By Tumbul Trawally Seattle, USA To those who second-guess or question the importance of having strong government institutions in term-limited democracies—the political impasse in Senegal, and its resolution in a peaceful manner—are your answer. When President Macky Sall wanted to subvert the constitution, the judiciary branch of government stood firm and refused to buckle under pressure. President Macky Sall would have gotten away with his desire to postpone the general elections as in any other African country, with the possible exception of Botswana, Namibia, or Mauritius. It is very similar ..read more

By Momodou Buharry Gassama, Stockholm, Sweden The current debate surrounding female circumcision, also known as FGM, in The Gambia, its propagators’  justification in Islam and the counterarguments preferred by its opponents have left many confused  as to Islam’s position on the issue. The debate has reached such a point that some members of the  National Assembly are considering repealing the law that bans the practice in the country and other  politicians are taking strong positions on the issue. On social media, the issue has generated hot  interactions that have at ..read more

  By Tumbul Trawally, Seattle, U.S.A   Narcissists do not have the ability to self-reflect; cannot see anything wrong with what they do but only see fault with the reactions of others to their abuses and assaults. They believe every argument is caused by their opponents because to narcissists, there was no problem with their actions until others reacted to them. They totally believe their opponents are the problems and that they, the narcissists, are the true victims. At this point, some of you know where I am headed with my narrative! If I have one person in mind and if readers thin ..read more

By Musa Sanneh From July 29th to 31st, 2023, PDOIS held its “midterm congress” in Penchami Hall at the Paradise Suites Hotel in The Gambia. Delegates from across the country converged to discuss a slew of policies and activities presented by the party’s Secretary General. Like its previous congresses, this year’s congress followed the same anthology. The Chairperson of the Central Committee gave the opening remarks followed by a flurry of colorful lectures by the party’s Secretary General. During his presentation, the Secretary General waded into plethora of PDOIS’ talking points on circu ..read more

By Musa Camara  The People’s Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS) is preparing to hold what it calls a non-elective congress. The so-called congress is not a democratic exercise but merely an ingenious art of subterfuge to purge the two most outspoken critics of the leadership of the party. It has been an impossible task to remove those critics from the party without the leadership deploying Orwellian doublethink to manipulate the constitution of the party to arrogate more power to themselves for as long as they are alive. Purging those critics out of the pa ..read more

Suggestions & Recommendations on the Pending Anti-Corruption Bill The most important institution that should nurture and protect our nascent democracy is National Assembly (“NA”). Yet, the institution failed to attract talent or is considered irrelevant. But suppose the country is to learn anything during the past six years. In that case, NA can set the country’s trajectory, ensure efficient oversight, and require excellent service delivery because they control the country’s purse.  As NA deliberates and considers the Anti-Corruption Bill for enactment, citizens exert pressure on thei ..read more

By Bubacarr Drammeh, Esq.  “The constitutional freedom of religion is the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights,” Thomas Jefferson. The “Hijaab lawsuit” has befittingly dominated the public discourse in The Gambia. Most of the people who intervened in the debate on this issue (either publicly or privately) bank on either sentiment or religious affiliation but not on legality. The population of The Gambia is over 93 percent Muslim and over 4 percent Christian, thus over 98 percent of the population are religious. Yet, the country is a Constitutional Republic not a Theocracy. Th ..read more

By Sarjo Barrow, Esq. Its Impact on the Peaceful Coexistence of Muslims and Christians.[1] Ignorance is an enemy, even to its owner. Knowledge is a friend, even to its hater. Ignorance hates knowledge because it is too pure. Knowledge fears ignorance because it is too sure, Sri Chinmoy.  Neither students nor teachers “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate,” Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, 393 U.S. 503, 506 (1969). On May 4, 2023, hundreds of people gathered at The Never Again Arch (formerly “Arch 22 ..read more

By Bubacarr Drammeh, Esq., LLB, BL, LL.M. The rejection of the nomination of Momodou Sabally — the United Democratic Party’s National Assembly candidate for Busumbala Constituency — by the Returning Officers of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) in Western Region of The Gambia has not only created a clash between his supporters and the police, but it has also given the self-appointed lawyers enrolled as Barristers and Solicitors of Supreme Courts of Social Media another disinformation brief to spread all over the Republics of WhatsApp, Facebook, and Twitter. In response to the num ..read more

By Madi Jobarteh  It is utterly unacceptable that The Gambia Government would allow foreign forces to enter the country to engage in warfare and then abduct Gambian citizens to transport them across the border and hold them in captivity for so long to their satisfaction. The actions of the Senegalese forces on Gambian soil on Monday, January 24, 2021, are a matter for the ECOWAS, AU, and the UN Security Council because it is a clear violation of international law. Otherwise, President Adama Barrow should tell Gambians why this invasion happened? Therefore, I demand President Adama Barrow ..read more