BABILIMANSA; THE VENGEFUL EGOMANIAC

Back in 2009 at the launching of the Q-Cell head office on Kairaba, sitting in the audience I can still clearly recall getting angry and barely being able to contain that anger when I heard Yaya say something along these line;

“When I say that the sky is the limit for the Gambians, I mean it. I must add that if you get to within a few meters of the sky, wait for me to get there first since I am your president.”

“This is a beautiful building; I challenge Muhammed Jah to build a similar one in Medina (Niumi). Come to Kanilai next year, there will be an even taller building.” These statements of course are paraphrased, meaning the words did not flow in that exact sequence but the meaning has not been lost even after all these years.

I was not at the launch of Q-City but I bet similar sentiments were not expressed in that the president did not see himself as being in competition with industrious citizens whose entrepreneurial skills have paid off.

Why am I making this frame of reference? Having seen very recent pictures and videos on social media presenting Banjul and the sorry state it is in; another aspect of Yaya’s vengeful nature is exposed yet again. Yaya is typifies the classic egomaniac, but more than that he has been consumed by hate and jealousy for most if not all of his life. Here was a man whose ultimate goal for seizing power was to unleash misery and suffering on innocent people because he blamed society at large for his humble beginnings and the misfortunes that such a life wrought. Remember his attitude towards former officials of the PPP government; the continuous reference to their “flamboyant lifestyle” and how they beat their chest accompanied by “do you know who I am” scenarios he referenced? That was the hate in him speaking and henceforth his mission was; I go show them peppeh! Sadly, “them” became every Gambian he viewed as a threat to his primitive mode of consumption. “When they were practicing their dirimo-cracy you benefitted and now you want to challenge ME?” That right there embodies Yaya’s whole outlook on opposition and dissent. To the Banjulians he said “now it is time for you to taste what the rest of us have been enduring our entire lives.”

This attitude also, in part explains the neglect of Banjul. You see, Yaya may be primitive, but he is shrewd. Yaya knew very well that Banjul, or at least Banjulians benefitted the most under Sir Dawda; remember he was close to that seat of power and was very abreast with the comings and goings within the corridors of power. He will sweet talk the capital into aligning with him but in his mind he was plotting to take everything away from them, unless some direct benefit was in it for him. We dare even go a little further and claim that the roads he built were partly a political bait but partly because he needed to travel on them. That may be a stretch but by now we have wizened up to know that we should never put anything past him as being incapable of. Look at the Arch, a monument he dedicated to himself and only he drove under it for the longest time. 

An egotist like Yaya likes to bask in his own perceived grandeur; just take a closer look at his lifestyle and choices of material objects. I bet he drives on those roads, have those street lights shone on him and thinks to himself, "wow I definitely made it." Those items all served as reminders to him, who he was before July 22, 1994 and who he became. “Dekka bi maako morm” sums it all up for us. When he inaugurated those street lights he claimed them to be his and categorically stated that any driver who accidentally veers into one of them will pay for it. Even his investments in Kanilai were just for him, he enjoyed having people grovel at this feet and having the power to either give them or turn them away. Yaya’s whole attitude was to thump his chest and say “I am the guy.” And since no one else can claim such or be seen to be of similar status as him, his colleague council members had to be eliminated, humiliated, or rendered irrelevant, all hail Yaya the mighty Babilimansa!

So those claiming that “this is how Yaya started and became a dictator”; in reference to President Barrow, take a closer look and you will see that from the get go, Yaya was never well meaning or well intent. Yaya was a vengeful egomaniacal tyrant. Ask those who knew him from childhood and through his adult life and you’ll see a man full of himself. Even in the Gendarmerie, his mates will tell you he took pleasure in “punishing” arrestees which included beatings; the man likes to exert authority and likes being on top.

Seeing folks trying to paint a saintly picture of benevolence go to show how misunderstood Yaya the man was, he is a case study for psychologists. Or are such attempts at drawing similitudes with President Barrow out of insincerity and selfishness? I am not saying President Barrow is perfect, incorruptible or beyond reproach, but going so far as saying there is no difference between him and Yaya is a manifestation of ignorance as to who Yaya really was, or that one does know who Yaya was but out of some personal motive tries to make comparisons where none exists.

With an independent city council about to emerge, the Mayoress will have all of the tax money collected in Banjul used to give a face lift to the city and hopefully with a generous augmentation from the central government.

This was just a simple reminder, a dedication lest we forget! We will NEVER forget.

WHY ARE OUR RURAL COMMUNITIES ONLY GOOD FOR BOOSTING VOTE COUNTS?

One thing we are hopeful the current dispensation will accomplish better than the previous one is delivering the goods to the poor rural communities of the Gambia, after all President Barrow rode on the back of their support and sacrifice to get to the State House. Picking up where the PPP government of Sir Dawda left off, in terms of agricultural development and expanding the benefits to include all aspects of national development. The days of bundling packages up and delivering them to the poor without their input are over, it is time to listen to and address their needs as is specific to them. The elitist mentality of “we know what’s good for you so we decide for you” will no longer be the norm. The ‘elites’ and the entire governance structure are the children, the people are the parents, in traditional African terms we know what that means.

In the very recent past, we hear of stories where rural communities had their livelihood in the form of livestock and grains scraped off entirely in the middle of the night never to be traced. With no other sources of income or sustenance, these poor villagers are left to fend for themselves. Amidst all the neglect, they remain true and loyal to their country, time to give back to them their fair share of the proverbial national cake.

What is glaringly evident and not the focus of a lot of discussions surrounding the issue of security is the complete absence of law enforcement personnel and outfits in our rural communities, almost entirely; communities whose citizens are not spared from contributing their hard earned monies into the national coffers out of which these institutions are funded. This is in addition to the lack of basic amenities needed for a decent standard of living; clean water, access to healthcare, food security, etc. and yet they remain good loyal citizens.

Gone are the days when we can rely on good community cohesiveness to not even think about crime. It is a different generation now, and with entrenched poverty and a widening gap between the poor and the rich, who proudly flaunt their ‘wealth’ without care for the conditions of the former; crime will continue to be on the rise unfortunately. What with the very institution that ensured good community relations and served as arbiters in times of conflict being under assault?

When it is said that “It takes a village to raise a child!”, we live that in rural Gambia, or should I say lived? The institution of the village head and heads of kaabilolu (Council of elders) have been stripped off of their traditional roles and politicized to the extent that we are now talking about electing Alkalolu which will further divide the already polarized communities. If the current trend continues, we are headed for gloomier days ahead. Empowering that institution and re-assigning some of the politically assigned functions is one way to go, but more importantly, provide security for rural communities.

How are these communities supposed to have their grievances resolved if the nearest police station is miles away? So unserved that the children and elderly tremble in fear for seeing a uniformed personnel and yet we claim they are citizens being served by their government.

Every community deserves the presence of law enforcement even if it be informal. Within the various security outfits today, there are personnel from all corners of the country, why must they serve in the urban areas and other far flung corners of the country while their own people are left at the mercy of thieves and armed robbers? Yes, crime may be higher and more sophisticated in the cities than in the rural areas, but does that make the villagers any less deserving of our collective protection and service? Why can’t the city dwellers enroll in the service and be the vanguards of the security of their own areas? Policing is better done by those familiar with the area, where the hotspots for trouble are and what sort of crimes to expect.

What is meant here is that the police recruiting process should be reformed such that career days are a regular occurrence in secondary schools across the country where citizens are encouraged to enroll, trained as police officers by the national police force and then deployed back to their communities to police their local areas. Similar requirements should in fact be made for teachers, agricultural field workers, and medical personnel. People will sympathize more with their kin than they would being deployed to areas where they have no affinity to the locals other than executing a task.  Of course there is the tendency for corrupt practices and complacency but measures to avert them could also be developed, this is where technocrats can put their expertise to use.

These officers will be quickest at spotting any unusual or clandestine activities within their areas; and with very porous borders, these are very likely and could go unnoticed until it is too late. In the big cities and urban centers, instead of police officers reporting to barracks for non-existent work, they could be mounted on bikes patrolling the streets armed with short range radios for back up calling and basic self-defense gadgets. This will limit the use of motorized vehicles to rapid response emergencies only, thereby cutting on the fuel costs of the department. These officers should also be from the areas they are assigned whereby they wake up in the morning and go to work in the community. Incidents of torture and police brutality will be a thing unheard of if we take into consideration the social dynamics of the country. Unnecessary arrests will be averted because the officer knows who to let off with caution and who to ‘contain’ easing the burden on state resources.

Knowing there are police officers on almost every street corner; hanging out at attaya vous; on 24 hour patrols, will minimize incidences of crime and criminality as well as safe children’s lives from reckless driving. Trained, experienced and skilled police officers can determine what contingencies and best practices need to be put in place to make this strategy effectively work.

Being deployed to far flung corners of the country may be a deterrent to many from joining the force, but being asked to be in charge of protecting and securing your own locality could be a motivating recruiter. The cost associated with rent and other costs that come with being deployed can be cut significantly both at the institutional as well as personal level. This is also more feasible than the numerous check points around the country. A local command center (station) should be located within so many kilometers of each other where officers will report to for daily briefings and assignments. At the end of their shift, they go back to base and give written or recorded reports that could be transcribed into written records from which a crime database could be developed to help law enforcement in their policy formulation and resource allocation.

One of my late father’s favorite admonishments was to say; “Use a corn stalk as a cane until you can lay your hands on a bamboo stick.” Meaning; what you have may not be ideally suited or even undesirable, but hold on to it until you find something better. This is how systems are built to as close to perfection as possible. With all the flaws that this approach will reveal, the technocrats can brainstorm and come up with ways to remedy such flaws, and with time a functional, professional and dedicated force can be built. Watch any western movie and recall the days of the town sheriff and his deputies, that is what gave birth to SWAT and all the law enforcement elites in western democracies. With all their shortcomings and biases, the system is operational and responsive.

We do not need a perfect system to start; let us work with what we have and build on it. We are unique and so our methods should be unique to us. We do not need to tear down our social fabric in order to enforce the law. Sometimes all that is needed is redirection in a compassionate way to have somebody comply with the law. This will be Community Policing at its best.

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.

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

How To Defeat A Tyrant

The Gambia, little Gambia that one of my Ghanaian friends calls “Gambia Village” has done it to the collective delight and admiration of most Africans. Determination, mass mobilization, and grassroots engagement are the watchwords. Above all, a sustained and relentless push back from the diaspora Gambians, who for the longest time have refused to be silent about the oppression in their native land. They were called ‘Cyber/Keyboard Warriors’, but through their sustained campaign, they showed that the pen (keyboard in this case) is mightier than the sword (guns in this case).

In Africa, we are accustomed to corrupt leaders and corrupt systems that are sustained by brute force, intimidation, torture and extra judicial killings. The cycle only changes with another military coup and a then the repeat button is hit again. With the exception of very few countries, we as a people do not see hope in the democratic process for instituting change. With the state machinery at their disposal, incumbents hardly ever lose elections in Africa, and so the citizens have resigned their fate to enhancing the status quo through voter apathy, but in fact people power always reigns supreme if unity is sought.

The Gambian experience is unique in that regard. Here was a man who overthrew a democratically elected government and set the stage for self-perpetuation which lasted 22 years. With the state machinery fully at his disposal, dissent was entirely suppressed, people with political capital and popularity banned from contesting elections under the guise of preventing the ‘old guard’ from assuming power and bringing back the corrupt old ways, or simply claiming age limits as a constitutional, rubber stamped by his ‘national assembly’. With the electoral commission fully sponsored by the state and the constitution reformed to eliminate term limits and institute simple majority as rule, with a divided opposition and a very short (few days) political campaign window, the stage was set for repeat wins at the polls. And so it was until this year (2016), when with immense pressure from the citizens, especially the diaspora Gambians that opposition unity was achieved.

With the odds stacked against them in every way and a total media blackout, the online radios took the airwaves, the voice and SMS call apps (WhatsApp and Viber), Facebook and Twitter, were used to set up ‘command centers’ and information exchange platforms. Calls for funding were constantly sounded and most importantly the need to not be intimidated but to get out and vote. All these efforts, coupled with the opposition caravans on the ground doing house to house calls, literally; culminated in a shock defeat for a 22 year entrenched dictator.

The Gambia was dealing with a dictator skilled at his trade. He unilaterally decided to rescind the country’s membership of both the Commonwealth and the International Criminal Court (ICC), declared the country and ‘Islamic Republic’, and was actively campaigning to wrench sovereignty from the people and reside it in himself by declaring the country a monarchy. Many observers saw this election as the last election in The Gambia prior to the declaration of a monarchy by Yahya Jammeh.

But the Gambian people, emboldened by the sacrifices of the main opposition party leader and his executive, as well as countless other Gambians, fearful of a new mandate that could see the country slide down the path to civil strife with the president’s utterances against the largest ethnic group; the Mandinka, that many saw as insults, they came out in droves to declare their dissatisfaction with the status quo. With a resounding NO, they declared their determination to end tyranny. This, with a steady, brave and united leadership saw the defeat of a tyrant unwilling to let go of power no matter the cost.

To this generation and the upcoming generation of Gambian, no one can convince them that their vote does not count. The greatest achievement of all these efforts was the unity of purpose and the political awakening of a generation. With this win, the Gambia is set to never allow any leader to overstep his or her mandate ever again, people power is real and when harnessed, it brings about lasting positive change.

In little Gambia, the will of the people shall rule henceforth, for the vanguards who fought such a hard battle are watching. The Smiling Coast smiles again and with that beaming smile, every African nation whose citizens are forced to submit to the whims of a tyrant can see hope and every tyrant should see an example of what an emboldened  people, determined to reclaim their sovereignty are capable of.

                                                                                                    

Let Your Voice Be Heard - VOTE!

As the campaign officially kicks off today, it is imperative that we remind each other of what is at stake for The Gambia and her peoples. This is especially so for those inclined to maintaining the status quo.

The past five years have added to the list of victims of tyranny; families who never saw the victimization coming, worse some even denied it altogether calling people names for simply daring to speak out against oppression. Falling victim to such oppression themselves gave them a new perspective.

It used to be that the government and its various agencies would deny a certain wrong by feigning ignorance, or pacify discontent with promises to look into a situation of concern to the citizens but not follow through, or simply make up a story in an attempt to ease people’s concerns. Now we see open admission to wrong doing and criminal acts with no consequence because the state has amassed so much power it no longer holds the citizenry in any regard. It is a classic case of I did it, so what? This is a dangerous trend that should make any right thinking person stop and reflect on what such a trend could lead to. It should especially make one reflect on what future will be bequeathed to the next generation, a generation whose lives are being shaped today.

Logic and reason is needed in every human endeavor. What has been promised from July 22^nd 1994 to now, what has been delivered on and what has not? This is an assessment that is devoid of any biases and can be done by all. Instead of accusing people of tribalism, or being unpatriotic, use as a yardstick the utterances made by the state against the actions it took. You can come to your own conclusion as to the reason why there are discrepancies, but discrepancies you will find; a lot.

When the current president came to power, he emphatically stated that thirty years is too long for anyone to be in power; that was a principled statement. You could argue that he changed his position based on people’s request, but no matter the reason, compromising on a principled stance is an indication of insincerity. With a new mandate, he will be at the helm for twenty seven years by the time it legally expires, tethering on the thirty year threshold he so passionately spoke out against.

If your reason for voting to maintain the status quo is because a lot of 'developments' have been registered compared to the past administration; then there are two critical questions you need to ask yourself. What does ‘development’ mean to you and what is your measure of ‘development’. Secondly, as the president constantly likes to remind us of what a failure the previous administration was, is it logical that you compare this regime to that administration? You are effectively comparing to failure, which needless to say leaves much room for improvement. We have been enlightened enough times as to what was wrong and what needs to be done. Now the measure of success is assessing what has been attained as to what was said need to be attained.

We will be bombarded with new promises of paradise on earth, of milk and honey. There will be some tough talking and display of piety bordering on sainthood, all for a new mandate, but what’s new? Are you going to fall for it yet again? If you trick a child to come to you by pretending to hold something in your clenched fist, you’ll only succeed in doing so twice at the most after which the child will make out the trick. Fool me once…

Take your pick, electricity, transportation, sanitation, healthcare, agriculture (the promise of food self-sufficiency), education, employment for the youth, commerce, and we all know what the streets of the capital city look like when it rains talk less of the rest of the country. What has been delivered in these areas after two decades of promises? What has changed in our condition or his personality that convinces you that the next five years would be any different? We cannot keep hoping and praying that things will change when we know for a fact that there is hardly any indication of that.

It is time to turn over a new leaf; change is the only constant in life some wise guy once said. It is time to give a new dispensation the chance to restore dignity and chart a new path for us. This one has not led us anywhere. We live in fear and uncertainty in our own homes.

All this talk about peace and its maintenance is a tactic to instill fear in you to maintain the status quo or worse, be apathetic and ensure the same result. Peace is only ensured by the collective adherence to the laws of the society you live in; ask yourself whether those being accused of stoking the flames of instability have done anything to break any laws? Sincerity is the hallmark of a true believer and we as a people like to pride ourselves in our faith even though we know very little about its requirements. Whether one is of faith or not, sincerity is a most noble human trait.

Now that that is settled, go out and vote for change. If you are undecided as to who to vote for, look at the composition of the two camps and decide for yourself. Do you choose a novice who just landed on the political landscape and is running a smear campaign against the other opposition coalition instead of laying out his plans for the future, or do you vote for a coalition of the seasoned politicians that have ploughed the field for decades, refused to be silent in the face of tyranny and even lost their freedoms in the process?

The coalition has the right minds to deliver us to safer shores; their unity alone is reason enough to earn your vote. They campaign on substance and lay bare the misdeeds of the regime for you to be informed. Whatever their ideological differences may have been, they have put those aside and coalesced to salvage our sinking ship; all they need is your support in whatever capacity you can, but most importantly your vote. Give them the mandate and you will have a say in the direction your country takes for the sake of your children and posterity. 

Do Not Subvert The Will of The People

My fellow Gambians,

It is no longer feasible to stay on the sidelines and remain indifferent to the state of affairs in The Gambia. Every human condition reaches its tipping point at some stage, the time to stem the tide against tyranny and one man rule in The Gambia is now. It behooves us all to add our voice to the call to end dictatorship in our country. A mere phone call to your relatives and loved ones back home, asking them to not be intimidated but rather go out and exercise their democratic right of voting is enough. Even better, ask them to vote for the coalition of opposition parties for it is time to change, two decades is long enough for anyone to rule. Complacency is no longer an option if you truly care for The Gambia.

Mr. President,

The time for tough talking is over. The men and women in the crowds we all saw accompanying your opponents and rendering their support to those who seek to usher in a new state of affairs are Gambians, just like you.

Surely there must be something displeasing to them about how you’ve managed our affairs. Listen to them, hear their cries, empathize with them, then you may be able you address their concerns. But I believe it is rather late for that. The Gambian people gave you 22 (twenty two) years to deliver on any promises you made, that is long enough, needless to say a lot of those promises have not been fulfilled.

Whenever the Gambian people come together to exercise their democratic and constitutional rights, you take to the airwaves with threats and name calling all aimed at intimidating them into submission. Branding your opponents and those who disagree with you as unpatriotic, or agents seeking to destabilize the country won’t cut it anymore. They have the right to want things differently, your way isn’t always right and sticking to it, regardless of what those at the receiving end say, and in the face of such an overwhelming objection to it is simply arrogant. Arrogance is a trait most detested my your “Almighty Allah” whom you are so fond of. He (subhanahu wa ta'ala) detests arrogance so much so that He swore that anyone with an atom’s weight of arrogance in his heart shall not enter His paradise.

You and your surrogates like to cite nonexistent “threats to national security” and making statements like “the peace and stability of The Gambia will not be compromised” at every opportunity, so much so that one would think there is indeed some genuine threat to our peace. Do these people look like people out for violence or to incite? Has any of their leaders ever made any statement deemed threatening to peace? The only threat they pose is to your rule. Their collective resolve is to inform the Gambian electorate of your failures so that through the democratic process the informed Gambian people will take back the power they entrust you with, it is theirs to start with. A person wanting their power back is no threat to peace; it is democracy, like you always say, and rightly so; power belongs to the people.

The peace and stability of the country lies solely in your hands. What you say, what you do, what you condone from your surrogates, what you order your security forces to do all have a potential to destabilize the country. Violence is always a reactionary response, always! Let peace reign, pay the price for peace; RESPECT THE CONSTITUTION AND THE PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO CHOICE! It is that simple.

What the people seek is CHANGE, it is CONSTITUTIONAL, it is, POPULAR, it is the COALITION, it is ADAMA BARROW and a NEW GAMBIA! Do not stand in their way with threats.

The Gambia has always been a unified country despite our differences. You sold yourself short when you used the privileges of your office and a public platform to create divisions by singling out and insulting the Mandinkas. When you declared The Gambia an “Islamic Republic” devoid of constitutional mandate thereby making our Christian and non-Muslim compatriots feel marginalized and fearful. We cannot afford another 5 year term of anti-Mandinka rhetoric and threats of burying people so many feet deep, nor are we prepared for the witch hunt that will follow your new mandate because people decided to speak their mind in this political season. We want a unified country, one were the president; a servant of the people does not make unanimous decisions for his personal satisfaction.

Your people are in despair, oh great 'pan-Africanist' as you claim to be. Listen to them and safe the motherland. But we understand you won’t. If 22 years has taught us anything, it is that you feel you are always right and justified in your actions, no one else's views or opinions count. So here comes people power, a tornado aimed straight for you and waiting to sweep you and the entire system out of The Gambia come the December polls!

When Peaceful Protest Desrves Death

Peace is only sustained by justice. Justice is ensured by the equal treatment of all before the law. For far too long have we, as a people endured under the yoke of tyranny and oppression. Each time an act of injustice took place, tempers flare and a call to arms is sounded from certain quarters, but thankfully cooler heads have prevailed and chaotic situations have been avoided. But everyone’s endurance has a limit, there comes a time when even the most cowered individual stands his ground and refuses to be pushed around. When that time comes, two things are at stake; his dignity as a human person or his freedom.

That time has come for Gambians, some would say it came and went several times. Hiding behind religion/faith and calling for peace and stability gets to a point where it becomes hypocritical. Such calls it can be argued, are borne out of cowardice, fear, insincerity, selfishness or some other human deficiency rather than a sincere call to maintain peace and stability.

This has sadly been the norm in The Gambia for far too long; whenever the powers that be abuse their power, only a few point out such abuses, the majority stays mute or indifferent, content with their false sense of security. When the excesses of the authorities become too much to bear the few that have been speaking out all along decides to take action, the silent majority comes out screaming peace. The hypocrisy on display in this scenario is that of ignoring the excesses of the tyrant and condemning the protestations of the afflicted. Even though you deny it, you are siding with the oppressor. Do you see why hiding behind religion to call for restraint is not heeded, but worse shows the hypocrisy that is being masked?

We have seen time and again, people refuting claims that a wrong has been committed consistently and endeavor to make their position seem neutral and objective. Propaganda is nothing short of manipulating facts to suit a certain narrative. Here is a system that consistently acts with heavy handedness each time their position is criticized and hides behind national security claims to justify their oppressive stance, little wonder we hear claims of “Gambians are peace loving”, “Let’s pray for peace”, etc. Peace; peace; peace. The absence of war or chaos does not mean the presence of peace. Peace and justice go hand in hand; one does not survive without the other, only temporarily.

If you are writing posts calling for peace, ask yourself the following:

What do you mean by peace? 

Is it the violence that you are afraid may ensue from people taking to the streets or the disruption of the order of society?

Is there a justifiable call to protest? 

The protesters claim is that citizens of The Gambia were exercising a constitutional right and got arrested without breaking any laws and their are claims of torture to death. Is it okay that three weeks on the government officials have so far remained mute as to what happened to the arrestees or even to confirm if they have anyone in custody. Isn't that in itself disrespectful? 

Is Mr. Jammeh or those he entrust with positions of authority infallible?  

Our belief and that of every sane person is that nobody is perfect. Despite your best sincere efforts, mistakes are always a part of human efforts. If mistakes occur, is it just that the citizens, whose lives will be affected by such mistakes, express their dissatisfaction and offer alternative approaches? That is one aspect of democracy, FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION; it’s not a western concept or ideology. Because citizens demand it does not mean that they are being instigated to destabilize the country by some foreign power. Where such attempts at dissention are heavy handedly cracked down on, tyranny is the driving force behind such repression. Tyranny simply means refusing to uphold the law that guarantees the rights you fight against.

However you look at it, the opposition parties, the UDP in this case, are not out to destabilize the country. For far too long has the government treated the members of that party with heavy handedness and impunity and each time they exercised restraint, but taking the life of an innocent person who posed no threat to anyone and expecting the same level of restraint is unrealistic, even you know that. Femi Peters was jailed for using a PA system without permit, an unfair jail term; the party refrained from making a big deal of it leading some of its supporters and critics to label them as cowardly and irrelevant. Amadou Sanneh’s case is still fresh in our minds, as a top executive of the main opposition, he still languishes in jail without any protest from his party, and they respected the law even though everyone knew the law was manipulated. Kanyiba Kanyi is still unaccounted for, Ousman Ceesay was shot and killed in Tallinding during a welcome parade for the opposition convoy with no one held to account.

The list goes on and on. Each time, the UDP stood by the law to have their rights respected, where they were betrayed by the very laws they believe in, they remained faithful to the law. Even now, they are not breaking any laws by taking to the streets. The constitution guarantees the right to peaceful protest, but we all know how the exercise of this right is being treated.

Such repressive nature can only go on for so long and here we stand with the finish line in sight. It has been constantly peddled by the administration that those who oppose the current regime are unpatriotic, peddlers of tribalism, troublemakers, and agents of foreign powers bent on seizing the peace and stability of little Gambia. And the sad fact is that the supporters of the APRC buy the storyline hook, line and sinker. 

Truth is, those who oppose are citizens too, with rights guaranteed under the constitution. The peace you so cherish can only be sustained in an environment of respect and tolerance. Respect for dissenting views, accepting that we are all different and have differing views on issues. But each time such brute force and heavy handedness meets peaceful demands for reform, a little is chipped away from that peace and eventually the repressed masses will rise up and demand what is rightfully theirs – their dignity.

Whether you support the government or not, such acts of wanton disregard for the lives of individuals should be condemned by all, especially when those murdered in cold blood only committed the “crime” of daring to speak out against their unfair treatment.

It is hard to figure out what approach to take to address the issues facing our nation collectively especially when talking to the sympathizers of the regime. Do we speak to their emotions? Do we invoke reason? Do we speak from a religious pulpit? All these approaches have been tried, yet the reaction is the same – Jammeh was right, the victims were wrong. It is especially sad when young men and women, who by all accounts are smart, brilliant, articulate and holding so much promise for the future of our beloved country are the ones standing up to defend acts of repression. With so much information at our finger tips, these acts can only be deemed contemptible if not entirely selfish. One thing is for certain, they are insincere.