Hon. Halifa; Is It Gratifying?

There have been claims made during the campaign season for the recently concluded National Assembly elections that if the parties to the Tactical Alliance approach did not win a combined majority in the National Assembly, then the Barrow-led coalition government will have an antagonistic assembly to contend with, which if challenged could impeach him. Are we witnessing a vindication of such claims just mere days after the process has ended?

Going by statements made by Halifa Sallah at his recent press conference, one could be forgiven for making such observations. Blame it on the choice of words or a misconstrued statement, but what he said is a statement of clear intent. And for a man so composed and so skilled at oratory, his words are always very carefully chosen and his statements cannot be easily passed off as gaffes at any time. I may be limited in my knowledge of his political life but I cannot recall reading anywhere that he ever retracted a public statement or apologized for having made a mistake in his choice of words. The point I am trying to make is that his words are always carefully chosen for precision, an asset to a politician.

Now, at the press conference, Halifa stated;

One problem that has been averted is the problem of threatening the executive in terms of legislative interventions. He said the National Assembly could pass a vote of no confidence on the executive but that could only be done with 2/3 majority. He said the 31 seats occupied by the United Democratic Party do not provide the legislative cloud to be able to threaten the executive. He said the same composition cannot give any particular party to make any Constitutional amendment without being passed by the 2/3 majority of the house members. However, he also said with the 31 seats of the UDP, if all of them refused to support any bill in the parliament then the other members cannot pass such bills. (www.standard.gm)

Why would it be a good idea to threaten the executive? Were there plans afoot to move a motion to pass a vote of no confidence and effect a change in leadership? The statement even calls into question the integrity of the members of the National Assembly, who Halifa assumes will not vote their conscience or the interest of the nation but will only vote along party lines. Why does the PDOIS have a Holier than Thou perspective on anything Gambian? The mere belief that only the PDOIS members are informed enough to put the national interest first is a fallacy and is lacking in humility; being a party member has already ingrained an ideology in you, the ideology you believe is the best for the country. Thinking that that is the only approach is insulting to the other stake holders at the very least. It is too soon to pass judgement on these members even before their first test. We should not be judges of character, just actions.

Less than three months after assuming office amidst the worst transition ever, it is disappointing to note that the main issue on Halifa’s mind is the length of time Barrow serves as president. For a man lauded as the Republican Constitutionalist of the highest order to speak of “injecting” a clause into the constitution in order to make the coalition MOU a constitutional instrument is disappointing too. Regarding the 3 year mandate as agreed upon by the coalition partners; he stated that constitutional amendments will be required in order to make legal Barrow’s resignation after 3 years. 

He stated; “But at the moment that provision is not in the Constitution therefore as it stands, Barrow has a 5 year term. But if it is injected in and he agrees then he would be able to resign after 3 years and presidential election would be held.” 

So what is the problem if the sacred constitution is not being infringed upon? Oh I get it, Barrow’s credibility. If Barrow decides to honor the terms of the MOU, that is commendable and will be welcome in many quarters. But if he decides to stay on to fulfill his constitutional mandate, the only dent that may be made will be to his image but the laws of the land will not be infringed upon in the slightest. That being the case let us focus on the institutional reforms and worry about crossing the 3 vs 5 year term bridge when we get to it.

Should we point to a lack of foresight at the drafting of the MOU or something sinister? If anyone else other than Barrow became the coalition flag bearer and subsequent president of the republic, could we say with certainty that there will be an “injection” into the 1997 constitution as is being advocated now? We can only speculate. One thing is clear though, Barrow was not an expected winner as flag bearer.

On the other hand, isn’t the whole debate around the appointment of the Vice President hinged on this notion of “injecting” clauses into the constitution to favor a certain approach; who was the loudest advocate against such a move? Suddenly it is convenient to tweak the constitution a little bit. By the way, in this specific situation, such an amendment will only be temporary because if all goes well we are not expecting another coalition of this nature. With a thriving democracy, which we aspire to; the political landscape will be ideal for healthy rivalry. The immoral law of setting an age cap on the other hand, will tackle discrimination in that sphere for good. But that is only looking to favor a certain individual which we cannot have, right?

And then comes my favorite; the political subterfuge hinged on fear mongering. We all know that across the political spectrum in The Gambia, everyone is in support of the introduction of presidential term limits as well as reforms to eliminate the simple majority first-past-the-post winner that currently obtains. So why is it constantly being drummed up in our ears that there is a potential for the reintroduction of tyranny/dictatorship or self-perpetuating rule? 

Halifa stated;

…the objective of the Coalition as far as PDOIS is concerned is to put an end to self-perpetuating rule and build a democracy which will allow the supreme Gambian people to make an undiluted choice of leadership. This is what directed PDOIS in terms of the National Assembly election so as to fulfill that three year mandate to be the bright example of how self-perpetuating rule would be amputated for good from the politics of this country. It was our conviction that if President Barrow leads the example of limiting his own term then no other leader will ever emerge again that will go beyond two terms,” 

In that regard wouldn’t the most important bill before members be the bill that introduces term limits for the president? Because in passing that bill, the problem will be solved once and for all, and FOREVER. In that statement too is the projection of the all too familiar PDOIS political grandstanding; alluding to the notion that without PDOIS in the National Assembly, such a feat could not be accomplished; that is mere speculation yet again; another way people feel insulted. The December 1^st 2016 choice that the supreme Gambian people made was undiluted. This is one reason why people are taking issue with Mr. Sallah’s statement that Gambia is yet to decide. The decision of December 1^st 2016 was probably the most important decision Gambians will ever make. The agenda was sold to remove Yahya, it was bought with no dilution. The same will be true in the new democratic dispensation, politicians sell their agenda and programs, voters buy those that appeal to them and in the process give mandate.

Here is my take; how many elections can The Gambia afford with her meager resources and dried out coffers? Part of the recommendations made by the election observers was to organize the Presidential and National Assembly elections in such a way that they coincide on the same day; this will save costs and reduce voter apathy. The turnout we now know is much lower for the National Assembly elections than was the case for the presidential elections.

So let’s say Barrow resigns in 3 years, 90 days later there are fresh Presidential elections in 2020, two years later there will be fresh National Assembly elections as the current mandate runs out in 2022. The next president’s mandate will run out in 2025, another 3 year period from the preceding National Assembly elections whose mandate lasts till 2027. Factor in the local government and council elections as well as the impending referendums to amend some of the entrenched clauses in the constitution; we are set to be going to the polls on an almost yearly basis. It is unsustainable, at some point someone else’s mandate has to be cut short or the constitution tweaked some more.

You prescribed a dose of humility for Barrow when you said “…the first humbling would have been to concede to the 3 year term agreed by the coalition…” this same dose I prescribe for you too Honorable Sir. I have no doubt that you mean well for The Gambia and her sovereign people and we Gambians owe you a debt of gratitude for your years of continued sacrifice and advocacy for our collective rights. But every once in a while it is a mark of humility to concede to popular will, especially when laws are not violated or rights impinged upon; we will get to that promised land but it is a gradual process and lots of concessions have to be made along the way.

We certainly do not want a rubber stamp assembly but the other extreme of that scenario that none seems to bother talking about is an antagonistic one that seeks to hinder every legislation out of spite, that too we do not want.

So I ask, is it gratifying to be the lone voice of opposition even when it seemingly is not necessary?

The Tribal Undertones Aren't So Subtle Anymore

“You can’t have an understanding with a man like that [Jawara]. He never means anything he says. He’s a liar. He’s a rascal – low born and low bred. You see, the PPP are all Mandinka people, and Mandinkas only understand money, meat and groundnuts. They are all lazy. Character and honor is meaningless to them.” This was P.S N’jie going on the record for a foreign journalist; Berkeley Rice to share his thoughts on the short-lived political “understanding” between his UP party and the PPP.

See, we have been here before, somehow in the midst of political disagreements tribe has a role to play and it’s always the Mandinkas that are to blame. Aside from the fact that an aspiring candidate for the presidency could hold such unsavory and bigoted views about a majority of the constituents he’s vying to lead, being so naïve as to lay at the feet of a western journalist that our post independent nation will crack along tribal lines was the perfect answer for his quest of proving that The Gambia was an improbable nation.

You can try to defend P.S N’jie as much as possible, or try to infer a different meaning from the above statement, but utter them he did! Either to gain a favored view from the colonial administration or position himself as the most honorable candidate can only be speculated upon, but his contempt for the Mandinkas was safe to share with a foreign journalist, or so he thought.

It could also be argued that his contemptuous view of the Mandinkas, who are mainly provincial, was reason enough for him to be okay with the status quo and not advocate for the extension of the franchise to the rest of The Gambia beyond what was termed the colony. The British thought of the Africans as lesser beings and so should lord over them as subjects. Limiting the franchise to the colony area was to perpetuate the colonial mindset and offset any resistance by creating the illusion of participatory democracy, where the privileged few like N’jie will not see the institution as being the bad omen that it was. This omen will be undone by the emergence on to the political scene of the Protectorate People’s Party.

An amalgamation of provincial natives who refused to yield to the status quo, advocated for the inclusion of all in the political process. This means extending the franchise to their provincial relatives who had hitherto been neglected and alienated from the political process of their homeland. A condition that was okay with the political elite of the colony area. The sustained and far reaching campaign for universal suffrage introduced Sir Dawda K. Jawara and the PPP to the sidelined Gambians who would embrace him and the party wholeheartedly and remain loyal for decades. This obviously put them at an unmatched advantage over the rest of the players and so their names and personalities won no favors.

Fast forward to the second republic; with no political experience or education for that matter, Yahya Jammeh knew from the onset that when the political space opened up, he stood little to no chance against the seasoned politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties of the first republic. With the potential of absolute power and a desire for wealth dangling before him, nothing was about to get in the way of his ambition and so he outlawed the participation of all political players from the first republic except the PDOIS duo in the political process that was due to start in 1996. This move disenfranchised and alienated all party supporters and sympathizers of the PPP, NCP and GPP; history on replay yet again. With their leaders barred from political participation and coupled with dormant structures, the parties were effectively dead leaving behind supporters with no one to turn to.

Lawyer Ousainou Darboe emerged on the political scene to fill a vacuum. His emergence would rally the supporters and sympathizers of these parties around him giving birth to the United Democratic Party. The UDP gave the people another choice besides the military junta. The party emerged from non-existence to pose the greatest threat to Yahya’s schemes. From that day on attempts to kill off the party were set in motion.

The lifting of the ban on the previously banned parties at subsequent elections was a move aimed at exploiting old loyalties in order to fragment the UDP to no avail. Intimidations, assault, jail terms, killings and disappearances all failed to dislodge the party. The people have proven, yet again that loyalty can be bought with care and consideration. When all else failed, claims of tribal motivation for the formation of the UDP emerged and had only been gaining momentum ever since. These accusations of tribal bigotry was for no otherr reason than to put the Mandinkas on the defensive and leave them with only one option; show your lack of tribal bias by denouncing the UDP in favor of another party, preferably the junta.

The narrative has not changed much from over fifty years ago. How a difference in approach and political ideology could warrant implications of tribal affiliations is beyond the comprehension of most.

Lawyer Ousainou Darboe, a man who gave it his all to see the restoration of democracy in The Gambia is suddenly the villain just because his party has a different view of things and wants to approach the next phase of our democracy in a manner not in conformity with what Halifa Sallah prefers?

Gambians, especially those with platforms need to move away from politics of personalities and be issue centered. There is no doubt, both Darboe and Halifa mean well for The Gambia, but because Darboe has a different approach means he deserves vilification, and by extension his tribe? How does one reconcile that? Actions, they say speak louder than words. Calling for ‘no tribalism’ whilst every statement and analysis on air is rife with veiled anti-Mandinka rhetoric is evidence to the contrary.

As much respect as Halifa deserves, unreservedly; he should not be sanctified as being beyond having the wrong approach. In a democratic space, criticism and differences of opinion is not tantamount to disrespect. An alternative view is always worth looking into for its merits and de-merits before being adopted or cast aside. It is safe to say, that Halifa coming out at the time he did and casting the UDP and NRP position in seemingly bad light before all the options are fully explored to a conclusive end,  has effectively poisoned the well putting those two parties on the defensive, that is wrong. And now the surrogates feel the need to attack, vilify, and insult the person of Ousainou Darboe for daring to hold a different view, where is the democracy we call to? And if we are being fair, why does Hamat Bah’s name and tribe not surface in the shouting matches and insults? It’s not as if the NRP is a drag along party of the UDP.

We can list all the sacrifices Halifa and the PDOIS made to help us to this point and it will be a long list. The same is true for Darboe and the UDP, so this is not a contest of who gave up more. But lest we forget, until his release from prison, the UDP had a leadership vacuum when Adama Barrow yielded to popular demand and resigned as party head of the UDP to run as an independent candidate to head the coalition. The UDP yielded away from their party led position, sacrificed a vacuum in the leadership of the party to see us through. The least we can do is to give them a chance to lay out their approach for contesting the National assembly elections and judge their position on its merits. That is what mature political discourse requires.

Let us use caution lest we create a political culture and a nation divided along ethnic lines in a manifestation of self-fulfilling prophecy. The Mandinka loyalty lie with The Gambia, if the only way to proof that is by embracing a non-Mandinka then we are asking for trouble. The veiled tribal bigotry and tribal undertones need to cease.

The Culmination Of Yahya Jammeh's Schemes - A Defeated Tyrant And A Nation United

Seeing the multitude of Gambians that thronged the streets; old and young, men and women, all visibly elated at the return of President Adama Barrow’s from Senegal is further testament to the relief the Gambians felt at seeing Yahya Jammeh’s back.  Just as it obtained during the campaign season leading up the elections of December 1^st 2016; Barrow out and about sees the largest convergence of Gambians for one cause. At first it was HOPE, now it is hope laced with CERTAINTY; certainty that they will finally live in peace and have the peace of mind that two decades of tyranny denied them. The welcoming crowd was arguably the largest ever recorded in recent Gambian political history. Onlookers and reporters alike were amazed at how much Adama Barrow means for The Gambia. The degree of love, hope, and expectations directed at him can only be matched by the love and support shown him by the average man, woman, and child. Watching from afar, one cannot help but be emotional and wish to have been there to be witness to history.

Adama Barrow; the unity candidate indeed has the support of a unified nation behind him. A nation, that up to his ascendance was divided and was growing further apart through the schemes of Yahya Jammeh.

Yahya’s politics has always been divisive on every front imaginable; political ideology, region, faith/religion, and most devastatingly; ethnic. Yahya drove a wedge between some hardliners in his Jola ethnic group especially and the rest of the Gambia, but more so between those blind tribal loyalists and the Mandinka that he openly branded as his enemies and enemies on to the other tribes as well. In fact his politics was everyone against the Mandinka ethnic group; a group that constitute over 40% of the Gambian population. Every opponent of substance that Yahya faced emerged from the Mandinka tribe, beyond that, Yahya dabbled in the oracle and strongly believes in ancient African religions. It is claimed that the oracle prophesized that his successor would be from the Mandinka tribe and understandably so since they are the largest constituency in the country and are active in politics and seeking political office.

The Gambian people never attached so much importance to their ethnic groupings or tribe that they’d shun others. The relationships have always been cordial and mutually respectful. In fact, between the tribes of the Gambia, there exist joking relations, akin to the Dozens where sentiments expressed are taken jokingly to promote social cohesion. Inter-marriage was prevalent and as a result, every single Gambian has some familial relationship to at least one other tribe. But to Yahya, there was too much political capital to let pass, and for a novice like him in politics, anything goes since force will not always work. He has effectively driven a wedge between sections of his native Jola and the Mandinka especially just for personal gains.

But the Gambian people are better than that and they rose above it overwhelmingly, even his kinsmen rejected his stance. Fear of reprisals kept some at his side and unfortunately, he convinced others among his kinsmen that it’s them against everyone else.

Every major security outfit has a Jola as its head or second in command. The army, the Republican Guards, National Intelligence Agency, the Prison Services, and a host of other government departments and parastatals are all headed by his kinsmen. Qualified and competent individuals are sidelined, especially if they are Mandinka. With such divisiveness being strengthened, especially in public where he, as a sitting president verbally attacks and threatens the Mandinka with extermination, the nation rose in unity and repelled such poisonous utterances and alien philosophy. What emerged was a true representation of Gambian diversity, a prove of Gambian brotherhood as attested to in the national anthem; … And Join Our Diverse People To Prove Man’s Brotherhood... Born to a Fula mother, a Mandinka father, with Sarahule ancestry and Wolof upbringing, Adama Barrow is the convergence of The Gambia in one man and he will deliver The Gambia from the oppressive and divisive rule of Yahya Jammeh.

When Adama Barrow emerged on the political scene by stepping into the leadership fold of the United Democratic Party (UDP) after Lawyer Ousainou Darboe and the rest of the executive were jailed, Yahya knew that he faces a challenge that he has never faced in his two decades of tyranny. So close to the election, so unexpected, and with so much angst about recent events; he was at a loss as to how to contain this new threat. Adama Barrow was hardly known outside of the executive circle of the UDP and he was a man Yahya never saw coming. With his emergence, ordinary citizens and politicians alike saw an opportunity to, in a way, return the favor to Lawyer Ousainou Darboe for his years of sacrifice and to declare Solo Sandeng, without any ambiguity; a martyr for The Gambian cause whose death would not be in vain. It would never be business as usual for Yahya and the APRC. And so it was that a revolution was born. Here is a movement that will send a tyrant scampering and frantically looking for life lines to no avail; a movement that in the end sent him into exile to live under another dictatorship in Equatorial Guinea.

Gambians reclaimed their country for good. The sub-region, the continent of Africa, and the world stand with the Gambians to see their mandate upheld. With Adama Barrow and the coalition, A NEW GAMBIA IS BORN.

A democratic Gambia;

A unified Gambia;

A Gambia of sovereign citizens;

A politically aware Gambia, and with its birth, the emergence on the political scene of a generation of young, energetic, determined, fearless, ambitious and informed youth who will not be silenced, EVER AGAIN.

FORWARD EVER, BACKWARD NEVER.

God speed, and may the Divine guide you and your team to a more prosperous and tolerant Gambia.

Welcome home Mr. President.

Yahya Jammeh’s Schemes To Cling Unto Power And His Downfall

Earning the people’s trust was a critical component of setting the stage for Yahya’s takeover of everything Gambian. How did he do that? Yahya Jammeh capitalized on our highly held Gambian values to serve his needs and then turned them on their heads. He will use our religion and religious leaders, use our elders and community leaders, our griots and their customs, sports, farming, traditional beliefs; everything Gambian had to go to work for Yahya Jammeh, literally.

With his goals set in his mind from the onset, he plotted against an entire nation whose trust he earned and set about to use it against them. In order to stave off any challengers come election time when the transition ends, he filled the Gambian airwaves with unfounded claims of how corrupt the officials of the former government were, how they never meant well for anyone but themselves and their families, dragged them in front of commissions with claims of making them accountable for all their past mal-administration. The stage was set for ridiculing our elders and we entertained it. We will play witness to many more similar cases throughout the next 22 years. Elders in Gambian society are held in very high esteem, almost to the point of reverence, but with Yahya Jammeh, this value will be cast aside for his selfish interest. Embarrassing an elder in public is worse than death and to avoid such embarrassment, a great majority of them will hold their opinions to themselves, and the few that get put in the spotlight will side with him on whatever stance he takes, granted there were those whose personal ambitions and coveting for favors will seek them through sycophancy and cuddling up to Yahya out of their own will.

Every time he mounted the podium, Yahya will not fail to call out the former government officials for all the ills of the country and their immense failures in delivering to the Gambian people. Thirty years of thievery as he would put it was meaningless and that Gambia became truly independent on July 22^nd 1994. Over the years, 18^th February will be stripped of all meaning except for being a public holiday, this was the day in 1965 when The Gambia became independent from British rule, to Yahya both the first republic and the colonial administration were the same, only difference was that the British were worse. Despite the historical inaccuracies, he’d claim that the British, who ruled The Gambia for “over four hundred years”, plundered our resources and left nothing for Gambians but two hospitals and two high schools.

The character assassinations of former public servants, the tough talking against imperialism, and the promise of a modern city state within a few years were all aimed at selling himself to the people; he was the ‘savior’ the nation had been waiting for. In the process, he branded himself a pan African for a larger African audience, which is why he dresses in the manner he does.

But with the already stated promise of going back to the barracks hanging over his head and the old guard politicians waiting to make a comeback since the commissions of inquiry didn’t find a great majority of them culpable for any embezzlement, the strongman persona and pan African branding was not going to suffice. His next move had to be staged in order to not be caught in a lie. 

In came the elders to ‘plead’ with him to resign from the army and contest the upcoming elections as a civilian on account of the numerous development projects he accomplished in a short time of two years. Groups flocked to State House on an almost weekly basis all pleading for the same cause and sure enough, GRTS was on hand to make sure the citizens heard and saw it all. Of course now we know it was all staged thanks to some politically shrewd allies out for their own gains. Prior to the staging of these calls for him to resign, he had to clean the space and make it receptive to his candidature.

With no political experience, or education for that matter, he knew from the onset that when the political space opened up, he stood little to no chance against the seasoned politicians from both the ruling and opposition parties of the first republic. And so he outlawed their participation in the political process that was due to take place in 1996, after the mandated transition period. The political space was open to all except a targeted few, who we now know posed the real threats against whom he stood no chance against.

He targeted anyone who ever held a Presidential or Prime Ministerial position in the first republic (Jawara) was unqualified. Anyone who ever held a Vice Presidential position in the first republic (S.M. Dibba, A.M. Camara, B.B. Darbo) was unqualified. Anyone who ever held a ministerial position in the first republic (which was a parliamentary system, meaning Ministers can serve as parliamentarians as well), was unqualified. Every son and daughter of the Gambia who was known in the political space at a national level was suddenly unqualified except two (Halifa Sallah and Sidia Jatta). Overtures were made to the PDOIS leaders to serve in the cabinet of the junta after much praise was showered on them in the public space in those two years leading up to 1996. But principled as they are, and constitutional politicians that they are, the junta was no place for a republican, they turned down all offers and so they earned the wrath of the council.

One cannot help but wonder, if the tempo in the country was such that Yahya was guaranteed victory at the elections for the numerous 'developments' he accomplished, why ban all who fall in the above category? Truth is they were seasoned politicians, they were well known and popular and having them run against Yahya meant the end of his reign. The people by now realized that Yahya and co were no 'soldiers with a difference' just another wannabe tyrants. This move essentially killed the competition and Yahya look set to rule another five years with no one to stand in his way; or so he thought.

With evidence mounting in front of keen eyes that Yahya was setting himself up to be a long term ruler, the alarm bells rang out loud. An unlikely candidate then emerged on the scene and a shadow loomed over Yahya’s ambition.  Lawyer Ousainou Darboe up to that time, was a lawyer and a well-known one at that; qualified and capable to lead the fight for the restoration of democracy became the rallying candidate for all the disenfranchised supporters of the old guard, both opposition and ousted ruling parties. He took the fight to Yahya Jammeh and the crowd that followed him was overwhelming and was large enough to deliver the win for the 1996 election, in fact he was widely acclaimed to have won those elections, but with the might of the military behind him open intimidation and rigging were used to deny the Gambian people their will. Ever since that close call, Lawyer Ousainou Darboe and the United Democratic Party (UDP) became targets to be neutralized. But such a move had to be covert and the laws would once again be doctored to favor Yahya. First, the banned politicians had their ban lifted, this move was to fracture the UDP because it was hoped the supporters of the banned parties and politicians will flock back to their parties and candidates. in a simple majority system, this tips the balance in favor of the APRC. The second move was the institution of age limits for any aspiring presidential candidate while eliminating term limits.

But a party as big as the UDP does not look personality centered, so all likely successors need to be purged out of the party; M.L. Shyngle Nyassi, Femi Peters (effective political strategists) were arrested, jailed and tortured on several occasions to instill fear into the party to no avail. Not so stoic or principled was Ousman Rambo Jatta, who became youth mobilizer but ended up switching allegiances for political favors.  Amadou Sanneh, qualified enough to replace Ousainou Darboe as party leader became a target and would eventually be jailed on frivolous charges beyond the electoral season, but the UDP just won’t die. So in typical military strongman style, he chose to show how far he would go to stop the UDP once and for all by arresting and torturing to death Solo Sandeng, the youth mobilizer of the party for being bold enough to speak up for electoral reform to ensure a level playing field.

When news of his death in custody emerged, Yahya knew that Ousainou Darboe and the UDP will not sit about and do nothing, and he was right. Being the leader that he was, Ousainou Darboe summoned his entire executive and held a press conference to alert the nation to the happenstances and what their response would be. They would emerge from that press conference, arm in arm marching towards the police station in which Solo Sandeng was reportedly taken to demand his release, chanting “We need Solo Sandeng; dead or alive.” Sure enough, Yahya and his oppressive machinery were waiting and the entire executive of the main opposition UDP were pounced upon and thrown in jail. This was in April 2016, and with elections due in December 2016, the court case was sure to drag past December. Delighted at his fait accompli, he was sure the UDP was dead and buried. Yet again, Yahya would be proven dead wrong.

It would seem he had underestimated the will and determination of Gambians in general, and the UDP in particular. What happened next will again shock Yahya to the core of his being, and rightly so. Solo Sandeng, was a martyr after all, and Yahya would wish he had never touched him or the UDP so heavy handedly.

This move drove a wedge between Yahya and the fence-sitting Gambians by exposing his oppressive nature in broad daylight to which Gambians are not accustomed, even those in denial, or claiming legality to shield his excesses, took a pause and had to rethink their position. The next move was unanticipated and would spell disaster and an end for Yahya and his cabal.

To be continued.....

Why Yahya Does Not Want To Leave

When a 29 year old army lieutanaunt and his cohorts stormed the Gambian national stage uninvited in 1994, the reason was to fulfill their oath to “defend the Gambia from enemies both domestic and foreign.” The PPP government of Sir Dawda Jawara that led The Gambia to independence in 1965 was that enemy within. They accused them of “rampant corruption and living flamboyant lifestyles.”

Thirty years they say was too long for anyone to be in power and so they came to rid the Gambia of corruption and bad governance. A day is a long time in politics it is said, but what two decades would come to reveal is the stuff of legends.

The self-styled “soldiers with a difference” set out to launch the Gambia into the modern age with a transition government built on Accountability, Transparency, and Probity.” The skeptics amongst the citizens who know what military governments mean doubted their claims; a bold face promise was made that “We will never introduce dictatorship in this country.” Evidence to the contrary we are all witness to.

What became clear was that Yahya Jammeh never wanted to leave power and immediately set about consolidating himself. The toughest challenge he’d have to contend with was the military, so he purged the army of officers and men who posed the greatest threat to his ambitious plan. November 11^th, 1994 was the first such incidentf incidents to follow in a series.

Coming to power at a time when self-imposed governments were frowned upon the world over, he needed the Gambian populace on board with his transition plans to ensure that donor money is not entirely cut off. He pretended to bend to popular will when the National Consultative Committee was set up to gauge the feeling of the populace on the four year transition proposal they submitted, after which they promised to go back to the barracks. Popular will demanded two years, to which the council agreed, winning over a few more hearts by that show of seemingly genuine desire to vacate power. And so the population gave support and a helping hand in steering the affairs of state through the transition. Civilians filled up most of the cabinet positions, and so diplomatic tensions were eased a little more.

With this new found trust, he set his plans in motion to self-perpetuate and no one will stand in his way. The first show of defiance to the evil machinations of Yahya Jammeh and his council members was met with brute force; Ousman Koro Ceesay paid the ultimate price for refusing to agree to help pull the wool over the eye of the Gambians. Fellow council members; officers in the army and other security outfits; journalists; civil society organizations; politicians; lawyers; trade unions; student organizations; etc. all constitute elements of threat to his ambitious plan, so they had to be contained.

The Vice Chairman of the council, who it was said had a large force of loyalists in the army, was framed and jailed alongside the Spokesman for the Council, who’d later die under mysterious circumstances while in custody. His replacement, another army officer and currently one of the loudest mouths casting doubts in the minds of Gambians; Ebou Jallo, absconded with millions of dollars still unaccounted for. The army was thrown into disarray with new promotions, demotions, re-assignments and new positions, coup and counter coup accusations; suddenly job security became their primary concern.

Meantime, the clock was ticking on the two year mandate; a plan had to be devised. The plot to deceive the Gambian people enmass has to be perfected, and what better way than to put them to sleep while indoctrinating them, and what better tool to that effect than the TV – show and tell. And so GRTS was born. The first, and up to this day; only television station in The Gambia.

Steve Biko said; “The greatest weapon in the hand of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed.”

In his pursuit of power and money, Yahya Jammeh will have to oppress the Gambians into submission. People purchased TV sets, eager to see their own on TV, they got glued to their TV sets; the perfect distraction.  Every project commissioning, every state visit, every farm visit, every weekend retreat, every birthday; GRTS was on hand to broadcast to an entranced audience. What they never showed was how much the national debt was building up and how much Yahya’s personal fortunes were growing by; the perfect cover. 

Up to this day GRTS serves no other purpose than to be Yahya’s mouthpiece, a propaganda bullhorn that reaches every household in the Gambia. Yahya Jammeh’s every move was televised, accompanied by pomp and fanfare, the people fell in love with their oppressor. Losing that personal fortune, and the exposure of the crimes (including killings) committed to amass it, that is what is at risk right now and that fear and uncertainty has brought out the serpent within, and he is ready to bite. 

The lady that composed the tune used on the campaign trail was indeed right…Yahya "wurata"!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yON4IBO2uPY

Understanding The Mind Of Yahya Jammeh

I have stated it before, if we do not understand Yahya Jammeh’s tactics, we play right into his hands. For over two decades it has been the same tactic replayed over and over and over again. Those familiar with it will see the theory of philosopher Georg Wilheim Friedrich Hegel at work, it is known as the Hegelian Dialectic.

The technique works in three steps as follows:
Create a problem
Generate a reaction
Propose a solution
In the original work the author referred to these stages as
Thesis  - create a problem.
Antithesis - generate a reaction, usually opposition to the problem (fear, panic and hysteria).
Synthesis - offer the solution to the problem created by step one.
This solution or change could not have been implemented or imposed on the people in anyway unless they are properly conditioned psychologically to accept the change, and this is why step 1 and 2 are critical, for without them step 3 will be impossible to come to.

Let's apply this to our Gambian situation as it plays in Yahya Jammeh’s mind starting from step 3 backwards.

Step 3. Solution to the current political situation in The Gambia (Synthesis) - arrest and detain the coalition leadership, possibly kill them while in detention (death in detention).

This scenario will be impossible without a ‘just cause’. It will be unacceptable to any Gambian as well as the international community and friends of The Gambia. So how can it be achieved with minimal condemnation and resistance especially from the army? Enter step 2.

Step 2. Generate a reaction from the opposition camp and their supporters that could justify arresting them. under the justification that they were inciting violence and compromising the ‘peace and stability’ of The Gambia. This is the antithesis to the problem that is about to be conceived. So in his mind, he’s thinking what can we do to make them panic, be fearful or hysterical, because if we can get them to that stage, we can force them to react on impulse. That reaction will be enough justification of arrest under the pretext of inciting violence and compromising the ‘peace and stability’ of The Gambia. With that, Yahya can impose a state of emergency and subvert the will of the people. What better way to do that without any insinuations than get the coalition supporters and preferably their leaders out on the streets in protest to some decision or proposal…. Enter the problem; Step 1.

Step 1. Create a problem! This stage is where Yahya Jammeh has been stuck in since December 9th, and like a scratched CD, he can't proceed to the next step. This is where one owes respect to the coalition leadership and the Gambians on the ground, especially the youth, for their maturity and level-headedness.

When Yahya came on TV to announce his “rejection in totality” of the final election results as declared by the IEC a week earlier, to which he conceded defeat, he was expecting mass hysteria and  angry reactions from the people and their leadership, what he got was shock and disbelief from some quotas, even fear; but the response was calculated. The people looked to their leaders for answers and we saw the maturity that was displayed.

What follows were negotiations,and counter-negotiations and still he wouldn’t budge just to escalate it into a no-hope situation and finally get the reaction from the people. This is why he refused to listen to the ECOWAS and UN envoys as high-powered as they were, stage 2 is still not attained. The coalition leadership spoke and the people listened, he grew impatient. The  CDS on TV, the visit from religious leaders and the ‘elders from Foni’ were all a tactic to render the situation hopeless, still no reaction. Boy you’ve got to love the Gambians. What on earth could provoke the reaction sought…..

“Pull down those #Gambia Has Decided posters and put my face back up, that will dampen their spirits and the war horns will sound” he thought. That didn’t happen. It is pretty obvious that if anyone tries to bring his ugly face down again, they will be arrested for destroying ‘public property’ or some other silly charge. This arrest will inspire a show of brotherhood and solidarity which could manifest itself in some form of protest and then BINGO! That didn’t happen, cooler heads and mature leadership owned the day. By now he is fuming, summons the IGP.

IGP ‘observed that some people are moving in convoys posing risk to other road users and that henceforth all convoys will have to have a permit to ply the roads.’ With this statement/edict who comes to mind; President-elect Adama Barrow who attended Friday prayers in a convoy last week. Weekend over, first order of business: New Rule.

As many implications as there can be to this,  one thing is clear;  the people are bound to feel disrespected and angry to such bold face disregard for their rights and their choice and hence some reaction may be forthcoming. It is undeniable, that all that Yahya is seeking at this point is to get a REACTION out of the people in opposition to his pronouncements directly or through his lap dogs. Gambians though, I am proud to say are generally  not impulsive,  and that is getting on his last nerves and he is at the cliff edge right now running out of ideas. So his next move is likely to be impulsive, uncalculated and stupid, but he might have yet another trick up his dirty sleeve. He is a fool, but an informed fool with clever, slimy and conniving alibis.

But Hon. Halifa Sallah said it best; Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain... Yahya Jammeh. The leadership is capable, competent, and mature. Let’s follow their lead no matter how provocative the situation, no matter how justified our reaction to Yahya’s shenanigans may seem. All he is seeking is some REACTION, any reaction. Let's not give him the pleasure and watch him chew his fingers off in frustration.

This is why if you listen closely to Hon. Halifa’s speeches, he emphasizes the LANGUAGE COMING FROM THE COALITION LEADERSHIP. This is to tell the audience that take note, we won’t speak any provocative language; never have, and neither will we invite our followers to REACT in an inappropriate way. We are constitutional and we will abide by the constitution which means recognizing that Yahya’s mandate is still valid. They saw him coming a thousand miles away, but the fool, ndeysan….
Bob Marley said: In the abundance of water, the fool is thirsty!

Stay calm people,  superior minds always prevail,  the pros are at the wheel. On that note, let us shift our focus away from Yahya Jammeh unto the NEW GAMBIA and what we want to make of it.

#NewGambia
#GambiaHasDecided