Jammeh virtually a domestic prisoner

As VP Njie-Saidy takes over as interim president

VP Njie Saidy arrives in the USA today leading a government delegation to attend the United Nations summit which is scheduled to take place on Monday. President Jammeh has asked the VP to deputize him amid reports that the military is poised to overthrow him should he step out of the country, the Freedom Newspaper can authoritatively report.

It is gathered that there is a huge division among the men and officers of the Gambia Armed Forces. As a result of this, the president is increasingly worried about the loyalty of these officers and has since been advised to curtail his overseas trips. The first time in living memory, the Gambian leader has delegated somebody to represent him at the summit of the United Nations. Regrettably, the Gambian leader has been reduced to virtually a domestic prisoner whose movements are restricted following security threats befalling the country. Commenting on this development, a permanent secretary at the Office of the President remarked, “The VP has been delegated to represent the President at the UN summit. She is currently assuming the portfolio of interim president because the president is not at liberty to travel beyond the frontiers of this country. He has been advised to refrain from traveling outside this country due to some divisions in the army. There are still some rebels within the army who are poised to take over this government. This is the most uptodate reality on the ground.”

The UN summit will attract world leaders who are supposed to converge in New York to discuss issues related to climate change, governance, the millennium development goals amongst a host of other topics and issues. US President George Bush is one of the world leaders to grace the occasion with his secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. President Bush is expected to spend three days in New York and on Tuesday, he will deliver a speech. High on his agenda is the Iraqi war, climate change among others. Mr Bush is also expected to meet with different leaders during the different sessions. Last year, in a surprising move, the Iranian and Venezuelian leaders stunned the world by openly attacking the US president by calling him names. Thanks to America's freedom, these leaders walked out from this country without any rancour.

The Freedom Newspaper has been reliably informed that the vice president, Isatou Njie Saidy, will meet staff and APRC supporters in the US during her official trip. She is accompanied by a protocol officer and a high powered delegation. The absence of President Jammeh at the summit has been seen as a leadership vacuum currently bedeviling the country. According to the State House permanent secretary, “The President has once again shattered the hopes and aspirations of Taiwan of getting admission to the UN. The VP is insignificant as far as world leaders are concerned because each country is represented by a president. This government has long been fooling Taiwan in the name of helping them with admission to the UN when they don't have the political clout to do that. Just last week, the Taiwanese government gave the Vice President millions of dollar in a bid to lure the Gambia to campaign for its admission at the UN General Assembly. The president has apparently refused to attend after eating their money. The funds given to the vice president were never declared to the Gambian people. So Taiwan's relations with the Gambia is with Yahya Jammeh and not the Gambian people.”

The Gambian vice president is currently being hosted in a hotel in New York city. Her presence in this country is likely to steer demonstrations from anti-Jammeh Gambians residing here who are likely to visit her at her hotel to register their dissatisfaction about the maladministration in the Gambia. The vice president might also be be grilled over her irresponsible statements of lies that students killed themselves even though it was as clear as crystal that state security men shot them in broad day light for merely exercising their constitutional rights to protest against the excesses of the dictatorship in Banjul, in April 2000.