(JollofNews) – Aja Fatoumata Jallow Tambajang was sworn in as Vice-President of The Gambia on Thursday morning, after being appointed for post overseeing since March this year. She is the second woman to occupy the vice-presidency in the country’s political history as the new government is pushing ahead with a gender parity agenda.
“The story of our fight to bring about peace, democracy and rule of law in The Gambia started a long time ago when very few believed that we had a little chance to succeed. We finally succeeded because of
the contribution of each individual such as Aja Fatoumata Jallow Tambajang,” said President Barrow while addressing an invited audience comprised of government officials, religious leaders and other dignitaries.
The newly sworn-in VP has been instrumental in forging unity among political parties ahead of 2016 presidential poll. She is the Chair of the Coalition 2016 that put an end to Yahya Jammeh’s 22-year rule. In the aftermath of July 1994 military take-over, she held the post of Secretary of State for Health and Social Welfare in the transition
government, before parting company with the junta. She subsequently joined United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in various missions throughout Africa.
The Gambian leader described the Vice-President as a strong professional woman with a sound character, who has ‘brought to Cabinet a wide range of skills that are highly required for social reconstruction and rebuilding of the country’s economy after years of divisive rule and mismanagement by the former government.’
Barrow then added that no leader can succeed…unless, without the support of the people they are tasked to lead and sworn-in to serve.
He expressed his confidence in the VP ability to serve the Presidency. “I feel encouraged and hopeful whenever I welcome highly skilled and dedicated Gambians, especially women,” he said.
VP Tambajang said God has manifested His miracles through the regime change that occurred in the tiny West African nation.
She plunged the audience into the peripeties that punctuated the country’s push for democratic change, and highlighted the difficult situation Gambians were able to endure to end dictatorship.
She said the country has faced enormous challenges as a result of bad governance.
Tambajang expressed the new administration readiness to transform Gambia into a democratic model.
Congratulations Madam VP
Madam Tambajang Many Congratulations on your Vice Presidency. This is probably the coalition’s best move. This fine lady is full of courage and common sense. This definitely one for Gambian women.
APPOINTED TO DO WHAT? WHILE THIS USELESS SWEARING IN WAS TAKING PLACE, THE RIGHTS OF OUR PEOPLE WAS BEING VIOLATED BY THE SAME USELESS ADMINISTRATION. READ ON!
GDC say they are asked to stop meeting in president’s home village
November 10, 2017 0 Comments asked, gdc, home, meeting, presidents, say, stop, they, village
By Momodou Jawo
Inhabitants of Mankamang Kunda, the home village of President Adama Barrow, have allegedly asked the constituency chairman of the opposition Gambia Democratic Congress (GDC) in Jimara District to stop holding political gatherings and meetings in the village.
Contacted for clarification on the matter, the GDC chairman, Sara Jawo, said he was “surprised” when a group of the villagers visited him and informed him about the decision. “It was one Alhaji Batch Baldeh who summoned a village meeting and suggested to the villagers that they should not allow the GDC to hold gatherings in my compound. He told the villagers that if the GDC persists in going ahead with its gatherings in the village, then they should ask for the removal of the village alkalo.
“I went to the village alkali and reported the matter to him. I told him that before Adama Barrow became president, I already had a compound in Mankamang Kunda and therefore the villagers had no right to ask me to leave,” he said.
He accused Mr Baldeh of trying to incite the villagers. “Baldeh told the youths of the village that if our vehicles drive by, they should stone us. I told the district chief Kanimang Sanneh about the meeting that the villagers held. The chief told me that Mankamang Kunda before and now are quite different and therefore I should either join them or stop holding GDC gatherings in the village,” he claimed.
Contacted, the National Assembly Member for Jimara District, Alhagie Sowe, described the incident as unacceptable. “I just want to make it emphatically clear that whoever is behind this [harassment] must stop, because there is no law that says that a political party should not hold a meeting or gathering in the president’s home village,” he stated.
Sowe warned people behind the instigation “to desist from it with a view to not jeopardis the peace and stability of the district. We will hold meetings and gatherings in the village whenever the need arises. I have informed the regional governor, the police commissioner and the district chief about the development. The villagers have no right to say GDC will not hold a gathering in the village,” he said.
When contacted, Chief Kanimang Sanneh said he received a complaint from the GDC executive members in the district. He said he was going to find out from the other party. The chief added that he only cautioned the GDC district executive members that Mankamang Kunda has changed and that he gave the UDP supporters a similar advice with regard to their activities in the home village of Mamma Kandeh.
Effort to reach the regional URR governor Fatou Jammeh-Touray and Mr Baldeh for comments proved futile.
Babu Soli, nowhere in your quotation has the administration been directly linked to this unfortunate happenings. This seems to be actions of overzealous villagers, probably taking their cue from Kaninlai and surroundings, where denying opposition access was an unwritten, but openly declared state policy.
Let’s hope journalists raise the issue with Interior Minister and then we can gauge from his response, whether we have another unwritten, but openly declared state policy. The Chief, if rightly quoted, seems to be conveying such a message, when he says that both Mankamang Kunda and Mama Kandeh’s villages have changed.
What he is saying, in other words, is that apart from GDC and UDP (for Mankamang Kunda), no other parties should hold meetings in either of these villages. We should monitor the situation and see how it is addressed. This is yet, another piece of evidence to show that Gambia, has a long way to go to achieve the change that we all want to see for our democracy to flourish.
Congrats once again, Madam VP. Wish you success and all the best.
Congratulations Madam Vice President, you can now get on with the work to move our great nation forward. Wishing you all the best and success in your work. Be a good role model to all the daughters of the Gambia.
Again Babu, this is civic awareness issues rather than politics; which rather is due to deliberate suppressive malpractices of your self anointed dethroned alkalo-evilness of the kanilai fiefdom dark ages…
There’re ‘no go’ areas politically under the murderous fiefdom for 22+ years; why were you blind to that then…?
Even for citizens & individuals too; I for one, for example, got confronted & harangued at kangfenda for ‘not conversant in jola language while being in Foni’…
From your very news source here, at least, efforts are made swiftly to sort out the misunderstanding which were unheard of under your evil kanilai idol…
I believe such specific issues should be addressed on communication channels promptly, tv & radio principally, when encountered; while the community leaders & regional leadership ensures to adherence to inclusivity all times, regardless of political & socioeconomic divergence; healthy & necessary for societal progress…
Bajaw/Bax,
The APRC government confronted the opposition, yes, but never did it instigate village heads and chiefs to confront the opposition. Can you tell me where it ever occured under the APRC?
The smaller confrontations at village and district levels are more poisonous in democracy. I believe it’s corrected sooner than any form of foot-dragging on the people’s rights/liberties.
Who is behind the village? The Alkalo, the Seyfo (Chief), the Kumandango(Governor), the NAM, the ILLITRATE fat-tummy corrupt “president”, ’cause he comes from there?
There are more days to trample on our civic liberties!
Babu, come on now. Who are you kidding? The whole of Foni was a “No Go” area for the opposition and the APRC Government did nothing to change that. In fact, they actively encouraged it through thugs like Modou Picka Jallow and Yankuba Colley, with their “Green Boys & Girls”. So please, don’t attempt to pull wool over our eyes.
The story you quoted actually cited the instigator as, “one Alhagie Batchy Baldeh”, who called a village meeting and made the suggestion. Until we have further evidence, insinuating anything else will be pure speculation and conjecture.
Bajaw
Babu is an oddball and will scavenge for any negative news story just to beat down this government. The disturbed untruthful nature of his self and the double standard reporting of events affecting our homeland speak volume of his unworthiness as a non partisan patriot. He is married to the devil Jammeh’s brand of untruthfulness, flipflopping, pomposity and insidious empty rhetoric. We all know what Jammeh did to our country and our people and to still praise the lofty achievements of that BASTARD of the killings, the plundering, the tortures, the disappearances and the total abuse of the rule of law is a clear testament of Babu’s evilness something inherent in the monster he will die for.
This is the guy who will not utter a word regarding the mass theft and the abuse of office by Jammeh and his cronies being revealed at the Janneh commission but came out gun blazing, blaming this government over a provincial civic misunderstanding.
Lying is what he is good at and he will die a disgraceful liar.
This is an interesting interjection from Mr Soli. But the response from Bax and Bajaw is of course correct.Let us hope Mai Fatty, handles this much better than the unfortunate Kanalai incident. I agree with Bax that the pace of change is slow. It would perhaps be very helpful if all the village Alkalo’s could attend an introduction to Democracy meeting.I think to pay Bax attendance expenses to give the instruction would be money well spent.
Contratulations to the whole coalition. May Allah continue to guide all Gambians especially those at the wheel, to put the intrest of country first and spread developments to remote areas of the country.
It seems with certain life enhancing initiatives like infrastructure,health projects electrcity, etc., one can better digest the wonders of nature which in turn contribute to the sober reflections like the one that prompts the coalition into life. We have a great potential when it comes to the bio-diversity of the country crowned by the navigable waterway serving as a barrier against the encroaching desert.
Babu, that fact on the ground point to low communal civic awareness rather than instigated politically as you imply; as to your request, Momodou Shynggle Nyassi & others, (God bless him & us all, ameen) evidently, have been denied on records to hold lawful political rallies in kanilai then…
This is societal civic awareness defiance deliberate inoculations, by design & implementation under the kanilai killerdom…
If not, nobody in a president/politicians & even ordinary citizen’s village will ever argue with one another, for right to association freedom among all; if the constitution is clearly digested by all, as supposedly mandatory to the defunct civic awareness provisions, under the constitution, nobody except criminals like yaya Jammeh will accept to stop an equally entitled citizen from political association…
Why would I allow a politian to make me break law & public safety, when I truly digest the implicatory consequences of my decisions, which, only I stand to blame for…?
Rectification please – societal civic awareness defisence deliberate inoculations – it’s meant to read; thank you
Natty, Mike & all; Babu’s true characteristics of the proverbial dethroned alkalo can’t be manifestated anymore than currently…
Babu, if yaya is ‘accused in absentia’, ask the devil to come back to face truth & reconciliation; with rights guarantee…?
Current political issues are rather as result of devil kanilai deliberate maladministration; though, current government’s responsibility to address & remedy, for other governments to build & improve upon in future…
Nasty Natty Dread,
I live in a country where people’s opinions are given without fear. You are just STUPID to believe that your hatred for President Jammeh would drive me into your STUPID camp of thinking.
I was born free only to be bundled later into poverty and decadence by the colonialists and the PPP regime, which I hated to the letter.
When I left, I returned to find a better Gambia with President Jammeh, an improved Gambia, a more on-the-development-trend Gambia. will accept your IDIOTIC calls/claims, false idiotic/nonsensical allegations that President Jammeh killed Gambians, when on the other hand you refuse to adhere to my claims that we had more heinous and brutal killings of our people by the PPP government in 1981, when over 800 innocent Gambians were cold-bloodedly murdered by invading Senegalese forces commandered by Jawara, Abdou Diouf, BB Darbo, OJ. A gruesome episode that is accepted by your STUPID self.
Keep your hatred for Jammeh, while I keep my deep-rooted hatred for your INEPT, CORRUPT, TRIBALIST; INEFFICIENT administration at Fajara with a fat-bellied illiterate British Argos watchman at the helm of matters. Don’t try from your shallow brain to convince me about the invisible achievements of your USELESS dysfunctional administration, YOU FOOL!
Look at the IDIOT Nasty Natty Dread, refering to the matter as a provincial civic misunderstanding! You brainwashed FOOL. I never take any encrouchment into the people’s civil liberty as minimal, as a misunderstanding. You may, you FOOL because that’s how your crude silent and very wicked administration at Fajara is ruling the country. By covert masonic matters in silencing the opposition.
I lived the Gambia of the PPP/UP/NCP/MOJA-G/PDP(Sheriff Ceesay’s) and know how the PPP government badly treated the opposition UP/NCP/PDP/MOJA-G. A replica of your present VERY BAD administration.
You see how your INEPT administration had worn down criminal activities they incurred in spending millions, killing Haruna Jatta, employing unqualified personnel, only to make you IDIOT believe and trust their pseudo-manner of democratic dispensation.
I can’t be easily swayed like you IDIOT, Nastyy Natty Dread!
Till Monday, bye for now.
Apart from the bad language and the animosity, for the most part the dialogue is a true sign that the required democratic change is work in progress. To me that’s a very good sign. I don’t see this as tribalistic. God forbid.
‘Provincial civic misunderstanding’ (would) mean, obviously, realistically those exposed to civic awareness, are expected (to live or on exposure by travels) more in (to) urban areas, rather than rural areas…
The majority of those killed in the 1981 are mainly due (to their own) mishandling of guns they were themselves carrying because of lack of prior training; where did you get your inflated ‘800 dead’ from…?
Lot’s people took guns carelessly issued out by Kufing Samba satanic devil from the armoury in chaotic disarray; just to get to threaten & loot; whilst others went after others, to settle scores & maimed & killed in cold blood in the kataato kunko…
You can hereby claw straws while drowning, on those to wrongly apotion blame on old boy jawara…?
Why weren’t Senegalese soldiers in Gambia to kill enmass in 1980 &/ before…??
What then caused them for the intervention in 81…???
As Bax rightly said we have a long way to go. The coalition government must strive to do during this transition period of three or five years what the governments of PPP and APRC has failed to do in the past fifty two years; that is to put enlightenment of the people as their number one priority. This would not cost any government much.
It is very embarrassing to see our people thinking and behaving this way. This is the case today because there were people in the past governments and even in the present one who see it as their interest to keep the people ignorant. The present District Chief Mr Kanimany Sanneh who served as both a National Assembly Member and a regional Governor under APRC and Yahya Jammeh should have known better but for him and many of his likes the status quo should remain.