JWI Update....

The  JWI lobbying contract to launder Jammeh's character in Washington, DC is no more.  The real losers however are the Gambian taxpayers who paid $1.2 million for a $40.00 website to the morally bankrupt Amb. Jackson Mcdonald and his JWI Group.  More to follow...

We Are Not Going Back To The Drawing Board

I stay away from partisan politics but this time around, the PDOIS has finally exposed its inflated sense of self-importance, and its control freak leadership.  Even the most loyal and hardcore followers of Halifa Sallah are starting to ask questions about the motive behind an editorial penned yesterday in the Foroyaa by one Ousman Njie for Halifa and his PDOIS party. The opening sentence of the editorial stated the obvious as only Halifa and PDOIS can; telling us that brain and not emotion is the key to leadership. Everything else about the editorial is vile, repulsive and insulting.

The editorial’s venture into American history only served to reveal the ignorance of the author about the history of the civil rights movement in America.  Martin Luther King was not a politician and never aspired to be one.  Even if he had harbored the notion, it soon evaporated because he realized early that he was more powerful and influential in his role as leader of a movement operating outside the machinery of government than trying “to take over the White House or the Congress.”  To think that only through government that change can be effected is pure madness. It is also folly to advance the false notion that “in International Law states and not personalities are recognized” and hence those “who control state power become the legitimate authority for the state”. The statement even though shortsighted, tells us a great deal about PDOIS’s view of government as the agent of supreme power.  May I remind the PDOIS that Adolf Hitler was recognized by law as the legitimate head of government but it took non-governmental organizations and victims of the Holocaust to help draw attention to the heinous crimes committed by a legally constituted and internationally recognized government.

The compartmentalization of Gambians into those “children of Independence and those born during the colonial period” by the PDOIS is a vainly concealed effort at sowing seeds of discord between the alliances that seemed to have emerged after Raleigh, London and Stockholm which culminated in those that emerged among the civil and non-political groups like DUGA-DC and the Organization for Democracy and Justice in Africa.  "The children of Independence" did not march the streets of New York and stake out at the Ritz-Carlton alone; those born during the colonial period joined us. We received and continue to receive moral and financial support from young and old, men and women, from Gambians and non-Gambians alike.  Gambians should and will vehemently oppose any attempt by any politician or group of politicians to compartmentalize Gambian society, be it UDP, APRC or PDOIS.  

The PDOIS editorial proceeded to accuse us, “the young of today” of being morons and marionettes who are being manipulated by those born during colonialism, and driven into political adventurism because we do not have a mind of our own and have less “clarity, maturity and tact”.  How insulting can Halifa be?  Is he pre- or post-Independent child?  I know Yahya Jammeh is post-Independent child because he's been reminding Gambians of it every day.  The advise PDOIS gives to the ‘young of today” is for us to “partner with those who wish to empower the people through necessary and viable means so that they can take full ownership of the country.”  In short, PDOIS is saying to the Coach Pa Samba Jows of this world that they should be partnering with Halifa Sallah and not with the pre-Independent relics , when he Halifa, has steadfastly refused to get off his high horses and join the demonstrators, at least in spirit.  But no, he’d rather hide behind Foroyaa editorials to throw rocks at those willing to take on Jammeh head-on when everything seemed to have failed.

To convince the “young of today” that we are on a fool’s errand for opposing the government of Yaya Jammeh because he’s legitimate in the eyes of Washington and London, the editorial cited the fact that the Syrian Foreign Minister was welcomed and heard at the U.N. which, in Halifa’s mind, is tacit support of the Assad regime by the Obama administration, ignoring the geopolitical importance of Syria and the fact that neither Barrack Obama nor any other member of the United Nations could deny another the right to take to the podium to speak.  It is a member’s right and not a privilege.  Halifa should know better.  It would have been a different matter if the Syrian Foreign Minister was provided a platform at the United States Army War College which could only happen with the consent of the Obama administration.

If Halifa Sallah or any member of PDOIS thinks that the demonstrations and activist agitations around the Gambian Embassy in Washington is to get foreign governments sever diplomatic ties with Banjul, then they are missing the point.  The protests rose out of the desire to change tactic after 19 years of political ineffectiveness of the opposition, including PDOIS, and designed to bring international attention to the violent dictatorship in Banjul, an objective that is being achieved beyond expectations.  And if you think we the so-called ‘children of Independence” are going to the drawing board, PDOIS and Halifa Sallah better think again.

Governments are extensions of their constituents but they may not necessarily and truly reflect the desires and aspirations of the governed, and this is particularly true of dictatorships.  Therefore, for Halifa and PDOIS to continue providing cover for a despotic leader like Yahya Jammeh by citing international law is further confirmation of what many have in the past, accused them of - they are collaborating with the corrupt and violent regime of Yaya Jammeh, whether they know it or not.  If after 19 years of writing 100 page letters to Yahya Jammeh following every unconstitutional and extra-judicial infraction without a single response is not enough reason to change tactic then nothing else will.  Therefore, the “young of today” have decided to take a different approach to political activism than to return to the drawing board.  There is of course nothing preventing Halifa Sallah and PDOIS to continue doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results every time.  A better option is for Halifa and PDOIS to get off their high horses and join the fight to get rid of an incompetent, corrupt and violent regime without endless lectures and preconditions.   

A Turning Point in The Gambia Struggle - Guest Blog

After Gambians in the USA humiliated him during his recent trip to the 68th UN General Assembly, president Jammeh returned home and, in typical fashion, used the state resources of GRTS to shamefully lie to the Gambians at home about what happened in New York.

He did not report that a good crowd of Gambians had gathered at the Gambian Mission in New York to register their displeasure with his dictatorship. He did not mention that his tyrant-in-the-making of a secretary general, Momodou Sabally, was almost beaten up by a lady he confronted at the demonstrations. He did not ention that his chief diplomat to the UN, Momodou Tangara, was actually beaten up in a fist fight by Falai Baldeh. He did not mention that he was scared into spending his entire time curled up like a mouse inside his hotel room, and he certainly did not mention that he was forced to cut short his trip to run back home without even visiting his ill-gotten mansion in Maryland purchased with stolen Gambian millions.

Jammeh used the state run propaganda tool of GRTS to lie to the nation. They shamefully used editing and camera tricks to doctor an interview he had with one Gambian to try and diminish the impact of the demonstrations. Unfortunately for Jammeh, the advent of camera phones, Facebook and other social media made sure Gambians at home and around the world know the truth. Events in New York were already circulating around the world unedited and almost in real time. Gambians at home are already talking about how surprised and disappointed they were to confirm that Jammeh is a lion at home but a mouse when away from State House and Kanilai. The video of Jammeh’s wife, Zainab, being smuggled through the hotel kitchen while his husband remained hidden in the hotel room, is something Gambians are still laughing about.

Freedom Newspaper spoke to the man whose words were twisted in the GRTS propaganda video and he confirmed that the GRTS video is a total misrepresentation of his interview with them. Key parts GRTS deliberately omitted include his questioning Jammeh on the murder of veteran Gambian journalist, Deyda Hydara, and the recent murder of 30year old Kasim Kanyi by Jammeh’s thugs. Mr. Jobe has been a supporter of the anti-Jammeh movement and he reassured our listeners that he remains a strong critic of Jammeh and his thugs.

Now realizing that his GRTS propaganda attempts to diminish the events in New York were not working, largely because of the power of the internet, Jammeh was forced to find alternatives. Unfortunately for him, the options were limited. He resorted to a blame game. Rather than letting Gambians and the world see that he was beaten by ordinary Gambians standing up for justice, Jammeh thought he would be better off letting them think there had to be a bigger force supporting these Gambians. First was the drastic and sudden announcement that he was withdrawing the country from the Commonwealth, branding the institution a “neo-colonial” institution, followed by two strongly-worded anti-Western statements on GRTS attacking the USA and UK and accusing them of orchestrating a “smear campaign” against The Gambia. As if that’s not ridiculous enough, a desperate Jammeh went on to accuse the USA of forming the country’s main opposition. He also tried to invoke tribal sentiments to divide the Gambian people. Again, unfortunately for Jammeh, we live in a different era and Gambians are not buying the distraction tactics this time. Instead, they’re more determined than ever and hit him with an upper cut he never dreamt of. 

As he was busy bashing the USA and UK, the taking over of the Gambian embassy in Washington DC must have hit him like a sack of bricks. Peaceful but determined, Gambians entered the Gambian embassy. The class and discipline they exercised is nothing short of admirable. No embassy employee was harassed and no property was destroyed. But the message was loud and clear – Gambians are ready to take on Jammeh and will stop at nothing to demand justice. According to DUGA and the other groups of Gambian activities, the events of New York were not a one-off. They’re part of a strategy and if anyone had any doubts, you don’t need to look past the taking over of the embassy in DC to see that they mean business. The activities and results are a model to be duplicated in cities all over the USA and Europe. Jammeh and his cronies can expect some “royal treatment” every time they step outside the cocoon of the guns of the Gambia National Army.

What impact will this have you ask? For starters, it has shown Gambians that Jammeh is only brave when he is in Gambia and has his guns around him. This is why he stayed hidden and would not dare step out of his hotel room in New York. Secondly, it shows how mentally weak he is to be so shaken by the activities of a few Gambians that he takes drastic actions like withdrawing from the Commonwealth. It shows that Gambians have had enough and will stop at nothing to confront the tyranny. Perhaps most importantly, activities in New York and in DC will be an inspiration for Gambians around the world, especially those in Gambia. Gradually, they will realize that power lies in the hands of the people and that it only takes a little courage and BOOM!!!...like a house of cards…..

Kemo Sanyang

Gambia's Resident Village Idiot at The United Nations

In case you missed our resident village idiot, below is a video of him at the U.N acting a fool once more.  As you can see, he looks rather worried after Gambians camped out at his hotel all night, and hurled insults at him as the U.S secret service smuggle him out to the U.N for this disjointed speech. I am sure the Gambian Pen (Secretary General Sabally) penned this one for him.

Jammeh, pays la meme c'est comment comment?

The Jammeh Peg

Jammeh has big problems but he’s not as dumb as we think he is.   The diagnosis of this Foreign Exchange wahala is simple.  Under Jammeh, the Gambian economy has seen a large increase in imports while domestic exports have stagnated.  Moving away from agriculture due to its low productivity, droughts, and misplaced agricultural policies, Jammeh and his gang of “advisers” decided to place their eggs in one basket by aggressively promoting tourism.  So far, tourism has also failed because with the global financial meltdown, vacation packages to places such as Greece and Vegas that were not affordable to those tourist we saw in Gambia have suddenly become affordable. Gambia is now in competition with these mainstream destinations. I will let you decide which of these places you would visit on vacation if given the option.  And to be honest, I can understand why tourists would want to opt out of visiting places where people go missing every now and then.  The safe, and “Gambia no problem” African beach ideal that made them want to visit Gambia under Jawara is no more.

The PEG: Jammeh, faced with economic difficulties, tried his hands at price controls a couple of times by threatening butchers, fishermen, and even the women that sell tomatoes at the market. Price controls in Gambia have failed because with shortages of basic commodities, domestic prices continue to increase on a daily basis while real wages have remained stagnant for almost 2 decades.

Business confidence is also low as Jammeh continues to hold monopoly of all business enterprises in the nation. Gambian businessmen and foreign investors are being prosecuted and jailed every month for the most frivolous of reasons one can imagine.

Jammeh's poor track record of rule of law, and neither here nor there economic policies (RE: harassment of investors and petty traders) date back to 1994. Ever since coming to power, the only businessman who continues to remain in Jammeh's good books is Mr. Amadou Samba.  Both local and foreign investors have ran afoul of the dictator in one way or the other.  Today, business' and investor will rather go to Senegal than take a risk and invest in Jammeh's Gambia. The result of this history is chronic failure to yield the required net flow of income for the nation, and a consequent failure to increase its international reserves and reduce its balance of payments.

In a attempt to remedy these disgraces, Jammeh has this week decided to peg our weak Dalasis to a single currency – the mighty USD.  What this means is that Jammeh is now telling Gambians that America’s performance, and not that of the Gambia, will be the only determinant of the value of the Dalasis.

The problem:  The problem of Jammeh’s pegged exchange rate regime is that, given Gambia’s dwindling foreign reserves coupled with its sluggish growth, the Gambia is not in a position to defend the Jammeh peg in case of any international crisis.  Pegging the USD to the Gambia Dalasis is dangerous in the sense that the US is not Gambia’s largest trading partner.  In simple terms, the cost of imports will increase if the dollar continues to depreciate against the currencies of Gambia’s major trading partners (Yen, Euro etc).  The cost to the Gambian economy is more inflation in an already overheated economy.

The Peg & Remittances: This Jammeh peg would depreciate the value of the money Gambians abroad send home to their families and friends; remittances that constituted 11% of GDP last year.   Gambians in the diaspora are already annoyed with Jammeh's constant manipulation of the country’s fiscal policies to their disadvantage. If this new policy is not dropped, Gambians at home can expect to be frequenting western union less often than in previous years - an effect that will affect the national economy, as remittances remain a vital component of the nation’s development and stability.

Solution: Jammeh and his advisers must go back to the drawing board.  Gambia, under the PPP with serious economic issues in 1986/1987 was able to control inflation and foreign exchange problems by floating the Dalasi.  Different times may call for different measures and if a peg is necessary to help with imports, it would be wise for the “advisers” to pursue a policy that ties the Dalasi to a basket of currencies but not just a single currency. Especially when the United States is not Gambia’s major trading partner.

Alternatively, Jammeh can stop harassing money traders in the parallel FX market and just ask his wife to stop spending the country’s meager foreign reserves on mansions, jets and shopping malls across the U.S.

Jefferson Waterman International (DC Lobbying Firm) taking Jammeh and his incompetent APRC Government for a ride

Bi- annually, Le Big Blog will be bringing you a bi-annual report of all the lobbying activities U.S firms are engaged in on the behalf of The Republic of The Gambia.  These reports are all public knowledge and available through fara.gov.

FARA: The Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) is an act of the US Congress to make detailed reporting of U.S Firms and their foreign clients available to the public with the hope that by disclosing their client list and providing a detailed report of their activities on the behalf of their clients, U.S firms will shy away from representing useless governments like the one we have back home. 

Of course, congress' strategy has not been as effective as they hoped simply because firms like J.W.I and The B.G.R group also known in Washington, DC as "DESPOTS R US" do not mix any of their business dealings with ethics.  

Jackson McDonald
Some will say they don't blame J.W.I trying to make money off Gambia because the primary reason to establish a business is to make money. I agree, but my issue is with their current CEO, Jackson McDonald, who was once the American Ambassador in Gambia.  As the old saying goes, Jackson McDonald ought to know better. While some on K-Street can argue and blame their greed on simply doing business or even blame ignorance when caught with their pants down, the same cannot be said for Amb. McDonald.  He spent years in Gambia authoring Jammeh's gross Human Rights abuses for the State Department, and as America's former top guy in The Gambia, Jackson McDonald is much more in-sync with the daily hardships of Gambians than most on this side of the Atlantic; thus making his attempt to extort Gambians (by entering in a $4million contract with Jammeh) unacceptable.    

Anyway, Mr. McDonald will just have to deal with me updating his Wikipedia page. I've updated it 4x since January and either him or someone who deeply cares about his reputation deleted my updates every single time. Thank God the internet is an open forum, so I'll keep the delete button on his keyboard active for a long time. 

The Contract
On the positive side, FARA is here to stay and it is our responsibility as Gambians to make sure that we are helping FARA accomplish exactly what it intends to accomplish for the benefit of our country.  

Governments come and go, but the people stay to pay the bills useless governments incurred on their behalf. In this case, J.W.I has not done any of the job Jammeh hired them to do.  They are grossly overcharging Gambians and not delivering. So far, we've paid them $800, 000.00 and the only thing we have to show for is a godaddy website that cost nothing more than $100.00. If you are going to be generous and add labor cost for the website developer, it shouldn't amount to anything more than $500.00. In fact, I've seen way more sophisticated websites built for only $40.00.  Just take a look at their nonsense website and tell me if it's worth the $22,000.00 they are charging Gambians. 

The Bi Annual Report
Below is Gambia's first bi-annual report from Jefferson Waterman International.  I've gone through it with a fine-tooth comb and extracted what I think is relevant to Gambians. I compared Gambia and Ivory Coast (another client of J.W.I) to highlight that J.W.I are indeed taking Jammeh for a ride. The comparison takes into account the first 6 months of activities taken on the behalf of both countries after contract was signed.  

	Gambia	Cote D’Ivoire
GDP Per Capita	$ 505.76	$1,194.56
Website	www.thegambianway.com	www.onwardtogether.org
Facebook	None	www.facebook.com/onwardtogether
Twitter	None	www.twitter.com/onwardtogether
$ Received during reporting period	$800,000.00	$0.00
Out of Pocket Expenses Reimbursement	Travel: $58,611.55 Meals: $856.07 Media Research: $0.00 Website Dev.: $21,732.95 FARA: $305 Total: $81,505.12	Travel: $304.77 Meals: 523.80 Media Research: $85.24 Website Dev.: 3,148.50 FARA: $305.00 Total: $23.662.31
Activities Performed on behalf of foreign principle	Created a Website for The Republic of Gambia L Firm performed no other activities on the behalf of the Republic of The Gambia	ü  Reporting orally and writing on all administration actions of concern or interest – 30 parties contacted   ü  Assist in setting up meeting between ivory Coast and U.S Government Officials and member of the private sector    ü  Assist in coordination of Cote D’Ivoire’s participation in academic community events   ü  Maintained online English Language resources & Social media campaigns on the behalf of Cote D’Ivoire   ü  Arranged press interviews for ivory Coast government officials   ü  Assisted in the development of policy reforms that improve governance, economic freedom and social investments to improve country’s scores on the Millennium Challenge Corporation indicators   ü  Assisted the foreign principal in obtaining access to MCC and other U.S Government departments and individuals to inform them of country’s reform efforts ü  Website Creation

Equality and Justice for All?

“Racism is still alive, they just concealing it” – Kanye West (Never let me down)

There is no doubt that there still exists a huge racial disparity between blacks and whites in all aspects of life in the U.S. Take a look at any social issue and you will find that Blacks are being handed the short end of the stick. The Zimmerman not guilty verdict just further highlights why African Americans continue to be disenfranchised with America's criminal justice system.

On the Zimmerman/Martin case, I personally had no doubt that George Zimmerman was going to walk scott free. The reason is simple; the State of Florida initially had no appetite to investigate or try George Zimmerman for murdering the unarmed Trayvon Martin. When the case was first brought in front of the Sanford police, the police chief deemed it appropriate to tell the parents of Trayvon Martin that there was no “probable cause” to charge George Zimmerman for killing their son.  Right off the bat, the police Chief had pre-determined that George Zimmerman, who followed Trayvon Martin, accosted, and then shot him to death, was innocent.

Reasonable Americans with the help of civil rights groups however refused to accept the Police Chief’s excuse and rallied to get millions of signatures and Governor Rick Scott was petitioned to try the case.  Under immense pressure, the governor had no choice and appointed a “special prosecutor” to investigate & take the case to court.

The Trial

Watching the court proceedings in the last month has been painful.  The prosecutors were just not good enough to prove that George Zimmerman was guilty beyond reasonable doubt.  In fact, even as a layman, I found myself cringing at the many missed opportunities the prosecutors had to challenge Zimmerman Lawyers.  Every time the defense got up, it felt like Trayvon Martin and not George Zimmerman was on trial, while the incompetent prosecutors just sat there and played defense the entire time. If one did not have any background of the case, you’d think Trayvon Martin was being tried for battery and aggravated assault.

Given the prosecution’s performance, there was only one possible outcome – a not guilty verdict.

“Fired up? Ready to go?”

Anyway, all hope is not lost because from every bad experience comes an opportune moment to make things right. America with all its freedoms has still not been saved from racism. The time has come for us to stop feeling sorry for ourselves, stop complaining and organize to mount a strong campaign to again fight these new Jim Crow laws; state by state.  Cases such as the Trayvon Martin case should be the basis on which we get involved in politics.

We must seek to change these unjust public policies that are hindering the progress of our people by participating in local and state elections. The leaders and activists within our community must continue to educate our people that the politics that affect them the most are the ones that are being decided in state and local elections.  These are the jurisdictions where the Stand Your Ground laws (now in 21 states) are being made.

Our community leaders must continue to use these moments of injustices to fuel the energies of our people and help us organize to take on these laws head on.  We must put forth the same energy, dedication and focus we showcased when we wanted to elect Obama. Unfortunately for us, the current POTUS speaks for the people but continues to serve the powerful.

To our advantage, the demographics in the U.S are changing fast in the favor of minorities.  The U.S census bureau is forecasting that within a generation (by 2043), whites will become a minority in the U.S.  And this revelation is scaring the hell out of those who favor the new Jim Crow laws, and they will continue to pursue such laws in order to protect the upper hand they are currently holding against Blacks and Hispanics. We must therefore get organized and act fast in order to swing the changing demographics in our favor.

Anyway, before anything, we ourselves must find self-worth to change our circumstances. If we want to break this vicious cycle of injustice against Blacks in America, We must first and foremost educate our people to do better. It is no longer acceptable that we constantly remain enraged when a white man shoots a black man, but then turn a blind eye when our brothers go around the city of Baltimore and shoot 40 people (killing 16) in one single week.

We owe it to ourselves to show the same disgust (as we’ve done in the TM/GZ case) whenever a black man is unjustly killed, regardless of who the killer is.

We must and can do better!

Rep Your Hood - Coming From Where I'm From

The Problem in "Gambia - No Problem"

Someone once said on twitter that "pre got quotes for days" - I agree.  Please tell "pre" to keep his stupid lines coming; they all make good sound bites :-)

Below is my first attempt to make a video/documentary for the blog and to also tell a itty-bitty fraction of the story of Gambia's despotic ruler, "his Excellency Sheikh Professor Alhaji Dr. Yahya Abdul-Aziz Jemus Junkung Jammeh Naasiru Deen".

Don't worry, I promise to get better.

PS:  Qu33ni3, please don't mess this one up.