Proposal to the President of The Gambia

          Mr. President, before I begin with my proposal, I want to take this moment to welcome you to the land of the free were ones liberty, rights, and freedom of speech cannot be deprived by any official or State. I know that you strongly dislike journalist who can be bias and can say anything to tarnish your image, but I just hope that you will sit more often with the press and answer any questions that can vindicate you if you are been misconstrued.  I am also hoping that you will call on Gambians living in the diasporas to have a dialogue with them and talk to them as President of The Gambia.

          In case I don’t get to see you due to tight security and protests that may keep me away from seeing you, I had a few questions many Gambians would really want to know.  Please respond to the many questions one would surely ask.

1.      Did you by any chance read the proposal I sent to your wife (the first lady), and if so, what can you say or do about it that can be prosperous to our loving country?

2.    Do you condemn torture, and have you punished any official that goes beyond the law of the land by torturing people to death even when they are harmless by following your motorcade?

3.    Did you authorize the NIA or any official to hold, capture, or detain anyone that opposes you or says anything that seems to criticize your government for not performing their duties they were sworn to uphold?

4.    Have you ever thought of retiring or coming up with term limits in order to give citizens of The Gambia a shot at governing with a different approach?

5.     Do you trust anyone and if so, who do you trust?

6.    Do you have educational classes for law enforcement agencies about the rule of law and rights of individual citizens?

7.     Do you try your level best to have good relations with other nations and if so, what can you do better to improve relations that will bring economic growth?

8.    What laws in the Gambia do you think are there to protect citizens from the State and which laws are too aggressive that hamper individual rights as citizens?

9.    What projects is your government heavily investing on that can bring huge dividends to The Gambia and how is the health, agriculture, tourism, and energy departments making progress or finding concrete solutions to our problems?

10.                        Last question, where do you see the end game for you? Retiring, allowing term limits, elections, or fighting till the end of the time which may God forbid!

Now Mr President, I will help you and plead with you by attaching the same proposals I sent before. In them, you will find that I have addressed most of the questions by pleading with you. It is all for the sake of peace. I don’t think you will find them offensive, but it is meant to be educational and hopeful to our future if pursued. I know you have some good in you, and everyone has some bad in them too, but we can put aside our differences and work for our common good. So please Mr. President:

1.Show compassion towards the prisoners on death row and release them.

I know you have said that you will never forgive murderers and those who have done evil, but may I remind you that if we don’t have the heart to forgive one another, how do we expect God to forgive us! Yes we live in a world with laws, but how many people have gone missing and died in the hands of some officials, and nothing was said or done that justified such! There are also some that have been wrongly accused and he or she say dominates or justifies such arrest without concrete evidence.  Please use your pardoning power to set the records straight and release Fatou Camara and others. God shall surely reward you.

2. Call the National Assembly into session and repeal laws that are unconstitutional, and threatening to its citizens. The internet bill or law for example gives ultimate powers to the State and government officials, which is abusive. It is too broad that it violates every aspect of the constitution, and what it means to say that no one is above the law. May I remind you, that even government is not above the law!

3. Allow term limits. It was said before that the former President was in power for far too long; be it good or bad, but it’s almost 20years now. The argument there will be null and void if you are to say that it doesn’t matter how long you stay in power. We as Gambians should try to abide by democratic rules if we are a democratic nation. Even if you mean well for 20years, at some point, it will be seen as clinging on to power because of entitlement, or that other people of the Gambia can’t be trusted to lead. Every good thing shall always come to an end at some point. For example, as much as we all want to live forever, we shall surely leave everything behind one fine day God willing. You are going to be more respected if you introduced such an approach, than staying for 30 or more years and be criticized like the former President.

4. Call on the International Community for better relations. This would not only bring in investments, but more tourists would visit the smiling coast and the economy will flourish for all Gambians. A more diplomatic approach is really needed to start off talks that can benefit The Gambia. We should be working tirelessly as our neighbors are doing whatever it takes to lead the economic fight.

5. Call on the diasporas that are educated enough to build the country but fear persecution. Many Gambians are highly educated but can’t go home because they are intellectually smart enough to know and feel what they might face if they return home, because they simply cannot ignore such when living in a free world. They shouldn’t be blamed for been exposed to their individual rights as citizens that every democratic country must adhere to. Having an open discussion and speaking to them without threatening them can bring in highly educated folks to improve our beloved country. Mind you, Gambia is lacking people that really want to develop it but needs to refrain from words of punishment and encourage its citizens to join the country for its National Interest. They are afraid that you will build more Mile 2’s and even use the firing squad on them. Forgiveness is the key, and reconciliation will open the doors to many opportunities if we mean well.

6. Hold officials accountable that abuse power. Be it bribery, or not following a code of conduct, public officials should be disciplined and honest. Ethics has to be taught and great customer service and appreciation must be present in all departments of the government. There are honorable officials, and that is why the bad apples should be disciplined. When such examples are done by the President, many if not all will abscond to their practices. Also, empower citizens to have neighborhood watches for the police cannot be everywhere at every given moment. Before arresting officials or citizens, there should be solid and insurmountable or credible evidence that can convict someone before humiliating them in public. He says she says has no place in the justice system other than facts and concrete evidence. Empower citizens to be able to ask police or other officials for their names and badge numbers and record any conversation that is improper from an official to conduct him or herself in. A lot more can be done to ensure that such crimes can be lowered and power abuse will be eradicated.

7. Call for peace and stability. Without justice, there is no peace. As Martin Luther King Jr once said,” A threat to injustice anywhere, is a threat to justice everywhere” As much as some may not want to see you in power and will do whatever it takes to make sure that happens, when there is peace and stability, it will be hard to shake up the place because peace is what all Gambians know. There will be no progress without peace, and no stability without assurance of good governance.

8. Call for more transparency. Disclosure is the essence to trustworthiness, and this is the mechanism to which ordinary citizens can know for sure that their tax money is spent wisely. This area really needs much more work to be done, for although his government may mean well, gifts and other expenses should be transparent. Also, as a government, no one or company should have the authorization or consent of lobbying officials with gifts. This can be seen as doing favors and waiting for returns and benefits that call for legal action. There should be no room at all for lobbyist, and any official caught in such illegal actions should be dealt with according to the law. No favors at all, but earn what you work for legally, and spend on it as you wish.

9. Have an open debate were citizens are engaged in the process of electing their leaders. It’s about time we have live debates airing on T.V and citizens get to ask and vet their leaders. If no one is above the law, citizens have the right to question who writes and implements the laws. If we are a democratic nation, let’s show that democracy belongs to the people and no one is above the law. Democracy is of, by, and for the people.

10.Last but not the least, I know you are a man of dignity and pride.Please put aside your differences and work with all Gambians who want to work for the sake of peace, prosperity, and growth. It is never too late to try and involve others that mean well but please refrain from words that keep people away. Also Mr. President, as thoughtful and promising these proposals could be, it can only be implemented if you the head of State make it an agenda. Don’t look at it like this kid dafmabuga yab. That would be a mischaracterization of what am intending on doing. It is all in good will and good faith to ask you as the leader of The Gambia to please reason with us, and humanity as a whole. If I end up dyeing for trying to bring peace to others, know that I have forgiven the one who took my life if my people have peace and live in freedom. But if it was for nothing and things haven’t changed for the better, may those who plot evil deeds onto others be judged by Allah’s wrath.

I hope you have a wonderful stay here in the U.S and take the time to relax from all the frustrations and hard work, to go back home and be more determined to bring peace, reconciliation, prosperity, and growth for the Gambian people. I know you will do well and continue to strive for a better Gambia. I do hope that you will engage others and look for meaningful results from people that come up with sensible ideas rather than those who make matters worse and end up behind bars seeking your mercy. I can be reached at Cette adresse e-mail est protégée contre les robots spammeurs. Vous devez activer le JavaScript pour la visualiser. if need be. I hope to hear from you about the questions I asked earlier and the proposals I presented in order to know where you stand. May all Gambians be united under one umbrella that stands for justice, equality, and the freedoms one seeks!  I thank you for your time and may God bless the Gambia.

M.Njai

source: http://www.freedomnewspaper.com/Homepage/tabid/36/newsid367/9114/Proposal-to-the-President-of-The-Gambia-/Default.aspx