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                                            Political Commentator  Diagnoses The UDP Controversy!              By Alagie Saidy-Barrow  If you are familiar with Game Theory in any of the social sciences, then you may have heard about the “prisoner’s dilemma”. The prisoner’s dilemma is a “concept” in game theory that provides a “foundation” on why two or more rational individuals or organisations, etc., would choose to cooperate or compete against one another. In its simplified form, the prisoner’s dilemma refers to two individuals, let’s say in this case, Kenbugul and Terrenna, who are both in remand at Mile Two, charged with kidnapping a Badibunka.  If Kenbugul and Terrenna both refuse to cooperate with Police Prosecutor Ceesay Chopsa, then Kenbugul and Terrenna will only serve ONE YEAR EACH in Mile Two for the lesser charge of “hanging out” with a Badibunka, which is a simple misdemeanour in Kiang. However, if Kenbugul betrays Terrenna and cooperates with Prosecutor Ceesay Chopsa, the

By Almamy Fanding Taal The change we celebrate today in Senegal is 25 years in the making: the SOPE /ALTERNACE Project of President Wade is the source code for the constitutional reforms aka TERM LIMITS which started with dismantling the post colonial administrative State that was led by the Ecole Superiere elite.  A Renaissance continued by President Macky Sall and the PASTEF Project should not outrightly disown this patrimony of Senegal.  Now that the dust has settled the urgent question to ask within a pan African context is what  should African progressives propose with a view to addressing the crisis of legitimacy in the Sahel? On the currency question the world is fast digitalizing with crypto currencies and blockchain technology but most importantly currencies are legal tender which is really a legal construct and the real values of which are directly correlated to the real economy. Therefore the real question is how do we create employment opportunities for the people to create

         | Things that we ought to consider as a people seven years post dictatorship | By Almamy Fanding Taal We have chosen to engage in meaningless endeavors like repealing FGM and making elaborate procedural maneuvers to put JAMMEH and crimes of his era on trial in the Gambia while  the acolytes and enablers of dictatorship are elevated to the highest echelons of political power?  At the same time based on the recommendations of the Truth Commission successful prosecution have been made of the Jammeh era crimes outside the Gambia at no cost to public resources. This is a compelling precedent for Jammeh to stand trial in any other state with Unversal Jurisdiction. Charles Taylor of Liberia is serving a life sentence in a UK prison following his conviction for war crimes and crimes against humanity.  With the myriad challenges facing the judiciary of the country a cost benefit analysis of establishing a hybrid court system for Jammeh era crimes at this critical juncture in our nation

  By Pa Louis Sambou   F or most people, the Israel - Palestine question is probably the one conflict whose ugly scenes of horror has regularly appeared before their screens for a period of time spanning their entire lifetime. Although not the only unresolved historic territorial question, it is certainly the only none-frozen one, which fact probably explains why it evokes strenuous opinion from even folks afar, with Gambians not an exception.  Whether pro Israel or pro Palestine, far too many well-meaning people the world over, find themselves holding very strong views on this subject matter, but which position is in most cases predominantly driven and sustained by subjective factors and considerations. A particular news article which I recently came across on a Gambian newspaper, exhibited a spectacular example and presentation of this phenomenon.    Without offering a line by line review of the news article in question, which is definitely not the objective of this article, I will d

By  Pa Louis Sambou    The premise of thought of most fair-minded people is no doubt that, dialogue is always preferable to anything else to the contrary. So, in principle, the concept of a National Dialogue is commendable. However, ‘a “ National Dialogue Meeting ” to what end?’, is also an equally rational question for any citizen to ask. Well, it is the question for me anyway.    With the exception of one or two whose opening statements touched on public policy subject matters, one would notice that the issues raised by all other opposition party leaders or representatives who spoke during the opening of this National Dialogue Meeting (NDM) are matters which are already within the remit and competence of the Inter Party Committee to address. As the sponsor, President Barrow’s opening remarks and speech was so unhelpfully vague as to the objective, it offered no comforting opening to the enigma at hand. So, with an unclear and undefined objective, one wonders upon what basis and again

             |Legal Luminary Shares Views On South Africa’s Legal Case Against Israel At ICJ|     By Almamy Fanding Taal At the same Forum in 2019 the Gambia stood up for justice for the Rohingya People. The Republic of The Gambia on 11 November 2019  instituted proceedings against the Republic of the Union of Myanmar before the International Court of Justice-ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, alleging violations of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide through “acts adopted, taken and condoned by the Government of Myanmar against members of the Rohingya group”. Africa the site of countless genocides, slavery and the most virulent forms of  imperialism have not only the moral authority but the abiding responsibility to demand justice for dispossessed people anywhere from the world court. Therefore, South African is doing the right bringing the State of Israel to the world court to answer for its crimes against the civilians in Ga

     | Former Gambian Diplomat Shares His Thoughts On The Political Trowback Of 2016 | By Mbemba Tambadou    Before the December 2016 presidential election, many people in this country were resigned to the fact that Dictator Yaya Jammeh could not be removed from power through the ballot box. That belief was a clear reflection of how much he dominated the political scene. How much, through the various forms of manipulation of the electoral process under his watch including the use of threats intimidation and quite frankly the very successful use of the divide and rule tactics. Despite these handicaps, political parties, especially the UDP, never gave up hope, of one day winning an election against him.  Because the political playing field was never equal under Jammeh, the United Democratic Party was the only party that was brave enough to organize peaceful protests to demand for electoral reforms in the run up to the 2016 elections. One of those protests led to the detention, and eventu

Ebrima Faal | Africa’s leadership landscape is a constellation of stories, encompassing triumphs and tribulations, visionary leadership and struggles against historical legacies and contemporary challenges. Amidst this intricate mosaic, the path to a prosperous and democratic future for Africa lies in the hands of its leaders, who must navigate these complexities with a deep understanding of the continent’s unique circumstances. | Navigating the legacy of colonialism By Ebrima Faal The scars of colonialism are still visible across Africa, and have left indelible marks on the continent’s political, economic, and social landscapes. Arbitrary borders drawn by colonial powers often disregard ethnic and cultural boundaries, which sowed the seeds for conflict and hinder regional integration. The focus on resource exploitation during colonial times has left many African countries with a dependence on primary commodities, making them vulnerable to global market fluctuations and hindering econo