should wait till 2021 to join the wrestling ring.

When Journalist Pa Nderry asked Henry Gomez about his view as per the revocation of Ya Kumba Jaiteh’s nomination as a member of parliament. He was quick to validate that the revocation of her nomination is legal. However, Henry Gomez quoted a non-existence section of The Gambian 1997 constitution (321) to substantiate his claim.

Besides, when I heard of the utterance of the none existing section (321). So many things came to mind as I was dumbfounded, mystified and befuddled. The question is how can a person who has no idea about the supreme book of the land be an adviser to the Commander-in-Chief.

Ya Kumba Jaiteh

Furthermore, if Henry Gomez whose wish is to occupy the presidential seat is not familiar with the laws of the land then that tells how doomed we are as a sovereign nation. We expect Henry to give correct information to the general public especially with regards to matters that have to do with the constitution.

Meanwhile, President Barrow has nominated Foday Gassama to become the new nominated member of the National Assembly, replacing Ya Kumba Jaiteh who was yanked from the National Assembly. A press release issued by the Office of the President has it that President Barrow relied on section 88(1) (b) of the Constitution of The Gambia to effect the nomination of Gassama.

Saidina Alieu Jarjou

Blogger/Political Activist

Why Is The SIS DG Sow Exonerated, Is He Above The TRRC Act, 2017?

Following the official launch of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC) by President Barrow, on Monday, 15th October 2018, to unearth the alleged summary executions, disappearances, torture, rape and other crimes that purportedly happened during the Jammeh’s era, a lot of compelling revelations that are heavily linked to Jammeh and especially his fellow Junta colleagues were brought to light. They were either disclosed by persons who voluntarily headed to the TRRC or at places visited by the commission, such as the headquarters of the State Intelligence Service (SIS), the onetime infamous intelligence institution which was blamed for human rights’ violations.

Upon the commission visit to the SIS, it was very certain to every QTV viewer that members of the commission could not hide their dismay at the way and manner in which the management their managed to allegedly tamper with the evidence of torture by renovating the places that hosted these incidents.

The last time I checked, Section 13(a) of the Truth, Reconciliation and Reparations Commission Act, 2017 has it that the objective of the commission is to create an impartial historical record of violation and abuses of human right from July 1994 to January 2017.

Besides, Section 36 (1) of TRRC, Act 2017, reads. A person who – (a) threatens or interferes with an informant or witness or (b) willfully obstructs or otherwise interferes with work of the Commission in the discharge of its function. Commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding one million dalasis or imprisonment not exceeding three years or both a fine and imprisonment.

However, the TRRC was so quick to act on the case of ‘‘An ex-soldier and one of the ring leaders of the 1994 coup d’état Yankuba Touray, who was arrested over the weekend and still in police custody for an attempt to tamper with justice. Meanwhile, police are searching for the former speaker of the National Assembly, Fatoumatta Jahumpa Ceesay (FJC), who is currently out of jurisdiction for the same offence’’.

Readers could recall that; on a similar note as reported by the Foroyaa Newspaper on its February 19, 2019, publication. That, ‘‘Counsel Faal on behalf of the Commission, requested that the NIA should Endeavour not to tamper with the pieces of evidence found within, and emphasized that all structures within the NIA that are not rehabilitated, should be left as they are; that the Commission should be provided with answers to the evidence and their whereabouts, of those that have been already rehabilitated’’.

“Any structures that have been restructured by the SIS (NIA), you should be in a position to tell us what had actually happened. You have to tell the Commission how they were and what happened to them,” the Lead Counsel Faal told DG Sowe. (Foroyaa, 2019).

Furthermore, Section 202 (1) empowers a Commission of Inquiry to:

“(a) Make a full and impartial investigation into the matter in respect of which the Commission is established; and

(b) Furnish in writing a report on the results of the inquiry, including a statement of the reasons leading to the conclusions of the Commission.”

Additionally, Section 203 highlighted that “On receipt of the report of a Commission of Inquiry;

(a) The President shall within six months publish the report and his or her comments on the report, together with a statement of any action taken, or the reason for not taking action.

Saidina Alieu Jarjou

Blogger/Political Activist